The effects of Psidium guajava Linn. (Myrtaceae) leaf chloroform extract on some hematological and biochemical parameters in mice

Psidium guajava Linn. leaf extract is used in Nigerian ethnomedicine to treat many disorders such as diarrhea, cough, gastroenteritis, gastric pain, and inflammatory disorders. The effects of the chlorofrom extract of the leaves on some hematological and biochemical parameters were investigated in mice. The animals were divided into three groups of eight animals per group. The first group served as the control, while the second and the third groups were given orally 24.3 and 45.9 mg/ml of the extract, respectively, for 28 days. The parameters investigated in the study include packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin concentration (HBC), total white blood cell (WBC) count, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total and conjutate bilirubin and creatinine. Significant (p < 0.05) differences existed between the experimental groups and the controls with respect to the lymphocyte counts, mean corpuscular volume, ALT, AST, and ALP. No significant difference existed in the levels of PCV, RBC, HBC, WBC count, neutrophil count, MCH, MCHC, and total and conjugated bilirubin and creatinine. Phytochemical analysis of the extract showed the presence of tannins and flavonoids. © 2009 Springer-Verlag London Limited.