Naturally produced crystals obtained from kidney stones are less injurious to renal tubular epithelial cells than synthetic crystals

Abstract

These results indicate that even though both synthetic and naturally produced biocrystals invoke a response from the renal epithelial cells, the latter are significantly less injurious and inflammatory. Exposure to low concentrations of these crystals alone might not invoke an inflammatory response, cause the uncovering of crystal binding molecules on epithelial cell surfaces, and promote crystal attachment and retention.