Melon seed extracts have high
antioxidant activities and are effective against a variety of diseases, including
kidney stones. In
kidney stone model rats, the anti-urolithiatic effects of the hydro-ethanolic extract of melon seed and
potassium citrate were studied and compared. After
urolithiasis induction by
ethylene glycol, the extract and
potassium citrate were treated orally for 38 days concurrent with
ethylene glycol. Then, urine and kidney sampling were done, and the urinary parameter levels were measured. The melon and
potassium citrate treatments reduced the kidney index, the levels of urinary
calcium and
oxalate, calcium oxalate deposit numbers, the score of crystal deposits, histo-pathological damages, and the score of
inflammation in the kidney sections, while elevating the urinary pH,
magnesium, and
citrate levels, and also the expression of the UMOD, spp1, and reg1 genes in the kidney of treated animals. The effect of
potassium citrate is the same as the effect of melon in treated animals. So, their effects could be by normalizing urinary parameters, reducing crystal deposits, excreting small deposits from the kidney, reducing the chance of them being retained in the urinary tract, and elevating the expression of the UMOD, spp1, and reg1 genes, which are involved in
kidney stone formation.