ANTILITHIATIC ACTIVITY OF Saccharum spontaneum Linn. ON ETHYLENE GLYCOL – INDUCED LITHIASIS IN RATS.

The ethanolic extract of roots of Saccharum spontaneum Linn. was evaluated for its antilithiatic activity in rats. Lithiasis was induced by oral administration of ethylene glycolated water (0.75%) in adult male wistar albino rats for 28 days. The ionic chemistry of urine was altered by ethylene glycol (EG), which elevated the urinary concentration of crucial ions, viz. calcium, phosphorus and protein thereby contributing to renal stone formation. However treatment with ethanolic root extract of S.spontaneum (200 and 300 mg / kg bodyweight) in group III and IV significantly (p<0.05) reduced the elevated level of these ions in urine. The levels of serum urea, uric acid and creatinine were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in urolithiatic rats. Treatment with plant extract restored the levels and it brought back the values to near normal range in urolithiatic rats. All these observations revealed that ethanolic root extract of S.spontaneum has curative effect on stone formation induced by ethylene glycol.