ERYTHROPOIETIC EFFECT OF LEAF AND STEM EXTRACT FROM DICLIPTERA VERTICILLATA ON ANAEMIC WISTAR RATS

Dicliptera verticillata (Forssk) Ch. (Acantheceae) is a yearly herbaceous plant used for the treatment of anaemia among the Ibibios and Annangs of Southern Nigeria. This study evaluated its acute toxicity profile, phytochemical constitution and the erythropoietic effect of its leaf and stem extracts on Phenylhydrazine induced anaemic Wistar rats. Thirty-six weanling male albino rats weighing 70g-105g were divided into six groups of six animals each. Rats in group I served as normal control (positive) and were administered 0.9% normal saline solution. Group II served as anaemic control (negative). Groups III - VI were anaemic test groups administered with graded doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg body weight of Dicliptera verticillata leaf and stem extracts, respectively, by oral gavages for seven days. The results showed that the extracts had low acute toxicity, with its phytochemical contents generally greater in the leaf than stem extracts. Anaemic rats treated with the extracts had significantly (P < 0.05) higher Haemoglobin Concentration (HGB), Red Blood Cell Count (RBC), Haematocrit (HCT), White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) compared to the control. This result showed that the leaf and stem extracts from Dicliptera verticillata contain bioactive agents that are capable of enhancing erythropoietic activity and hence may be useful in the management of anaemia.