ABSTRACT
Background: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related disease of unknown etiology, characterized by prostate enlargement. The effect of Prosopis africana (PA), Vernonia amydalina (VA) and Ocimum gratissmum (OG), plant extracts on haematological parameters of BPH animal model was investigated. Methods: BPH was induced in 45 male Wistar rats (250-350 g) by exogenous injection of testosterone and estradiol in staggered doses for 3 weeks. To confirm BPH induction, some animals were sacrificed; histological inspection of prostate gland and PSA was carried out. Forty BPH induced rats were divided into 8 groups. Group 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6 were treated with 50 mg/kg bw and 100 mg/kg bw doses of PA, VA and OG extracts respectively. Group 7 received finasteride (0.1 mg/kg bw). Group 8 BPH control and five rats without induction constitute group 9, the normal control and both received distilled water. After 45 days, the rats were anaesthetised by a brief exposure to trichloromethane vapour and 5 ml of blood was collected from the rats through cardiac puncture and dispensed into well-labelled EDTA containers to avoid coagulation. All analyses were completed within 24 h of sample collection. Results: Results showed that induction of BPH caused a significant (P< 0.05) enlargement of prostate gland when compared to normal control. All extracts produced significant (P<0.05) reduction in the weight of the enlarged prostate when compared to the BPH control. There were significant (P ?0.05) decline in RBC, PCV and Hb of BPH control when compared to the normal control and treated groups. In the treated groups the administration of the extracts and standard drug exhibited an increase in RBC, PCV and Hb concentration when compared with the BPH control. Also there was significant (P < 0.05) increase in the WBC, neutrophils, platelets, monocytes, lymphocytes and eosinophils levels in BPH control when compared to normal control and treated groups. In all treated groups there was significant decrease in WBC, neutrophils, platelets, monocytes, lymphocytes and eosinophils concentration levels when compared with the BPH control group. Conclusion: The result of this study indicates that the extracts have the potential to reverse the inflammation caused by BPH and also have the capacity to boost the numbers of red blood cells probably by inhibiting the hemolysis caused by inflammatory factors or by enhancing the production of red blood cell from the bone marrow.
ABSTRACT
Aims: Diabetes mellitus is a growing problem worldwide entailing enormous financial burden and medicinal policy issues. It is presently considered among the top ten leading causes of death globally resulting in a raised level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (the most sensitive marker of liver cell damage). This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the effect of ethanol-methanol extracts of leaf, stem bark and the root of Jatropha curcas on serum aminotransferases (aspartate amino transferase (AST)and ALT) and total protein (TP) of streptozotocin -induced diabetic rats.Methodology:Fifty-four (54) male Wistar rats weighing 150-200 g were assigned according to body weight into nine (9) groups of six (6) rats each. Group I was the normal control and given water and rat chow only, groups II, III, IV, V and VI were induced with diabetes using streptozotocin. Group II served as the diabetic control and was therefore,left untreated, while groups III, IV and V were treated with leaf, stem bark, root extracts of Jatropha curcas,respectively and group VI was given astandard drug (Glibenclamide). The remaining groups VII, VIII and IX were not inducedwith diabetes but were given normal leaf, stem bark and root extracts,respectively. The animals were sacrificed after 14 days and blood was collected for the study.Results:The result obtained showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum AST of groups III, IV, VII, VIII and IX compared with the diabetic control (DC). The serum ALT showed a significant (p<0.05) increase in group II (DC) compared with the normal control, while groups VII, VIII and IX were significantly (p<0.05) decreased compared with the normal control. All the test groups showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum ALT compared with the diabetic control. There was no significant (p?0.05) difference in serum TP of all the test groups compared with the normal control, however, there was significant (p<0.05) increase in the TP of diabetic control.Conclusion:This study revealed that Jatropha curcasplant extracts might confer protection against diabetic-induced hepatocellular damage as evidenced by normalisation of serum levels of total protein and ALT of treated diabetic groups. The Jatropha curcasleaf extract appeared to have exhibited a better protection against hepatocellular diabetic-induced damage than the stem bark and root