Haematological and sperm count changes following Exposure to Hyptis suaveolens, Cleome viscose and Urena lobata in rats

Abstract

The plants Hyptis suaveolens, Clome viscosa and Urena lobata are herbs commonly found growing in pasture and also used as medicinal plant in Nigeria. They were suspected to be toxic following a pilot toxicity study, and their toxic effects were thus evaluated on haematological parameters and sperm count of albino rats. The crude aqueous extract of the leaves of these plants were administered orally for 28 days and the haematological analysis of the rats treated with Cleome viscosa showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in packed cell volume, white blood cells, lymphocytes and platelets, while Hyptis suaveolens showed a slight but insignificant changes (p>0.05) in the erythrocyte indices, white blood cell count and differentials. The neurophils number also increased significantly (p<0.05) in rats treated with Urena lobata. The sperm count of the rats treated with Cleome viscosa showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in sperm concentration, while sperm morphological analysis showed significant decrease (p<0.05) in headless tail sperm cell abnormality. The rats treated with Hyptis suaveolens also showed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in headless tail which may be of significant effect to their fertility, while the rats treated with Urena lobata extract showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in headless tail sperm cell abnormality