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.