Haematological and Biochemical effects of a combination of leaves of Telfairia occidentalis and Mucuna pruriens in male rats

Medicinal plants are useful in the treatment and management of certain ailments due to their affordability and minimal or no side effects compared to conventional drugs. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of administration of a combination of Telfairia occidentalis and Mucuna pruriens leaf extracts on haematological and biochemical parameters in male wistar albino rats. The phytochemical analysis was carried out using standard analytical methods. The fourteen-day acute toxicity study was done using Lorke’s method. The haematological and biochemical analysis were carried out using standard diagnostic techniques. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of important phytochemicals. The result of the fourteen-days acute toxicity study revealed that the LD50 for the aqueous, ethanol, methanol and n-hexane extract is 3808mg/kg bw. The effect of the twenty-eight days treatment with the extracts at 200mg/kg bw on the haematological analysis showed that aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in the packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cells and platelets compared with the experimental control. The aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts did not alter the biochemical parameters of the animals. The n-hexane extract caused a significant (p<0.05) increase in the white blood cells count, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin concentrations, urea, creatinine and bicarbonate concentrations of the treated rats compared with the experimental control. The results obtained suggest that the aqueous, ethanol and methanol leaf extract of a combination of Telfairia occidentalis and Mucuna pruriens can increase blood concentration without upsetting the biochemical parameters in experimental rats.