Hematological Studies on the Effect of Some Agents Used in the Treatment of Thyroid Disorders in Rats

The present research aimed to examine the effects of levothyroxine and ashwagandha root extract (ARE) on hypothyroidic rats. In this study, sixty male albino rats were split into six equal groups. Group I: (CON) was the control group; it received 0.5 ml/kg b.w. of saline 0.9% NaCl solution orally for eight weeks. Group ΛΙ: (ARE) got 500 mg/ kg b.w. of ashwagandha root extract through oral tradition for 8 weeks. Group ΛΙΙ: (LEV) got 20 µg/kg b.w. of levothyroxine orally for 8 weeks. Group ΙѴ: (PTU) hypothyroidic control; it received 0.05% (w/v) Propylthiouracil orally for 8 weeks. Group Ѵ: (PTU+ARE) hypothyroidic rats treated with ARE for 4 weeks. Group ѴΙ: (PTU+LEV), Group ѴΙ: (PTU+LEV) hypothyroidic rats treated with LEV for 4 weeks. The results showed that PTU-induced rats had signs of normocytic normochromic anemia. Also, they showed significant leukopenia, lymphopenia, and monocytopenia, while neutrophils and eosinophils had non-significant changes. Moreover, they showed a considerable thrombocytopenia. However, hypothyroidic rats treated with either ARE or LEV showed improvement in the hematological parameters when compared to the hypothyroidic untreated group. This suggested that ARE could be used as a protective agent against hypothyroidism, probably due to its antioxidant properties.