Microbial Degradation Of Calcium Oxalate And Its Potential Application

Abstract

Calcium oxalate is a naturally occurring compound found in various plants and minerals, and its accumulation in the kidney leads to the formation of kidney stones in humans. One of the main causes of kidney stone formation is a decrease in the number of intestinal microbiota which are capable of degrading calcium oxalate. This study focuses on bacterial degradation of calcium oxalate accumulated in humans. Searching for Calcium oxalate degrading strain with high degrading activity has become one of the priorities from the context of research. The study aimed to isolate and characterize microorganisms which are capable of degrading calcium oxalate. Calcium oxalate degrading microorganisms were isolated from faecal samples by using MRS-calcium oxalate medium. Calcium oxalate degrading bacteria were identified on the basis of colour reduction on calcium oxalate medium plate after the incubation period. The morphological and biochemical characterization of isolates were studied. Quantitative determination of degradation was performed by using an indole assay. The activity of isolates was observed by the degradation of kidney stones. Isolates showed better results for degradation of kidney stones after 2 weeks of the incubation period.