Antiurolithic activity of vanillin in ethylene glycol-induced hyperoxaluric rat model

Vanillin, a natural compound derived from vanilla beans, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may contribute to the prevention and treatment of renal stones. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate the potential antiurolithic effect of vanillin in male hyperoxaluric Wistar rats. Computational molecular docking studies were used to investigate the interaction process and verify vanillin's role in the prevention of kidney stones containing calcium oxalate. Software tools were utilized to analyze the drug ligands' additional molecular characteristics, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME), and toxicity. Urinary crystals were induced in rats by adding 0.75% ethylene glycol (EG) in drinking water for 3 weeks, along with 1% ammonium chloride (AC) during the initial three days. Molecular docking analysis revealed strong binding interactions of vanillin with Human CTP: Phosphoethanolamine Cytidylyltransferase (PDB ID: 3ELB) at the C5P binding site, with a binding affinity of -7.6 kcal/mol, suggesting a potential molecular basis for its antiurolithic activity. In vivo study showed that vanillin treatment dose dependently (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight) reduced hyperoxaluria, hypercalciuria and crystal counts in kidneys of hyperoxaluric rats. The current results of our study suggest that vanillin possesses potential antiurolithic activity, showing enhanced therapeutic effects in urolithiasis, which could be a safe, effective and non-invasive option in modern medicine for the management of urinary stones.