Assessment of Oral Administration of Ethanol Extract of Cassia sieberiana Root in Male Wistar Rats: Haematology, Lipid Profile and Heart Histology

Abstract

Cassia sieberiana root is commonly used in the management of erectile dysfunction or as a sexual enhancer in traditional medicine. The presence study evaluated the safety potential of ethanol extract of C. sieberiana roots on haematology, lipid profile and heart histology of male rats. Male wistar rats were randomly distributed into a control group, and three treatment group orally administered 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg body weight respectively of the ethanol crude extract for 21 days. The control group was administered 10 mL/kg distilled water only. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected and haematological parameters and lipid profile were evaluated. Hearts of experimental animals were excised and processed histologically. The results showed that there were no significant alteration (P > 0.05) in haematological indices except for significant decrease in lymphocytes (58.54 ± 2.25) in group administered 200 mg/kg body weight of the extract when compared to the control. Lipid profile and organ weight of treated groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the control. Photomicrograph of heart sections of both the control and treated groups show normal features. The results suggest that C. sieberiana had no deleterious effect on blood, lipid profile and heart.