Abstract

PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS STEM EXTRACT OF COSTUS AFER ON HYPERGLYCEAMIC INDUCED HEMATOTOXIC AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN WISTAR ALBINO RATS

Ezejiofor A. N.*, Asomugha R. N. and Igweze Z.

ABSTRACT

Aim: Potential protective effects of aqueous stem extract of Costus afer on hyperglyceamically induced heamatotoxic and histopathologic changes were investigated using Wistar albino rat. Method: Thirty matured male albino rats were randomly allocated into six groups of five rats each; groups 1 and 2 were normal and toxic control respectively. Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 were treated with 1, 2 and 3g/kg of aqueous stem extract of Costus afer and glibenclamide (5mg/kg) respectively for 21 days. Food and fluid intake were mornitored daily, body weight and blood glucose level were measured weekly. On the 21st day, after an overnight fast, blood was withdrawn through retro-orbital veno puncture for heamatological analysis thereafter sacrificed under ether anaesthesia and the organs harvested, weighed and processed for histopathological analysis. Result: No significant difference in the average bogy weight was observed when compared with the toxic group. The fluid intake, feed intake and relative organ weight were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) different from the toxic group. The result of the heamatological analysis revealed the extract potential to restore elevated RBC indices (MCV, MCH, MCHC, MPV, PLT) and decreased WBC, RBC, HGB and differentials to normal. The extract treated groups after 21 days of treatment showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) hypoglycemic effect comparable with the reference drug glibenclamide. In the photomicrograph of the blood film, normal control showed nomochromic nomocytic cells, whereas toxic control and 2g/kg C. afer treated groups showed hypochromic cells. Histological analysis revealed no pathological changes in all the organs and at all dose levels. Conclusion: In conclusion, aqueous extract of C.afer stem possess significant heamatoprotective effect as it reverses the hyperglyceamically induced heamatotoxicity and has no cytotoxicity potentials as it revealed no pathologic changes or distortion in the blood film as well as the histology of all the organs investigated.

Keywords: Cardioprotective, Costus afer, hypoglyceamic, heamatoprotective, cytotoxic.