Abstract
As bioflavonoids have a strong affinity to bind with albumin, it is plausible that they may have the ability to displace the diuretic furosemide bound to albumin. In this study we sought to verify this hypothesis by examining the effect of the co-administration of a bioflavonoid with furosemide on the diuretic activity of the latter. Diosmin is a bioflavonoids type of plant chemical found mainly in citrus fruits.
For this purpose, we analyzed bioflavonoids by their ability to bind to human serum albumin (HAS) using an in silico method and found that diosmin had a higher affinity to albumin than furosemide. Subsequently, we investigated the effect of the co-administration of diosmin with furosemide on the diuretic activity of the latter in mice.
Our results showed that the combination did not produce any significant change in the diuretic activity of furosemide; however, after 3 hours of treatment, the urine volume of the mice that received diosmin along with frusemide was greater than that of mice administered only the same dose of furosemide. There was no significant difference in urine volume between the two groups at the end of 24 hours. A similar trend of increased levels at 3 hours in the combination group and absence of any difference at 24 hours was noted in the case of the urine concentrations of Na+, K+, and 2 Cl.
Our findings indicate that co-administration of diosmin increased the immediate diuretic effect of furosemide for the first few hours and that this effect subsides within 24 hrs. Therefore, this combination should be used with care, especially during the first few hours of administration.