Résumé:
In Algeria, as in several African countries, a large number of people use traditional therapy in the treatment of various diseases, including urolithiasis where medicinal plants constitute a precious heritage which deserves to be used in the treatment of this pathology. while providing details on the methods of use and taking into account the parts used and the appropriate preparation methods. The present study focuses firstly on an ethnobotanical study carried out among 40 herbalists practicing in Mostaganem, followed by the phytochemical study of the plants most frequently used by the client population and finally the evaluation of the dissolution effect of the extracts from these plants selected for two types of urinary stones: cystine and phosphate. The results of the ethnobotanical study reveal the dominance of the two species which are most frequently used by the population; these are the stone-breaking plant and barley which will be the subject of a phytochemical and litholytic study tested on two types of stones: cystine and phosphate. Through the phytochemical study of Arenaria rubra, it appears that this species is rich in bioactive molecules where flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids and mucilages are strongly present in the decocted extract, likewise we recorded a strong presence of alkaloids , terpenoids and free quinones in the macerate extract. While the study of Hordeum vulgare revealed a strong presence of flavonoids, saponosides, alkaloids in the decocted extract; simultaneously the macerate extract shows a strong presence only of alkaloids and reducing compounds and the absence of flavonoids, polyphenols, mucilages and free quinones and terpenoids. The results of the litholytic activity are determined by the values of the two parameters which are: the pH and the dissolution of the stones, a variability of the pH values is observed throughout the duration of the experiment, this variation can be explained by dissolution reactions, in parallel, a significant loss of weight of the phosphate stone in the extract decocted after the 12th days, which testifies to the effectiveness of the plant extracts used in the dissolution of stones, especially those of the phosphate type, as well as Changes in the morphological characteristics of phosphate and cystine kidney stones after treatment with medicinal plants suggest that these plants exert an effect on cystine crystals, probably due to the formation of complexes between the stones and polyphenols or flavonoids present in the extracts.
