A comparison between effects of pyruvate and herb medicines in preventing experimental oxalate urolithiasis in rats

Sodium pyruvate, choreito (a herbal preparation), and urajirogashi (a herb) were added to a calcium-oxalate lithogenic diet (a glycolic-acid diet) to determine their effects in preventing lithogenicity. Male Wistar-strain rats which had been fed the glycolic-acid diet developed marked urinary calculi within 4 weeks. Rats in the groups fed a pyruvate diet had, however, almost no stones in the urinary system. The choreito and urajirogashi were slightly less effective than the pyruvate. Urinary oxalate excretion was high in all the groups during the experiment, especially in the pyruvate and the glycolic-acid groups, but, it was relatively lowered in the herb groups, especially towards the end of the experiment (p less than 0.05). Urinary citrate excretion was high in the pyruvate group, but it was significantly low in the other groups. In the choreito group, remarkable increases in urinary volume and magnesium excretion were observed; however, they were statistically non-significant and urinary calcium excretion was higher than in the glycolic-acid group during the experiment. Therefore, it can be concluded that choreito and urajirogashi may have some beneficial effect though any such effect is inferior to that of pyruvate, in preventing calculi formation, partly by decreasing the urinary oxalate excretion; increased urine volume and magnesium excretion may also have some other, additional effects in the choreito group.