<em>Vernonia amygdalina</em> leaf extract and alpha-tocopherol alleviated gamma radiation-induced haematological and biochemical changes in rats

Abstract

The methanolic extract of Vernonia amygdalina (MEVA) has previously been shown to possess antioxidant property and provide radioprotection in the brain and liver of rats, but this effect has not been tested in blood cells. The objective of this study was to test if MEVA could offer radioprotection for blood cells of rats using alpha-tocopherol (TOCO) as a standard antioxidant. Forty-two male albino Wistar rats, aged 12-14 weeks were randomly divided into seven groups of six rats each. The control group received distilled water orally, while other groups received either MEVA, MEVA with radiation, or radiation alone. Rats were treated for 14 days, irradiated on the 15^th day, euthanized on the 16^th day, and their blood investigated using standard methods. Data were analyzed using ANOVA with post-hoc test. Results showed that radiation caused a reduction in the haemoglobin, red blood cells and packed cell volume, which pretreatment with MEVA did not improve, whereas TOCO caused a significant increase in the values. The radiation-induced reduction of lymphocytes and increases in the liver enzymes was mitigated by pretreatment with both MEVA and TOCO. This study demonstrated that MEVA and TOCO provided radio-protection for rat’s lymphocytes and the liver enzymes.

Keywords: Erythrocytes, Lymphocytes, Liver enzymes, Radioprotection, Radiotherapy, Antioxidant