Antiurolithiatic Potential of Spermacoce articularis L.f. through In Vivo and In Silico Analysis
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Date
2025-04
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Avinashilingam
Abstract
Kidney stone disease is common with limited treatments and high recurrence.Spermacoce articularis is being explored as a safer natural option for its antioxidant and anti-urolithiatic potential. The study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the pharmacognostic, phytochemical, antioxidant, and pharmacological properties of S. articularis with a focus on its potential antiurolithiatic activity. Pharmacognostic studies, including organoleptic and fluorescence analysis, revealed distinct characteristics among leaf, stem, and root samples. The leaf and stem extracts exhibited a richer phytochemical profile using methanol, ethanol, acetone, and aqueous solvents than the root extract. The quantitative analysis exhibited a significant amount of both primary (proteins and carbohydrates) and secondary metabolites (alkaloids, tannins, and terpenoids), indicating a rich profile of biologically active constituents. Among all the solvent extracts, the stem methanol and leaf ethanol extracts of S. articularis demonstrated the highest antioxidant potential in all enzymatic, non-enzymatic, and radical scavenging assays. The S. articularis stem methanol extract (SASM) was found to have the highest dissolution of calcium oxalate crystals through nucleation and aggregation assays, outperforming the leaf ethanol extract. Consequently, further in vivo studies were conducted using the SASM at two doses (250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) on renal calculi-induced Wistar albino rats, and the results confirmed positive efficacy, with a significant reduction in calcium oxalate crystal deposition and prevention of renal tissue damage, compared to the standard cystone group. To identify the active compounds responsible for the anti-urolithiasis activity, chromatographic methods such as TLC, HPTLC, and GC-MS were employed. TLC and HPTLC analyses confirmed the presence of terpenoids and phenols in the stem methanol extract. GC-MS profiling detected 40 bioactive compounds, and 25 organic compounds from various functional groups were selected for molecular docking. In silico analysis showed D-mannitol had high binding affinities to Tamm-Horsfall Protein, Calcitonin, and Calcium oxidoreductase. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested D-mannitol may inhibit calcitonin hormone, supporting its potential in kidney stone treatment. The top 10 hit compounds obtained from docking also showed favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Overall, the study highlights that S. articularis is a valuable natural resource that warrants further investigation for the development of anti-urolithiasis treatments.
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Botany