Effect of Ethyl acetate fraction of crude ethanol extract of Ficus capensis on haematological and biochemical indices of phenylhydrazine-induced anaemic rats

Introduction: Traditionally, the leaves of Ficus capensis has been used for the treatment of anaemia due to its blood boosting effect. This study investigated the effect of Ficus capensis leaf fraction in phenylhydrazine-induced anemic rats.

Methods: Anaemia was induced in the rats by intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/kg phenylhydrazine for four consecutive days. Graded doses of the ethyl acetate fraction of F. capensis were given by oral gavage once a day continuously for 14 days. At the end of the treatment, blood was collected for hematological (haemoglobin, packed cell volume, red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells and white blood cell differentials) and biochemical analysis (lipid profile, kidney function test, liver function test, electrolytes and lactate dehydrogenase assay).

Results: The results of LD50 showed that the plant is safe for the treatment of anaemia. The fasting blood glucose of both the treated and untreated groups were within normal. There was a significant increase (p<0.05) in haemoglobin, packed cell volume and red blood cell count of the groups treated for a period of 14 days with the fraction compared with the untreated group. The biochemical parameters were observed to be within the normal range for the treated groups compared to the untreated group.

Conclusion: The results suggest that ethyl acetate fraction of F. capensis can boost blood parameters without having a drastic effect on the biochemical parameters. This study therefore validates the traditional claim that the leaf extract of F. capensis is useful in the treatment of anaemia.