Hematological Profiles of Naturally Infected Pigs Treated with Bridelia ferruginea Leaf Extracts

Abstract

Bridelia ferruginea (Benth) Phyllanthaceae called “Kizni” in Hausa, “Iralodan” in Yoruba and “Ola” in Igbo languages are widely used as food and as medicines in traditional medical practice. They are widely found in the Savannah regions especially in the moister regions. This study explores the hematological profiles of pigs naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes treated with N-hexane leaf extract of Bridelia ferruginea in three divided doses (125 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight) for twelve days. The hematological assay was carried out using mind Ray hematology auto analyzer (BC 5300). Results showed that leaf extract of B. ferruginea exhibited significant increase (p<0.05) in packed cell volume, total leukocyte, hemoglobin, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte and eosinophil counts. However, no significant difference (p<0.05) was observed on the total erythrocyte and platellet counts of the animals. The results in our findings demonstrated that the leaf extract of B. ferruginea is capable of stimulating blood cell formation and act as active phagocytic agent against foreign compounds, and therefore can be used to formulate new plant-based phyto-medicine in a bid to improve human and animal health.