The Effects of Methanolic Plant Extract on the Haematological Indices of Induced Preeclamptic Wistar Rats

Aims: Preeclampsia can have a deleterious impact on hematological parameters of pregnant women. Management of this medical condition is critical for improving mother and fetal outcomes. Alternative phytomedicinal intervention is becoming more popular in prenatal care. The current study looked into the effects of methanolic extracts of Jatropha curcas, Alchonnea cordifolia, and Secamone afzelii on haematological markers in preeclamptic Wistar rats.

Study Design: The study was a trial using an animal model.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the University of Benin, Nigeria in July 2019.

Methodology: Age-matched (3 days) female Wistar rats weighing 220 to 256 g were used in the study (mean, 237 g). The Adriamycin Model was utilized in Wistar rats to induce preeclampsia. Methanolic extracts of Jatropha curcas, Alchonnea cordifolia, and Secamone afzelii were given to the rats in doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg. The animals were anaesthetized with chloroform and humanely slaughtered (use ‘sacrificed’ instead) twenty-four (24) hours after the last dosage of the standard medicine and various treatment extracts were administered to the relevant groups. Blood samples were drawn from the aorta and transferred to tubes containing the anticoagulant EDTA before being evaluated for the various parameters on an Auto Haematology Analyzer Model XrHA640.

Results: White cell count was 6.77x103 in the control group, but when preeclampsia was developed, WBC plummeted to 5.8x103. However, when preeclamptic rats were given 100mg/kg of Secamone afzeli extracts, their WBC increased to 9.75x103. A similar increase in hematological differentials was observed in lymphocytes when preeclampsia dramatically reduced lymphocyte volume to 1.1% against 1.17 % in the control. The mean corpuscular volume in the control group was 71.6fL, but when preeclampsia was induced, it dropped to 67.0fL. This improved to 78.6fL when the normal medication was supplied, and 81.6fL when 50mg of Alchonnea cordifolia extracts were administered.

Conclusion: According to the findings, extracts of several plants (be specific and mention the plants used in the study) generated increases in PCV to varying degrees, and hence might be utilized to treat anemia. Their ability to improve platelet counts at various levels showed that they could be used in the treatment of thrombocytopenia. The extracts can help improve immune responses by increasing white cell numbers.