Phytomedicine 21 (2014) 523–528 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Phytomedicine jou rn al homepage: www.elsevier.de/phymed Diuretic and antilithiasic activities of ethanolic extract from Piper amalago (Piperaceae) Antônio da Silva Novaes a , Jonas da Silva Mota b , Andersson Barison c , Clebson Luiz Veber c , Fábio Juliano Negrão a , Candida Aparecida Leite Kassuya a , Márcio Eduardo de Barros a,d,∗ a Department of Health Sciences, Federal University of Grande Dourados, MS, Brazil b Department of Biodiversity Research, University of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Dourados, MS, Brazil c Department of Chemistry, Polytechnic Center, Federal University of Paraná Federal University, Curitiba, PR, Brazil d General Hospital, Federal University of Grande Dourados, MS, Brazil a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 4 July 2013 Received in revised form 4 September 2013 Accepted 6 October 2013 Keywords: Piper amalago Diuretic activity Urolithiasic Piperaceae a b s t r a c t Objective: Piper amalago is used in Brazilian folk medicine as diuretic and for the treatment of urinary calculus disease, although no scientific data have been described to support these effects. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the diuretic effects and antilithiatic activity of the ethanolic extract of P. amalago (EEPam). Materials and methods: Ethanolic extracts of P. amalago (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) were orally administered in male Wistar rats (n = 5) and urinary excretion was measured at intervals of up to 24 h after adminis- tration. The antilithiasic effect of EEPam on calcium oxalate urolithiasis crystallization was examined in a turbidimetric model. Results: The oral administration of all doses of EEPam significantly increased urine output after 24 h when compared to control group. Moreover, the application of EEPam, induced an inhibitory effect on calcium oxalate crystallization. Conclusions: According to results, P. amalago extracts showed diuretic and natriuretic activity and antilithiasic effects. © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Introduction Diuretic drugs are clinically used to the treatment of oedema, hypertension, urolithiasis and others diseases (Orjala et al., 1992; Pietrow and Karellas, 2006; Rose, 1991; Wright et al., 2007). Urolithiasis is a disturbance that affects kidney, which is considered a systemic disorder associated with bone loss and fractures, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, increased risk of coronary artery dis- ease, metabolic syndrome, and type-2 diabetes mellitus (Sakhaee et al., 2012). In addition, diuretics drugs are also used in the treat- ment of these diseases (Carter, 2012). However, diuretic drugs produce several adverse effects such as diabetes, hypokalemia and others (Zillich et al., 2006) while antilithiasic drugs have only pre- ventive and protective effect (Allie-Hamdulay and Rodgers, 2005; Erickson et al., 2011; Tseng and Preminger, 2011; Xu et al., 2011). In this context, the search for new agents with diuretic and antilithi- asic properties is of interest for public health. ∗ Corresponding author at: Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados/MS 79825-070, MS, Brazil. Tel.: +55 67 3410 2321; fax: +55 67 3410 2326. E-mail addresses: marciobarros@ufgd.edu.br, barrosmeb@hotmail.com (M.E. de Barros). In Brazil, there are several plants that are frequently used in folk medicine as diuretic drugs such as Piper amalago. This plant is also used against cardiovascular problems like hypertension and renal disturbances like renal stones (Achenbach et al., 1986; Coimbra, 1994; Dias et al., 1984; Parmar et al., 1997). In addition, traditional use of P. amalago commonly known in Brazil as “jaborandi” is used to alleviate chest pain and inflammation (Achenbach et al., 1986; Domínguez and Alcorn, 1985; Domínguez et al., 1986; Parmar et al., 1997). Besides, the tea from the leaves of P. amalago is used in treatment of burns (Alves et al., 2008). A neurobehavioral study showed that the methanolic extract from leaves of P. amalago acts on the central nervous system, with anxiogenic properties in rats evaluated in the model of the ele- vated plus-maze model affecting locomotion and exploration in this model, but without inducing genetic toxicity (Lopes et al., 2012). In the state Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, Piper species are used for several disorders (Alves et al., 2008). An ethnobotanical survey in Dourados, MS, Brazil, found that of the families identified, 10.8% were from Piper species, showing a large amount of species from this genus in the region (Alves et al., 2008). Phytochemical investigations showed that plants of the family Piperaceae have several compounds such as esters, phe- nolic ethers, volatile oils, lignans, and pyrrolidine alkaloids 0944-7113/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2013.10.014