Haematopoietic Activity of the Seed Aqueous Extract of Hunteria umbellata (K. Schum) Hallier f. in Experimental Anaemia

This study evaluates the haematopoietic and immunostimulatory activity of the seed aqueous extract of Hunteria umbellata (K. Schum) Hallier f. (HU) in normal and cyclophosphamide-induced pancytopaenic Wistar albino rats for 28 days. Results showed that oral pre-treatment with 50-200 mg/kg/day HU cause significant (p<0.05, p<0.01) dose related increases in haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), total leucocyte count (TLC) and lymphocyte differential (%lymp) in normal rats. Also, HU significantly (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001) attenuated the cytotoxic effect of cyclophosphamide on the measured haematological parameters in the cyclophosphamide-treated rats, with 200 mg/ kg/day HU offering the greatest protection. Thus, results obtained in this study suggest that HU possesses haematopoietic and immunostimulatory activity mediated possibly by promoting haematopoiesis through enhanced DNA synthesis/repair.