ORIGINAL PAPER Growth inhibition of Struvite crystals in the presence of juice of Citrus medica Linn. C. K. Chauhan Æ M. J. Joshi Received: 21 April 2008 / Accepted: 29 August 2008 / Published online: 16 September 2008 Ó Springer-Verlag 2008 Abstract Struvite, one of the components of urinary stone grows rapidly forming ‘‘staghorn-calculi’’, is a painful urological disorder. It is necessary to study the growth-inhibition of Struvite crystals. This in vitro study has been carried out in the presence of the juice of Citrus medica Linn. by using single diffusion gel growth tech- nique. Sodium metasilicate solution of specific gravity 1.05 and an aqueous solution of ammonium dihydrogen phos- phate of 0.5 M concentration were mixed so that the pH value 7.0 could be set. After the gelation, supernatant solutions comprising of pure 1.0 M Magnesium acetate (control solution) as well as mixed with the different concentrations of the juice were gently poured on the set gels. From the study of growth-inhibition behavior of Struvite crystals, it was found that Citrus medica Linn. inhibits the growth of the crystals. This study may be used for formulating the strategy for prevention or dissolution of Struvite. Keywords Struvite  Urinary stone  Gel growth  Citrus medica Linn.  Inhibition Introduction The formation of an urinary calculi is a serious, debili- tating problem in all societies throughout the world. It is estimated that approximately 12% of the population will suffer from the disease at some stage in their lives [1]. A large number of people are suffering from urinary stone problem all over the globe. Not only the humans but animals and birds also suffer from the urinary stone problem. The occurrence in some areas is so alarming that they are known as ‘Stone Belts’. The area of high inci- dence of urinary calculi include British islands, Scandinavian countries, Central Europe, Northern Aus- tralia, Northern India, Pakistan, Mediterranean countries [2]. The financial costs of the disease are staggering; in the United States, for instance, the health bill for treat- ment of kidney stones runs to billions of dollars annually [3]. More recent studies suggest that there has been a gradual increase in the annual incidence and a decrease in the age of onset of the disease perhaps the result of change in lifestyle and diet [4]. Majority of the calculi are composed of calcium salts, oxalates and phosphates. Among the phosphates, mag- nesium phosphates, namely, Ammonium Magnesium Phosphate Hexahydrate (AMPH)—{(NH 4 )MgPO 4 6(H 2 O)} commonly known as Struvite and Magnesium Hydrogen Phosphate Trihydrate—{MgHPO 4 3(H 2 O)} have also been reported to occur as constituents in renal calculi [5–8] not only in adults but also in children [9, 10]. Struvite calculi, found in 15–20% of urinary calculi [11, 12], are mostly related to urinary tract infections with ureolithic microor- ganisms in humans and animals [5, 13, 14]. Struvite is also known as triple phosphate stone, infection stone or urase stone. They are found more frequently in women and in persons older than 50 years [15]. Priestley and Dunn [16] C. K. Chauhan (&)  M. J. Joshi Crystal Growth Laboratory, Department of Physics, Saurashtra University, Rajkot 360 005, Gujarat, India e-mail: ckc33@rediffmail.com M. J. Joshi e-mail: mshilp24@rediffmail.com Present Address: C. K. Chauhan Physics Department, H. & H. B. Kotak Institute of Science, Dr Yagnik Road, Rajkot 360 001, Gujarat, India 123 Urol Res (2008) 36:265–273 DOI 10.1007/s00240-008-0154-4