Phytomolecules investigated for the prevention and treatment of urinary stones

Abstract

Urolithiasis is a recurrent pathology manifested by the stone formation in the urinary system; it has long been treated in traditional medicine by plant remedies. Several studies have provided the efficacy of medicinal plants as well as their chemical compounds against stone formation. The present work aims to summarize the antiurolithiatic effect of phytochemicals, including quercetin, rutin, catechin, diosmin, and thymoquinone. In this context, various databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and google scholar, were searched using keywords like antiurolithiatic bioactive molecules and chemistry of phytomolecules. The results confirmed that phytochemicals, including particularly flavonoid molecules, could be effective against lithogenesis via different strategies such as decreasing the binding between crystals and cells, decreasing the growth of crystals, and increasing magnesium level.  Nevertheless, more studies are required, such as determination of toxicity and clinical studies. This review may help researchers achieve more results about the mechanism and the side effects of phytochemicals administration.