Investigations of preventive and ameliorative effects of Cucurbita maxima leaf supplemented diets on haematological parameters in STZ-induced diabetic albino rats

Joseph Ikwebe * and Job Itanyi Onuche

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Federal University Wukari. PMB 1020 Katsina-Ala Road, Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria.
 
Research Article
GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023, 25(02), 071–077.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gscbps.2023.25.2.0443
Publication history: 
Received on 11 September 2023; revised on 01 November 2023; accepted on 03 November 2023
 
Abstract: 
No effective treatment for diabetes has been found in medical science thus far. Anti-diabetic medications treat diabetes mellitus symptoms but not the underlying illness process. Some synthetic medications with anti-diabetic properties are already available for oral administration; they include synthetic hypoglycemia agents like sulfonylureas families. This study investigated the preventive and ameliorative effects of Cucurbita maxima leaf supplemented diets on haematological parameters in stz-induced diabetic albino rats. Sixty rats (60) were randomly distributed into 6(six) groups of five animals each (n= 5) for both preventive and ameliorative studies respectively. For preventive treatments, rats were supplemented with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% Cucurbita maxima leaf for 28 days and diabetic was induced in week 4. Whereas, for the ameliorative treatments, diabetes was induced in week 0 and rats were supplemented for 28 days. The animals were sacrificed at the end of the experimental period and blood sample was collected for haematological evaluation. Consequently, the significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the levels of RBC, Hb and PCV observed in diabetic animals was drastically (p < 0.05)  increased in 10%, 15% and 20% supplemented groups in both preventive and ameliorative trials compared to STZ-induced diabetic control group. Similarly, the levels of MCH, MCV and MCHC in 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% groups rise significantly (p < 0.05) compared to STZ-induced diabetic control in the both experiments. Furthermore, the levels of WBC was significantly (p < 0.05) increased after supplementation with 10%, 15% and 20% of C. maxima leaf in the preventive and ameliorative experiments as compared to the STZ-induced diabetic control but was not significant at p < 0.05 when compared with the normal control. The results obtained through these investigations pointed to both preventive and ameliorative haematinic and erythropoietic potentials of Cucurbita maxima leaf in a diabetic state.
 
Keywords: 
Cucurbita maxima leaf; Red blood cell; White blood cell; haematological; Preventive; Ameliorative
 
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