EFFECT OF TRIBULUS-TERRESTRIS ON OXALATE METABOLISM IN RATS

This study concerns the effect of an aqueous extract of Tribulus terre stris on the metabolism of oxalate in male rats fed sodium glycolate. Glycolate feeding resulted in hyperoxaluria as well as increased activ ities of oxalate synthesizing enzymes of the liver i.e. glycolate oxid ase (GAO), glycolate dehydrogenase (GAD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD H), and decreased kidney LDH activity. T. terrestris administration to sodium glycolate fed rats produced a significant decrease in urinary oxalate excretion, and a significant increase in urinary glyoxylate ex cretion, as compared to sodium glycolate fed animals. The supplementat ion of T. terrestris with sodium glycolate also caused a reduction in liver GAO and GAD activities, whereas liver LDH activity remained unal tered. The isoenzyme pattern of kidney LDH revealed that normalization of kidney LDH by T. terrestris feeding was mainly due to an increase in the LDH 5 fraction. The LDH 1 isoenzyme remained unchanged in all t he groups.