ISSN: 2329-8790
Olayanju AO1, Akumagba EO1, Ezigbo ED2, Oluwatayo BO3, Jacob RB4*
Background: Plant based medication serves as one of the best source of variety of drugs and is incredible sources of essential nutrients and phytochemicals and several have been known to manage sickle cell anemia.
Aim: To assess haemostatic parameters of both apparently healthy and Cadmium + Phenylhydrazine induced anemic rabbits treated with anti-sickling polyherbal mixture (Momordica charantia, Sorghum bicolor, Securidaca longependunculata, Uvaria afzelli, Phyllanthus amarus and Dialium guineense).
Method: Sixty (60) New Zealand white hybrid rabbits were used and grouped into four (A-D) consisting of five (5) rabbits each. Each group was given a different concentration of the anti-sickling polyherbal mixture (Saline substitute, 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg, 750 mg/kg) respectively which lasted for 3 months. Five mililitres (5 ml) of venous blood was collected from the marginal ear vein at the end of each experiment into trisodium citrate bottles to assess the Prothrombin Time (PT), Activated Partial thromboplastin Time (APTT) and D-dimer level and Ethylene Diamine Tetracetic Acid (EDTA) bottle to assess the platelet count and Erythrocyte sedimentation rate using standard methods.
Results: The results showed that the treatment with anti-sickling polyherbal mixture significantly (p<0.05) caused a shortened prothrombin time (10 ± 0.61 and 9.5 ± 1.3) compared to control group (12.5 ± 0.54) of apparently healthy groups, but caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in other parameters (APTT =34 ± 1.68 and 35 ± 1.71; ESR=2.8 ± 0.18 and 3.5 ± 0.1; platelet count=253 ± 17.71 and D-dimer level=1.52 ± 0.12 and 1.58 ± 0.83) compared to their control values (27.6 ± 1.34, 2.4 ± 0.12, 244 ± 9.76 and 1.46 ± 0.07) respectively. Upon the induction of anemia and the administration of the anti-sickling polyhedral mixture, there was a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the values (PT=14.3 ± 0.78 and 16.8 ± 0.81; APTT=37 ± 1.93; ESR=11.6 ± 0.72 and 14.5 ± 0.82; Platelet count=84 ± 5.88 and D-dimer levels=2.34 ± 0.23 and 1.98 ± 0.34) compared to control groups (19.6 ± 1.2, 48.1 ±2.34, 8.4 ± 0.65, 115 ± 4.6 and 3.21 ± 0.15) respectively.
Conclusion: The deviation from baseline values of all haemostatic parameters after the administration of the anti-sickling polyhedral mixture indicates that the mixture does in fact has an effect on hemostasis in both apparently healthy and anemic rabbits and the effects observed are dose dependent.
Keywords: Phytochemicals; Sickle cell anaemia; Haemostatic; Cadmium; Phenylhydrazine