Yakubu OE, Nwodo OFC,Imo C and Ogwoni HA
This study was designed to determine the spermatogenic and haematological effects of aqueous and ethanolic stem bark extracts of Hymenocardia acida on Aluminium chloride-induced toxicity in male wistar rats. Thirty male albino Wistar rats were used and toxicity was induced using 100 mg/kg body weight (bw) AlCl3. The rats were distributed into six groups of five rats each. The drug and extract administration lasted for seven days, thereafter the animals sacrificed. The results indicated that oral dose of 100 mg/kg bw extracts of H. acida did not show any significant (p>0.05) change in testosterone levels when compared with both normal and negative control. Ethanolic extract showed non-significant (p>0.05) increase on Luteinizing hormone (LH) when compared with both normal and negative control group. Administration of AlCl3 caused a significant (p<0.05) decrease in Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), while the plants extracts caused a non-significant increase when compared with the negative control. Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substance (TBARS) increased significantly (p<0.05) in negative control, but decreased significantly in groups treated with aqueous and ethanolic extract of H. acida when compared with the negative control. Induction of AlCl3- toxicity caused a non-significant (p>0.05) alterations of most of the haematological parameters evaluated, but administration of the plant extracts was able to mildly ameliorate these effects (especially on RBC and Hb). The result of this study shows AlCl3 toxicity causes alterations of LH, FSH and TBARS, but aqueous and ethanolic stem bark extracts of H. acida may possibly ameliorate the alteration. Also, AlCl3- toxicity mildly influences the synthesis of certain haematological indices, but the extracts may modulate some of this interference.
