Evaluation of Diuretic and Antinephrolithiatic Activity of Cucurbita pepo Seed in Experimental Rats

This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the cucurbita pepo seed on albino rats as a preventive agent against the development of kidney stones. The seeds of cucurbita pepo were collected from the local market of Lalitpur, district (UP). Activity of cucurbita pepo seed was studied using the ethylene glycol-induced nephrolithiasis model. Standard drug used was cystone. Several parameters were used including urinary volume, urine analysis and serum analysis to assess the activity. The results indicated that the administration of cucurbita pepo to rats with ethylene glycol-induced lithiasis significantly reduced and prevented the growth of urinary stones (P < 0.01). Also, the treatment of lithiasis-induced rats by cucurbita pepo seed restored all the elevated biochemical parameters (calcium, creatinine, uric acid and urea), increased the urine volume significantly (P < 0.01) when compared to the model control drug. This study supports the usage of cucurbita pepo seed in nephrolithiasis and the utility could further be confirmed in other animal models. Keywords: Antinephrolithiatic Activity, Ethylene glycol, Cucurbita pepo, Renal calculi