Abstract
The plant Saussurea costus (Falc) Lipsch has many biological activities and a strong curative and preventive power against a variety of diseases including cancer, diabetes, and hemorrhoids. In the current study, phytochemical screening was carried out as well as an investigation of the antilithiatic and antioxidant activities of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of this plant. The results showed that aqueous and ethanolic extracts were effective in reducing cystine stone mass and that the aqueous extract of Saussurea costus (Falc) Lipsch had the highest percentage of dissolution (6.756 +/- 1.024) (p < 0.05). A turbidimetric method and a crystallization test were used to evaluate the antilithiatic activity of an aqueous and ethanolic extract of this plant on calcium oxalate crystallization. The results of these methods revealed that the ethanolic extract of this plant has a significant inhibitory effect on calcium oxalate crystallization, with a percentage inhibition of (91.017 +/- 0.299) (p < 0.05) for a concentration of 2 mg mL(-1). The DPPH method revealed that the ethanolic extract of Saussurea costus (Falc) Lipsch with a concentration of (IC50 = 0.12325 mg mL(-1)) had the highest IC50, whereas the FRAP method revealed that the aqueous extract of Saussurea costus (Falc) Lipsch with a concentration of 300 mu g mL(-1) has the most significant reducing power with (OD = 0.56 +/- 0.05). These findings indicate that aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Saussurea costus (Falc) Lipsch had a significant effect on whewellite and weddellite and a greater free radical scavenging effect but had no effect on cystine dissolution.