Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Simulation of calcium oxalate stone in vitro

  • Published:
Science in China Series B: Chemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Crystallization of calcium oxalate is studied mainly in the diluted healthy urine using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and is compared with the crystallization in the diluted pathological urine. It suggests that the average sizes of calcium oxalate crystals are not in direct proportion to the concentrations of Ca2+ and Ox2- ions. Only in the concentration range of 0.60-0.90 mmol/L can larger size of CaOx crystals appear. When the concentrations of Ca2+ and Ox2- ions are 1.20, 0.80, 0.60, 0.30 and 0.15 mmol/L in the healthy urine, the average sizes of calcium oxalate crystallites are 9.5 X 6.5, 20.0 X 13.5 and 15.0 jj,m X 10.0 jj,m, respectively, for the former three samples after 6 d crystallization. No crystal appears even after 30 d crystallization for the samples of concentrations of 0.30 and 0.15 mmol/L due to their low supersaturations. The results theoretically explain why the probability of stone forming is clinically not in direct proportion to the concentrations of Ca2+ and Ox2- ions. Laser scattering technology also confirms this point. The reason why healthy human has no risk of urinary stone but stone-formers have is that there are more urinary macromolecules in healthy human urines than that in stone-forming urines. These macromolecules may control the transformation in CaOx crystal structure from monohydrate cal-cium oxalate (COM) to dihydrate calcium oxalate (COD). COD has a weaker affinity for renal tubule cell membranes than COM. No remarkable effect of the crystallization time is observed on the crystal morphology of CaOx. All the crystals are obtuse hexagon. However, the sizes and the number of CaOx crystals can be affected by the crystallization time. In the early stage of crystalli-zation (1-6 d), the sizes of CaOx crystals increase and the number of crystal particles changes little as increasing the crystallization time due to growth control. In the middle and late stages (6-30 d), the number of crystals increases markedly while the growth rate changes little due to the nucleation control.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ouyang, J. M., Chemical basis in the investigation of calcium oxalate stones, Chem. Bull, (in Chinese), 2002, (5): 326- 333.

  2. Mustafi, D., Nakagawa, Y., Makinen, M. W., ENDOR studies of VO2+: probing protein-metal ion interactions in nephrocalcin, Cell Mol. Biol. (Noisy-le-grand), 2000, 46 (8): 1345–1360.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Buchholz, N. P., Kim, D. S., Grover, P. K. et al., The effect of warfarin therapy on the charge properties of urinary prothrombin fragment 1 and crystallization of calcium oxalate in undiluted human urine, J. Bone Miner. Res., 1999, 14(6): 1003–1012.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Tunik, L., Garti, N., Morphological and phase changes in calcium oxalate crystals growth in the presence of sodium diisooctal sulfosuccinate, J. Cryst. Growth, 1996, 167: 748–755.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Messa, P., Marangella, M., Paganin, L. et al., Different dietary calcium intake and relative supersaturation of calcium oxalate in the urine of patients forming renal stones, Clin. Sci., 1997, 93: 257–263.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Nenow, D., Vitkov, L., Effect of the opposite directions on the crystal face upon the growth kinetics of weddellite, J. Cryst. Growth, 1997, 182: 461–464.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Laurence, M. E., Levillain, P., Lacour, B. et al., Advantage of zero-crossing-point first-derivative spectrophotometry for the quantification of calcium oxalate crystalline phases by infrared spectrophotometry, Clin. Chim. Acta, 2000, 298: 1- 11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Huang, S. T., Solid X-ray Study (in Chinese), Beijing: Higher Education Press, 1985, 215–218.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Liu, G D., Liu, X., Food therapy in urolithiasis, Chin. J. Urol. (in Chinese), 1999, 14(7): 277–279.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Tai, Z. H., Bioinorganic solid-state chemistry, J. Inorg. Chem. (in Chinese), 1994, 10 (3): 330–337.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Wu Han University, Analytical Chemistry (in Chinese), Beijing: Higher Education Press, 1982, 415–416.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Khan, S. R., Whalen, P. O., Glenton, P. A., Heterogeneous nucleation of calcium oxalate crystals in the presence of membrane vesicles, J. Cryst. Growth, 1993, 134: 211–218.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Jiang, X. J., Feng, T., Mi, P. et al., Expression of osteopontin mRNA in normal rata kidney, Chin. J. Urol. (in Chinese), 1998,19(4): 199–201.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Dai, Y. D., Shen, J. Y, Mechanism of bio-mineralization, Chin. J. Zoology (in Chinese), 1995, 30 (5): 55–58.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Falini, G, Albeck, S., Akkaki, L., Control of aragonite or calcite polymorphism by mollusk shell macromolecules, Science, 1996,271:67–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Wesson, A. J., Worcester, M. E., Wiessner, J. H. et al., Control of calcium oxalate crystal structure and cell adherence by urinary macromolecules, Kidney Int., 1998, 53: 952–957.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Mandel, N., Crystal-membrane interaction in kidney stone disease, J. Am. Soc. Nephrol 5 (Supp. 1), 1994: S37-S45.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biomineralization and Lithiasis Research, Jinan University, 510632, Guangzhou, China

    Jianming Ouyang, Zexuan Su & Fuzhai Cui

  2. Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China

    Xiuqiong Yao

Authors
  1. Jianming Ouyang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiuqiong Yao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zexuan Su
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fuzhai Cui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianming Ouyang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ouyang, J., Yao, X., Su, Z. et al. Simulation of calcium oxalate stone in vitro . Sc. China Ser. B-Chem. 46, 234–242 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1360/02yb0033

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1360/02yb0033

Keywords

Search

Navigation