Effect of Tribulus terrestris on oxalate metabolism in rats.

This study concerns the effect of an aqueous extract of Tribulus terrestris on the metabolism of oxalate in male rats fed sodium glycolate. Glycolate feeding resulted in hyperoxaluria as well as increased activities of oxalate synthesizing enzymes of the liver i.e. glycolate oxidase (GAO), glycolate dehydrogenase (GAD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and decreased kidney LDH activity. T. terrestris administration to sodium glycolate fed rats produced a significant decrease in urinary oxalate excretion, and a significant increase in urinary glyoxylate excretion, as compared to sodium glycolate fed animals. The supplementation of T. terrestris with sodium glycolate also caused a reduction in liver GAO and GAD activities, whereas liver LDH activity remained unaltered. The isoenzyme pattern of kidney LDH revealed that normalization of kidney LDH by T. terrestris feeding was mainly due to an increase in the LDH 5 fraction. The LDH 1 isoenzyme remained unchanged in all the groups.