In Vitro Litholytic Effects of Three Chinese Herbal Extracts on Mixed-Type Urinary Calculi

Objective To preliminarily investigate the litholytic effects of extracts from Lysimachiae Herba，Selaginellae Herba （Selaginella pulvinata），and Phragmitis Rhizoma on mixed-type urinary calculi （calcium oxalate/carbonate apatite） through in vitro experiments. Methods A total of 264 surgically extracted renal calculus specimens were collected.Compositional analysis was performed through infrared spectroscopy.Extracts of the three herbal medicines were prepared，and their litholytic effects on mixed-type calculi （calcium oxalate/carbonate apatite） were evaluated via in vitro litholysis assays，with normal saline as the negative control. Results Among the 264 calculus specimens，mixed-type calculi exhibited the highest prevalence （52.27%，138/264），of which the calcium oxalate/carbonate apatite subtype accounted for 63.77% （88/138） of mixed calculi.All the three extracts significantly dissolved the mixed-type calculi （all P<0.001），with the efficacy ranking as follows：Lysimachiae Herba>Selaginellae Herba>Phragmitis Rhizoma，with statistically significant intergroup differences （P<0.001）. Conclusions Mixed-type calculi predominate in urolithiasis patients，with calcium oxalate/carbonate apatite being the most common subtype.Extracts of Lysimachiae Herba and Selaginellae Herba demonstrate superior in vitro litholytic effects on this mixed-type calculus subtype，suggesting their potential as therapeutic agents for clinical management of urolithiasis.