Supplementation of Daucus carota L. extract prevents urolithiasis in experimental rats

Abstract

Daucus carota L. was first used for medical purposes and gradually used as a food worldwide and it has been endorsed in relic Ayurvedic scriptures in India and is being used in many Ayurvedic formulations as a chief ingredient. The present study was designed to evaluate the antiurolithiatic activity of D. carota L. extract against ethylene glycol (EG) and Vitamin D3 induced urolithiasis rats. The protective effect of D. carota L. root extract was studied in a dose-dependent manner by using 200 and 400 mg/kg in rats for four weeks and the anti-urolithiatic potentiality was accessed by measuring the parameters like calcium, sodium, potassium, oxalate, inorganic phosphate, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and uric acid were estimated in both serum and urine by using commercial diagnostic kits. The in vivo antioxidant activity of D. carota L. was also evaluated and histopathological changes that occurred in the kidney observed. Serum and urinary levels of calcium, creatinine, oxalate, blood urea and blood urea nitrogen level were found to be decreased significantly in groups pre-treated with D. carota L. extract. The animals treated with test drug showed much improvement in physical parameters like body weight, urine volume and pH of urine. Histopathology of kidney showed almost normal kidney architecture in treated groups compared to disease control rats. The biochemical and histopathological parameters studied in rats have revealed the presences of antiurolithiatic property in the roots of Daucus carota L. This property was dose-dependent.