title: An emerging translational model to screen potential medicinal plants for nephrolithiasis, an independent risk factor for chronic kidney disease.
abstract: Pharmacological therapy for urolithiasis using medicinal plants has been increasingly adopted for the prevention of its recurrence. A Drosophila melanogaster model developed for translational research of urolithiasis was applied to evaluate agents with potential antilithic effects and calcium oxalate (CaOx) formation. Potential antilithic herbs were prepared in a mixture of food in a diluted concentration of 5,000 from the original extract with 0.5% ethylene glycol (EG) as the lithogenic agent. The control group was fed with food only. After 3 weeks, flies (n ≥ 150 for each group) were killed using CO2 narcotization, and the Malpighian tubules were dissected, removed, and processed for polarized light microscopy examination of the crystals. The crystal formation rate in the EG group was 100.0%. In the study, 16 tested herbal drugs reached the crystal formation rate of 0.0%, including Salviae miltiorrhizae, Paeonia lactiflora, and Carthami flos. Scutellaria baicalensis enhanced CaOx crystal formation. Two herbal drugs Commiphora molmol and Natrii sulfas caused the death of all flies. Our rapid screening methods provided evidence that some medicinal plants have potential antilithic effects. These useful medicinal plants can be further studied using other animal or human models to verify their effects.
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
authors.forename: San-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Center for General Education, Feng Chia University, Taichung 40724, Taiwan ; Department of Dermatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 40705, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jui-Lung
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Botanicals and Health Applications, Da-Yeh University, Changhua 51591, Taiwan ; Department of Anesthesiology, Tungs' Taichung Harbor Hospital, Taichung 43304, Taiwan ; Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan ; Graduate Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
authors.forename: Kee-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Man
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 10002, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yuan-Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan ; Departments of Medical Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, and Urology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huey-Yi
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan ; Departments of Medical Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, and Urology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Hsiang
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan ; Departments of Medical Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, and Urology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kao-Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan ; Departments of Medical Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, and Urology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fuu-Jen
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan ; Departments of Medical Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, and Urology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Yong
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan ; Departments of Medical Research, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dermatology, and Urology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Chi
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chen
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