Garcinia kola (GK) is prized in African herbal medicine for its diverse uses, including social, economic, and medicinal purposes. This study examined the dose-dependent toxicity of ivermectin and the protective effects of Garcinia kola extract on the hematological parameters of Wistar rats. A total of 32 Wistar Rats (120 – 150g) were randomly chosen from PAMO University of Medical Sciences’ Animal House. They were acclimatized for two weeks. Divided into 4 main groups (A, B, C, D), which were further subdivided into 2 subgroups each (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1 and D2) with each subgroup containing 4 rats. Subgroup A: negative control (0 mg/kg BW of ivermectin, no Garcinia kola). Subgroup A2: positive control (0 mg/kg BW of ivermectin and 20 mg/kg/ml Garcinia kola). Test Subgroups 1 (B1, C1 and D1) received respectively doses of 10 mg/kg/ml, 20 mg/kg/ml, and 40 mg/kg/ml of Ivermectin intraperitoneally, Subgroups 2 (B2, C2 and D2) received respectively the same doses followed by oral administration of Garcinia kola at 20 mg/kg BW of rat per ml daily for 7 days, starting 24 hours after toxicity induction. On the eighth day, each rat was anesthetized with chloroform. 5mls of blood was collected via cardiac puncture into EDTA bottle for the analysis of the CBC parameters. ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses at alpha = 0.05. The result showed a significant dose-dependent difference in anaemia indicators in ivermectin induction but there was no significant change in after bitter kola treatment. The study has shown that ivermectin inflicted haematological toxicity particicular in particular in anaemic indicators but bitter kola couldn’t ameliorate the effect of the toxicity.
Author(s) Details:
Benjamin Nnamdi Okolonkwo
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Godspower Ikechi Achi
School of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Rumueme, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Erasmus Martha A
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Suama Promise
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Health Technology, Otuogidi, Ogbia Town, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
Patrick Williams
School of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Rumueme, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Osuosa Atoukaritou
School of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Rumueme, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Esther Okagbe Ogbugo
Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Recent Global Research Developments in Garcinia kola: A Review of Its Chemistry and Pharmacology
- Phytochemical Composition: Garcinia kola contains several unique compounds such as biflavonoids, benzophenones, benzofurans, benzopyran, vitamin E derivatives, xanthones, and phytosterols [1].
- Pharmacological Activities: The plant exhibits a wide range of pharmacological effects, including analgesic, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective activities [1].
- Most Studied Compounds: Kolaviron is the most studied compound, though its research has some limitations. Garcinol, on the other hand, has shown more promising results, especially in anticancer, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective activities [1].
- Future Research: The review emphasizes the need for human clinical trials and mechanism-of-action studies to validate the potential of these compounds for drug development [1].
References
- Tauchen, J., Frankova, A., Manourova, A. et al. Garcinia kola: a critical review on chemistry and pharmacology of an important West African medicinal plant. Phytochem Rev 22, 1305–1351 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-023-09869-w