Assessment of the Influence of Extracts of Kigelia africana Fruit and Sorghum bicolor on the Haematological Indices in Rats with Alloxan-Induced Diabetes

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM), a metabolic disorder characterized by an excessive increase in blood glucose levels when poorly managed, has been associated with functional and structural changes in the haemoglobin molecule, cytoplasmic viscosity, and osmotic disturbances within the red cell, with changes reflected in the red cell and other haematological parameters. With recent breakthroughs in the development of herbal drugs in the treatment of diabetes, there are still limitations in areas of their toxic side effects with derangements in haematological parameters associated with the progression and pathophysiology of the disease. The study is therefore aimed at evaluating the beneficial effect of extract of K. africana and S. bicolor on the haematological parameters of diabetic-induced rats. Methodology: A total of eleven groups, each containing five rats, were randomly selected from Alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar rats of both sexes for the study. One group served as the control, another as the glibenclamide-treated group, and the remaining nine groups were treated with extracts. After an overnight fast, the control group received a dose of 0.5 ml of 2 % w/v acacia solution; the glibenclamide-treated group received 600 μg/kg bwt glibenclamide. In contrast, the other nine groups received specified doses (125, 250 and 500mg/kg bwt) of K. africana and S. bicolor extracts singly and in a mixture of ratio 1:1, respectively. After receiving the specified doses once a day orally for 30 days, the rats fasted overnight, and 5 ml of blood was collected via cardiac puncture in fluoride and EDTA bottles with the fluoride, spun and separated for fasting plasma glucose using the commercially prepared kit (COBAS, Mumbai, India) following standard method while the EDTA is used for various haematological parameters using haematology automated analyzer (Beckman Coulter (5-part autoanalyzer). Results: Our study showed that rats treated singly with extracts of K. africana and S. bicolor, as well as their mixture, had lower glucose levels compared to the control group. Although their Hb, PCV, RBC, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and WBC levels were not statistically different from the control at any dose, they exhibited a decrease (p < 0.05) in PCV and RBC levels, accompanied by an increase in WBC, when compared with the untreated diabetes group. Conclusion: Extracts from K. africana and S. bicolor are glucose-lowering agents and protect against haematological changes that are detrimental to diabetic patients. There is a need to exploit further therapeutic effects to substantiate their ethnomedicinal usage.