Effect Of Sub Chronic Administration Of Ethanolic Leaf Extract Of Croton zambesicus On Hematological Parameters Of Rats

Abstract

Ethanolic leaf extract of Croton zambesicus was administered to rats at doses of 100 – 400mg / kg for 21 days to investigate its effect on the haematological indices of rats. Haematological indices, namely packed cell volume (PCV), Haemoglobin concentration (Hb) Red blood cell count (RBC), Mean cell Haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), Mean cell volume (MCV), and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) were assessed from whole blood obtained from the treated animals as well as those in the control group. The extract at the doses administered was found to caused reductions in PCV, HB, RBC, MCH, MCH and WBC, in a dose – dependent fashion. However elevation of MCV was observed. This results indicate that the extract has the potential of suppressing haemopoiesis and causing anaemia. Key words: Croton zambesicus, haemotological indices, anaemia, rats. Nigerian Journal of Physiological Sciences Vol.19(1&2) 2004: 10-13