Author(s)

Ahimsa Yamoah¹, Reimmel K. Adosraku¹, Justice D. Amenu^1,2, Michael K. Baah³, Daniel A. Abaye^2*

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
²Department of Basic Sciences, School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.
³Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

The use of plant parts (leaves, flowers, stems, barks, roots etc.) in traditional medicine is increasingly gaining ground in modern medicine, as plant sources have long been recognized as sources of secondary metabolites which can be used to treat a wide range of diseases. The effect of extracts of Justicia secunda leaves on red blood cells (RBC) count and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration was investigated in adult Sprague-Dawley rats to establish haematinic activity. Phenylhydrazine (PHZ)-induced anaemic rats were treated with water, methanol or ethyl acetate extracts at 200 mg/kg body weight. RBC counts and Hb concentration were analysed using a haematology analyser at 3-day intervals for 21 days. The extracts were compared with rats administered the haematinic tonic Feroglobin^® and vehicle-treated (normal saline). Rats administered the water extract exhibited the most significant increase (P < 0.001) in the number of RBCs and Hb concentration compared with the vehicle-treated PHZ-induced anaemic rats. Rats administered the methanol extract followed with significant increase (P < 0.01) in RBC counts and Hb concentration (<0.05). The RBC count of the water extract-treated rats recovered sufficiently to the original level by the end of the study. These findings indicate that the water extractable fraction of J. secunda leaves has excellent haematinic properties and this provides the pharmacological basis of its use in Ghanaian traditional medicine for the treatment of anaemia.

Justicia secunda, Haematinic Activity, Phenylhydrazine, Anaemia, RBC Count, Haemoglobin Concentration, Adult Sprague-Dawley Rats

Yamoah, A. , Adosraku, R. , Amenu, J. , Baah, M. and Abaye, D. (2020) Evaluation of the Haematinic Activities of Extracts of Justicia secunda Vahl Leaves in Red Blood Cells of Laboratory Rats. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 8, 48-57. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2020.83006.