In vivo Anti-lithiasis activity and antibacterial effect of hydroalcoholic extract and infusion of Punica granatum L. peel.

Objective: Urolithiasis disease is a severe pathology causing painful bleeding in patients and can lead to kidney failure. Current treatments are limited, expensive, invasive with side effects and requires new alternatives, especially those based on natural products. This work aimed to determine the in vivo antilithiasis effect of hydroalcoholic extract (E.PG) and infusion (I.PG) of the Punica granatum L. plant, as well as their antibacterial capacity against the strains responsible of urinary tract infection such as: E. coli, P. Mirabilis, K. pneumoniae and S. Aureus.Methods: A curative protocol was followed, which consisted of inducing calcium oxalate lithiasis in rats by ethylene glycol (75%) and ammonium chloride (1%) solutions. After 15 days of oxalocalcic lithiasis induction, plant extracts were administered to rats at two different doses (200 and 400 mg/kg/day), with potassium citrate (Cit.K) used as a positive control. Water intake, urine volume, pH and body weight were measured with crystalluria and histopathological examinations of the kidneys performed. The antibacterial activity was studied by the disk diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. The checkerboard technique was used to determine the interactions between the two extracts.Results: The results found show a significant effectiveness of the Punica granatum L. extracts, especially the infusion in preventing the formation, development and calcium oxalate crystals deposition. In fact, crystalluria revealed an important diuresis with the presence of a very low crystals number (<50 / mm3) of very small size in the rat's urine treated with EPG and IPG at the concentration of 400 mg/kg/day. Kidney histopathology analysis showed the absence of crystal deposition, as well as an almost normal structure. Moreover, the antimicrobial activity showed the efficiency of the plant extracts in inhibiting the growth of P. mirabilis and S. aureus where the inhibition zones (IZ) revealed by the disk diffusion method are between 14 and 16 mm. I.PG extract displayed a very low MIC of 1.875 against E. coli. Furthermore, the interaction between these two extracts showed partial synergy and an additive effect against S. Aureus and K. pneumoniae.Conclusions: Punica granatum L. plant has promising antilithiasis and antibacterial effects. Therefore, future extensive studies are needed to establish its effectiveness for clinical use.