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WCE 2017: Arbutin as a novel prevention and therapy for calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis

Vancouver, Canada (UroToday.com)  Mr. Aymon Ali, a MSc in Surgery candidate at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, presented the use of Arbutin as a novel prevention and therapy technique for calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis. As an introduction to his talk, Mr. Ali explained how through the use of the Drosophila melanogaster, they successfully screened through 360 compounds and discovered this plant based glycoside Arbutin led to a significant decrease in calculi present in the flies. His team then hypothesized that Arbutin binds directly to calcium oxalate crystals and thus prevents further growth.  

To observe the interaction of Arbutin with calcium and oxalate ions, his team performed a form of mass spectroscopy known as matrix assisted laser deposition/ionization (MALDI) after titrating Arbutin to both calcium chloride and sodium oxalate. With MALDI, his team showed how Arbutin can bind to both calcium and oxalate and form Arbutin-calcium and Arbutin-oxalate ionic structures within the molecule. 

To assess the morphological changes associated with Arbutin treated calcium oxalate crystals, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed. He and his team saw degradation of crystal faces of calcium oxalate in size formation and the structure itself. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was then utilized to observe a crystal face in a particular plane before and after Arbutin treatment. They discovered that prior to treatment, the crystal faces were intact. After Arbutin treatment, they found aberrations in the topography of the crystal faces as evidence of crystal degradation. 

Mr. Ali concluded that the Arbutin inhibits the growth of calcium oxalate crystals and promotes degradation of formed crystals with no cytotoxic effects noted in vitro. He then added that the next direction is to use a rat model with calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis to investigate if these results translate in an in vivo mammalian system.  

Presented by: Aymon Ali 

Authors: Thamara Dayarathna, Sohrab Ali, Aymon Ali, Paul Spagnuolo, Hassan Razvi, Hon Leong
Affiliation: University of Western Ontario, Canada 

Written: by Cyrus Lin, Department of Urology, University of California-Irvine, at the 35th World Congress of Endourology– September 12-16, 2017, Vancouver, Canada.