EVALUATION OF THE HAEMOSTATIC POTENTIALS OF CRUDE METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF PERSEA AMERICANA IN WISTAR RATS

To date, there is limited information on the coagulative and possible haemostatic potentials of Persea americana extract. In light of this, the study was aimed to investigate the haemostatic potentials of crude methanolic leaf extract of Persea americana in Wistar rats using standard analytical methods. A total of twenty-five adult male Wistar rats were arbitrarily distributed into five groups of five rats each and kept under suitable conditions for acclimatization and feeding. Group A was used as control and received feed and water only while various plant extracts (with concentrations 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg) were orally administered on daily basis per body weight of animal in addition to normal feed and water for thirty days to the test groups B-E. After 4 weeks, the animals were sacrificed painlessly and blood samples were collected by retro-orbital plexus of Onyekachi A. Onyekwere, e-mail: onyekachi.onyekwere.au@gmail.com 82 George C. Anigbo et al. the median canthus of the eyes. The prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times (PT and APTT), clotting and bleeding times (CT and BT) and plasma fibrinogen concentration were determined. Phytochemical screening of the leaf extract revealed substantial percentage of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, steroids and phenols. Results of the haemostatic potential showed a dose-dependent significant decrease (P<0.05) in the PT, APTT, CT, and BT and a slightly increase (P<0.05) in the plasma fibrinogen concentration when compared with the control. This study suggested that the leaf extract of Persea Americana had a stimulatory effect on intrinsic and extrinsic properties of the coagulation cascade.