One of the largest number cases about kidney stones reported as calcium oxalate kidney stones, which separate into four different conditions, one of them is hyperoxaluria. Hyperoxaluria is a condition of increasing oxalate in the urine as a result of oxalate over consuming. Excess oxalate, together with calcium responsible for develop calcium oxalate kidney stones.
Groups of researcher from Toronto Rehabilitation Institute release a report that excessive intake of Vitamin C may also lead to hyperoxaluria and increase the chance of getting kidney stones. But luckily, through many research and study, other researcher also found how Vitamin E could be useful to prevent hyperoxaluria and reduce the risk of getting troubled by kidney stones.
The main objective of this research is to find out whether vitamin E prevents hyperoxaluria – induced oxalate kidney stones formation. They using an animal model of calcium oxalate kidney stones disease, as our previous in- vitro and in-vivo studies revealed that oxalate and hyperoxaluria induce free radical generation, which bring peroxidative injury to renal tubular cells as a results.
They divided 3 different groups of rats that separate base on it diets fed with adequate (group 1), excess (group 2) or deficient (group 3) vitamin E. They used Ethylene Glycol at doses 150 mg/day for 3 weeks. A number of indicators of peroxidation, free radicals and enzymatic activity were then assessed.
The result is very interesting, Ethylene Glycol treatment in group 1 lead to increased lipid peroxidation, protein thiol, excretion of urinary enzymes, oxalate and decreases in urinary calcium, antioxidant enzymes and altered glutathione redox balance. Although renal function was not altered, there was increased water intake, urine volume and lowered urinary pH in these rats.
In other groups, the changes were more intense, with extensive calcium oxalate crystal deposition, in rat’s in-group 3 and prevented in rats in-group 2, except for urinary oxalate levels, which remained high. Histopathological examination showed that there was no deposition of calcium oxalate crystals in rat’s in-group 2 which make this group have less risk for developing kidney stones.
This research has successful to demonstrate in-vivo evidence that hyperoxaluria-induced peroxidative injury induces individual calcium oxalate crystal attachment in the renal tubules. Further more, excess vitamin E completely prevented calcium oxalate deposition, by preventing peroxidative injury and restoring renal tissue antioxidants and glutathione redox balance. Base on this evidence, the researcher submit a conclusion that vitamin E therapy might useful for kidney stones therapy as protection against the deposition of calcium oxalate kidney stones.
Compile and re-written based on release from Alternative Medicine Review, Sept 2005 by S. Thamilselvan, M. Menon
© 2005 Thorne Research Inc – © 2005 Gale Group