The fruit fly kidney stone models and their application in drug development

Kidney stone disease is a global problem affecting about 12% of the world population. Novel treatments to control this disease have a huge demand. Here we argue that the fruit fly, as an emerging kidney stone model, can provide a platform for the discovery of new drugs. The renal system of fruit fly (Malpighian tubules) is similar to the mammalian renal tubules in both function and structure. Different fruit fly models for different types of kidney stones including calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones, xanthine stones, uric acid stone, and calcium phosphate (CaP) stones have been successfully established through dietary or genetic approaches in the last ten years, notably improved our understanding of the formation mechanisms of kidney stone diseases. The fruit fly CaOx stones model, which is mediated by treatment with dietary lithogenic agents, is also one of the most potential models for drug development. Various potential antilithogenic agents have been identified using this model, including new chemical compounds and medicinal plants. The fruit fly kidney stone models also afford opportunities to study the therapeutic mechanism of these drugs in deeper.