Assessment study of some hematological indices in cholesterol-induced hyperlipidemic rabbits treated with Nigerian honey

Abstract

Background: Honey, a product of honeybees is a natural and viscous liquid that is said to be a highly nutritive. It varies in physical and chemical properties depending on the temperature, method of cultivation and other elements. It was the aim of this study to assess possible changes in some hematological indices in cholesterol-induced hyperlipidemic rabbits fed with varying doses of Nigerian honey.

Methods: Twenty-five female rabbits were randomly separated into 5 groups (A-E) with 5 animals per group. Groups A-D animals were fed on high cholesterol diet (HCD) orally daily for a period of 2 weeks, to induce hyperlipidemia; Groups A-C animals were fed daily with 10ml/kg, 5ml/kg and 1ml/kg body weight of honey respectively for another period of 2 weeks after hyperlipidemia had been observed. Group E served as control. Blood sample was collected from the marginal ear vein of the animals at baseline, after cholesterol induction and after honey administration. Results were expressed as mean ± standard error of mean and P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: With a high cholesterol diet (HCD), Red blood cell (RBC) count and Packed cell volume (PCV) were significantly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) while platelet count was increased (P ≤ 0.001). Honey administration for 2 weeks produced a significant increase in PCV (P ≤ 0.01) and platelet count (P ≤ 0.001).

Conclusions: An increase in the rate of hematopoiesis mat be the mechanism through which honey increased blood parameters. The overall effect of honey on blood count as seen in rabbits if applicable to man may be a good remedy for the management of anemia.

Keywords: hematology, cholesterol-induced, hyperlipidemic, honey