HAEMATINICS AND WEIGHT REDUCTION PROPERTIES OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF JATROPHA CURCAS SEEDS IN RATS

Abstract

Despite the potential uses of Jatropha curcas (JC), very little is known about its effects on the blood cells. The current study was therefore undertaken to investigate the effect of JC seed from Sierra Leone on different haematological parameters.

Ethanol extract of JC was administered daily to adult male and female Wistar rats (120-200g) either intraperitoneally or orally for 3 days or 7 days respectively.  For each treatment route the rats were divided into six sub-groups as follows: group 1 rats (control group) received 0.9 % physiological saline (i.p.) or de-ionised water (p.o.) at 10 ml/kg, while rats in groups 2, 3 and 4 received 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg dose of the extract respectively; and groups 5 and 6 rats received iron (5 mg/kg) and EDTA (40 mg/kg) respectively. The rats were weighed before and after the treatment period, and at the end of the treatment period blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture. The following haematological parameters were evaluated: RBC, WBC, lymphocytes, neutrophil counts, Hb, HCT concentrations (with MCV, MCH, MCHC values calculated). Data obtained were analysed by one-way ANOVA using the statistical software Graph Pad Prism version 6; with p<0.05 taken to be statistically significant. 

The extract decreased the body weights of the rats in a dose, route and sex-dependent manner; with i.p. > p.o., male > female. The extract also significantly (p<0.05) increased the mean Hb, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW values and neutrophil counts; while WBC and lymphocyte counts were decreased by the extract. The aforementioned increases in the mean Hb and RBC-related indices were to a large extent dose-dependent, with peak effects recorded at 100 mg/kg.  It was concluded that J. curcas seeds could be exploited for haematinics benefits, provided its detailed pharmacokinetic and safety profiles have been documented.