Phytochemical constituents and haematological profile of male rats following oral administration of aqueous extract of <i>Garcinia kola</i> (heckel) seeds

Abstract

The phytochemical screening and the effect of administration of aqueous extract of G. kola seeds at the doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight on daily basis for 7days on haematological profile of male Wistar rats was investigated. Male albino rats (215.00± 18.58 g) were grouped into four (A-D) such that animals in group A received 0.5 ml of distilled water while those in groups B, C, and D received same volume of the extract corresponding to 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight respectively. The extract contained saponin (2.78%), steroids (1.14%), flavonoids (1.28%), cardiac glycosides (0.26%), cardenolides and dienolides (0.24%) while tannins, anthraquinones, phenolics, phlobatanins and triterpenes were absent. All the doses of the extract significantly decreased (P<0.05) the levels of Haemoglobin (Hb), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), and Red Blood Cells (RBC). In contrast, the levels of White Blood Cell (WBC) and platelets increased significantly (P<0.05). While the levels of Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) were not significantly altered (P>0.05) by all the doses of the extract, there was dose specific effects on the neutrophils and lymphocytes of the animals. Findings from this study have revealed that the administration of the aqueous extract of G. kola seeds at the doses of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight once daily for 7 days is haematotoxic and therefore not safe at these doses for consumption.