Initial investigations in applying a pilp-mineralization system to calcium oxalate formation using vapor diffusion

In attempts to create an in vitro model system for studying the physiochemical mechanisms involved in the formation of kidney stones, the PILP mineralization process was employed. Here it is hypothesized that the acidic proteins present in urine and renal tissue play a central role in idiopathic nephrolithiasis, where non-classical crystallization may take place. In this two stage process, it has been proposed that calcium phosphate (CaP) is first deposited in the basement membrane of the renal tubules and then grows through the renal interstitium reaching the papillary surface to form sub-epithelial plaque called Randall's plaque (RP). The RP, once exposed to urine in the renal pelvis, becomes coated with calcium oxalate (CaOx) to form a stone. This work is the initial foray into determining the influence of a negatively charged polymer upon the formation of calcium oxalate.