In vivo Studies on the Possible Haematological Changes in Rats Administered Hibiscus sabdariffa Aqueous Extract

The aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa leaves is popularly consumed in the form of “Zobo” drink in Nigeria and it is assumed to have haematological benefits. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of aqueous extract of H. sabdariffa leaves on possible changes in haematological parameters using rat model. Twenty (20) adult wistar albino rats were used for the study and were assigned into four groups of five (5) rats per group. The rats in groups 2-4 were orally administered aqueous extract of H. sabdariffa in increasing doses (200,400 and 600 mg/ kg b.wt.) for 21 days while group 1 rats received distilled water at 10 ml/kg to serve as the normal control. On the day 21, blood samples for the haematological analyses were collected into clean sample bottles containing ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) at 1 mg/ml of blood. The results indicated that there were significant increases (p<0.05) in the Red Blood Cell (RBC) count, Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration of groups 2-4 rats administered 200, 400, 600 mg/kg b. w. of the extract respectively compared with that of the normal control rats. Non significant increases (p>0.05) were observed across the test groups in the total white blood cell (WBC), neutrophils, and lymphocytes counts compared with that of the normal control rats. The results suggest that consumption of the aqueous extract of H. sadbariffa leaf extract improves erythrocytic profile with insignificant effects on the leukocytic indices.