This paper reviewed the advances on effective constituents and biological activities of coumarins in recent ten years. Coumarins are a group of important natural compounds, and have been found to have multi-biological activities such as anti-HIV, anti-tumor, anti-hypertension, anti-arrhythmia, anti-osteoporosis, assuaging pain, preventing asthma and antisepsis. Therefore, further investigation should emphasize on improving techniques for extraction and separation, searching the effective precursory compound, and synthesizing and screening out courmarin derivatives with high activity and low toxicity.
Animals ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; pharmacology ; Anti-HIV Agents ; pharmacology ; Antihypertensive Agents ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Coumarins ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the composition and morphology of the stones in the enlarged prostatic utricle (EPU).

METHODSWe took out 36 EPU stones from 11 patients by transurethral fenestration between 1992 and 2011, and analyzed the stones by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIS).

RESULTSUnder the scanning electron microscope, all the EPU stones were constituted of many intensive minicrystals and amorphous matrix. XRD and FTIS revealed that all were hydroxyapatite crystal.

CONCLUSIONEPU stones belong to the category of prostatic pseudo-calculi, whose formation is ascribed not to the abnormal change of urine composition, but to the continuous secretion, absorption and concentration of EPU liquid and ablated epithelial cells from the EPU.

Calculi ; chemistry ; Durapatite ; chemistry ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate ; chemistry ; pathology ; Prostatic Diseases ; pathology ; physiopathology