title: Myeloprotective activity of crude methanolic leaf extract of Cassia occidentalis in cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression in Wistar rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Myelosuppression is the most common dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy. Cassia occidentalis plays a vital role in preventing health disorders, but its hematological effects have not been documented much. This study is designed to investigate the myeloprotective activity of the crude methanolic leaf extract of C. occidentalis in cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight Wistar rats aged two to three months, weighing 120-170 g were used for the study. The rats were divided into four groups of seven rats each, labeled A to D. Groups A and B were administered with 3 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide intraperitoneally daily for three days to induce bone marrow suppression, after which groups B and C were orally fed with 250 mg/kg body weight of the crude leaf extract once daily for 14 days. Group D served as control without receiving the extract. On Day 15, blood samples (3.0 ml) were collected from each rat through the retro-orbital plexus of the median canthus into K3-EDTA containers for hematological analysis using standard operative procedures. Data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation test and multivariate analysis of variance using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 and results were expressed as mean ± SD. The level of significance was determined at 95% confidence level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Myelosuppression was achieved in Group A rats. Group B rats showed a significant increase in hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), and total white blood cell count (TWBC) compared with Group A. The Group C rats revealed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in Hb, Hct and TWBC when compared with control.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Crude methanolic leaf extract of C. occidentalis may possess myeloprotective properties when orally administered in cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Emeka E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Neboh
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), Enugu, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Silas A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ufelle
keywords: Cassia occidentalis; hematological parameters; leaf extract; myelosuppression