Science and Education Publishing Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2333-1240 3 2 2015 02 11 Does Chronic Cola Consumption Increase Urinary Stone Risk? Evidence from the Drosophila Model of Urolithiasis 109 113 EN Kao-Sung Tsai Yung-Hsiang Chen Jui-Lung Shen Kee-Ming Man Sun-Yuan Wu Huey-Yi Chen Chiao-Hui Chang Yuan-Ju Lee Tzu-Fang Hsu Fuu-Jen Tsai Wei-Yong Lin Wen-Chi Chen School of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Chinese Medicine, Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, Research Center for Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan JFNR2015326 10.12691/jfnr-3-2-6 2015 01 06 2015 02 05 2015 02 11 There are rising public health concerns about the links between consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain, obesity, and other metabolic problems. Sodium citrate (Na-citrate) is used as an additive in colas and various commercial drinks worldwide. Although potassium citrate (K-citrate) has been prescribed and well accepted by urologists for treating urinary stone disease (urolithiasis), the clinical role of Na-citrate has not been well established. We investigated the effects of Na-citrate and cola on the treatment of urolithiasis with an emerging translational model - Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila medium containing 0.5% ethylene glycol (EG) was used as a lithogenic agent for calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation in Drosophila Malpighian tubules. Cola (25%) and Na-citrate (2% and 4%) were added to the fly medium for urolithiasis treatment. Medium containing K-citrate (2% and 4%) was used as a positive control. After 3 weeks of treatment, the Malpighian tubules were dissected, removed, and processed for polarized light microscopy examination; fly lifespan was also monitored in different groups. Cola failed to reduce CaOx crystal formation, whereas Na-citrate and the positive control K-citrate significantly reduced EG-induced CaOx crystal formation in Drosophila. Administration of either Na-citrate or cola did not inhibit Drosophila lifespan. Consumption of cola exerts no detectable change in the lithogenic agent associated with CaOx stone formation in the Drosophila model. By contrast, Na-citrate had an inhibitory effect on EG-induced CaOx crystal formation, albeit a lower inhibitory rate upon comparison with K-citrate.