Haemoglobin and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) of High-Fat Diet/Streptozotocine-Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats Treated with Ethanol Extract of a Herbal Mixture (Aju Mbaise)

Aim: This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of ethanol extract of Aju Mbaise herbal mixture on some haematological indices of diabetic Wistar albino rats. Sample: Packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration was estimated in diabetic rats treated with ethanol extract of Aju Mbaise herbal mixture. Study Design: In the course of the experiment, fifty-four (54) rats with initial weight range of 30 – 40 g were grouped into 6 of 9 rats per group. The first group served as the normal control (NC) while the remaining five groups were induced with diabetes type 2 using high-fat diet for 8 weeks and streptozotocin at 35 mg/kg body weight. Group II served as the diabetic control while the remaining groups (III, IV, V & VI) were treated with metformin and three different concentrations of the plant extract respectively. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the Animal house of the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, between July 2018 and January 2019. Methodology: The haemoglobin and packed cell volume were estimated after 4th, 8th and 12th week of treatment using MINDRAY Auto-Haematology analyzer. Results: From the results obtained, it was observed that the diabetic control group has a PCV and haemoglobin concentration that is significantly (P<.05) lower when compared to that of the normal control group and the other treated groups. Conclusion: The study has shown that Aju Mbaise herbal mixture is a haematopoietic agent as it had the tendency to synthesize blood cells.