Authors : S.A. Ojokuku, O.S. Odesanmi and O.A. Magbagbeola
Abstract: Croton penduliflorus, Hutch ubiquitous to Southern Nigeria is used in the treatment of diverse diseases. This study investigated the effects of oral administration of the petroleum ether extract on lipid, fasting blood sugar and haematological parameters of pregnant rabbits. Croton penduliflorus Seed Oil (CPSO) was prepared by soxhlet extraction of shelled, oven dried, ground seed sample with 40-60°C petroleum ether. Twenty five, acclimatized pregnant rabbits weighing 1-1.6 kg and at mid gestation were randomly allocated into 5 groups. Animals in group 1 served as the control while groups 2-4 received 50, 100, 150 mg kg-1 body weight oral dose of CPSO for 10 consecutive days. Animals in group 5 received one intramuscular injection of 2.73 mg kg-1 of medroxyprogesterone acetate. Withdrawal of treatment was followed by 18 h fast followed sacrifice after anesthesia. Fasting blood samples were collected from all the groups by cardiac puncture and analyzed for blood sugar, haematological and lipids profiles. Results were analyzed using student’s t-test and ANOVA. Medroxyprogesterone acetate significantly lowered (p<0.05) the fasting serum glucose, total cholesterol, PCV and MCV. CPSO at 50 mg kg-1 body weight elicited a similar but more pronounced response causing a highly significant (p<0.01) lowering of haemoglobin, total cholesterol. Croton penduliflorus is hypocholesterolemic but may predispose to anaemia.
S.A. Ojokuku, O.S. Odesanmi and O.A. Magbagbeola, 2011. The Effects of Oral Administration of Croton penduliflorus Seed Oil and Medroxy Progesterone Acetate on Fasting Blood Sugar, Lipid and Haematology of Pregnant Rabbits. International Journal of Tropical Medicine, 6: 35-38.