Abstract
Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia is one of the most common medical conditions affecting ageing men, and many available drugs have not yielded the desired outcome. This has prompted the applications of phytomedicines for its treatment, and combined Funtumia africana and Abutilon mauritianum leaves have been found effective in its treatment. However, there is no information on its effects on the haematological and biochemical parameters.
Objectives: This study assessed the effects of combined Funtumia africana and Abutilon mauritianum (CFAAM) leaves on haematological and antioxidant parameters of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) induced rats.
Methods: The study was divided into 5 groups with 6 rats in each group. Group 1 contained the standard control, while group 2 comprised BPH-induced rats that received no treatment. Group 3 had BPH induced rats treated with 5 mg/kg Finasteride, whereas groups 4 and 5 consisted of BPH induced rats treated with 200 and 600 mg/kg body weight of CFAAM, respectively. BPH in the rats was induced by daily subcutaneous administration of 5 mg/kg testosterone propionate over a period of 28 days, while treatments with either Finasteride or CFAAM were via the oral route.
Results: The obtained results showed a significant (P<0.05) decline in the haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), and platelet counts in the BPH-induced untreated rats compared to the normal control. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities also declined significantly (P<0.05) in the BPH-induced rats compared to the normal control. Further, treatment with CFAAM significantly reversed the observed haematological and antioxidant anomalies in the BPH induced rats, but their total white blood cell (WBC) and differential WBC count values were not significantly altered (P>0.05).
Conclusion: These findings suggested that CFAAM maintains a healthy haematological profile and improves the levels of antioxidant parameters under BPH conditions; furthermore, it may be of value in the search for new agents for inhibiting the development and progression of BPH.