Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is the first author of the paper, now published in the journal Scientific Reports. Sivaguru and colleagues used a combination of the latest optical techniques to study thin sections of kidney stones.
They explain that many of the visualization techniques used in this study are common in geology and geobiology but have never been used to examine mineralizations in vivo. One technique used — super-resolution nanometer-scale auto-fluorescence microscopy — allowed the researchers to view slices of kidney stones at a resolution of nanometers. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. In other words, kidney stones cyclically dissolve and grow back, says co-lead study author Jessica Saw, an M.
The stone is growing and dissolving, growing and dissolving. This contradicts a belief that has been held for centuries: that kidney stones are homogenous and essentially insoluble in vivo. Fouke explains. The kidneys regulate levels of water in the body and remove waste and toxins from the blood. Dialysis does this for people with failing or damaged….
Kidney stones form when minerals build up in the kidneys, usually due to not drinking enough fluid. Learn about the types, causes, and symptoms, as…. Kidney stones can develop due to a buildup of concentrated minerals in the kidneys. It turned out that Chung's initial finding was correct. Once they confirmed it is possible to dissolve crystals in supersaturated solutions, researchers then looked at reasons to explain why that happened.
Mpourmpakis and Taylor applied density functional theory DFT - a highly accurate computational method used to study the structure and properties of materials - to address how HCA and CA bind to calcium and to calcium oxalate crystals. They discovered HCA formed a stronger bond with crystal surfaces, inducing a strain that is seemingly relieved by the release of calcium and oxalate, leading to crystal dissolution.
HCA was also tested in human subjects, as seven people took the supplement for three days, allowing researchers to determine that HCA is excreted through urine, a requirement for the supplement to work as a treatment. While Rimer said the research established the groundwork to design an effective drug, questions remain.
Long-term safety, dosage and additional human trials are needed, he said. Read next. August 09, Receive an email when new articles are posted on.
Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on. You've successfully added to your alerts. Doctors tell patients who are at risk of developing stones to drink lots of water and avoid foods rich in oxalate, such as rhubarb, okra, spinach and almonds. They often recommend taking citrate CA , in the form of potassium citrate, a supplement that can slow crystal growth, but some people are unable to tolerate the side effects.
The project grew out of preliminary work done by collaborator John Asplin, a nephrologist at Litholink Corporation, who suggested HCA as a possible treatment. HCA is chemically similar to CA and is also available as a dietary supplement. In addition to Rimer and Asplin, authors on the paper include Giannis Mpourmpakis and his graduate student, Michael G. The head-to-head studies of CA and HCA determined that while both compounds inhibit the growth of calcium oxalate crystals, HCA was more potent and displayed unique qualities that are advantageous for the development of new therapies.
The team of researchers then used atomic force microscopy, or AFM, to study interactions between the crystals, CA and HCA under realistic growth conditions. According to Rimer, the technique allowed them to record crystal growth in real time with near-molecular resolution. Chung noted that the AFM images recorded the crystal actually shrinking when exposed to specific concentrations of HCA. Rimer suspected the initial finding was an abnormality, as it is rare to see a crystal actually dissolve in highly supersaturated growth solutions.
The most effective inhibitors reported in the literature simply stop the crystal from growing. It turned out that Chung's initial finding was correct. Once they confirmed it is possible to dissolve crystals in supersaturated solutions, researchers then looked at reasons to explain why that happened.
Mpourmpakis and Taylor applied density functional theory DFT -- a highly accurate computational method used to study the structure and properties of materials -- to address how HCA and CA bind to calcium and to calcium oxalate crystals. They discovered HCA formed a stronger bond with crystal surfaces, inducing a strain that is seemingly relieved by the release of calcium and oxalate, leading to crystal dissolution.
HCA was also tested in human subjects, as seven people took the supplement for three days, allowing researchers to determine that HCA is excreted through urine, a requirement for the supplement to work as a treatment.
While Rimer said the research established the groundwork to design an effective drug, questions remain.
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