A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF THE PHYTOCHEMICAL CONTENT OF P. AMERICANA LEAF ON HEMATOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF ALBINO RATS

Given the medicinal importance of the avocado plant in alternative medicine, the present study aimed to study the effect of the phytochemical content of P. americana leaf extract on the hematological system of albino rats. Albino rats were obtained and clustered into six groups, with five rats per group simultaneously were assigned experimental and control. The rats in the experimental group were administered with varying doses of the prepared aqueous extract of P. Americana within the period of the study. The rats in the control group were administered with other substances such as water and feed for the study period. The hematological system of the experimental animal was assessed after the administration of the extract, and it was observed that the aqueous extract of P. americana leaf recorded no significant adverse effect on the hematology system of the experimental study animal.

Given the medicinal importance of the avocado plant in alternative medicine, the present study aimed to study the effect of the phytochemical content of P. americana leaf extract on the hematological system of albino rats. Albino rats were obtained and clustered into six groups, with five rats per group simultaneously were assigned experimental and control. The rats in the experimental group were administered with varying doses of the prepared aqueous extract of P. Americana within the period of the study. The rats in the control group were administered with other substances such as water and feed for the study period. The hematological system of the experimental animal was assessed after the administration of the extract, and it was observed that the aqueous extract of P. americana leaf recorded no significant adverse effect on the hematology system of the experimental study animal.

Introduction: -
Today, many essential drugs are directly or indirectly derived from a plant (Mashi et al., 2019;Bauer and Brönstrup, 2014). Plants are becoming a ubiquitous practice in primary health care needs, and the trend is proliferating. Contemporary science has acknowledged its active action. It has included in modern pharmacotherapy a range of plant origin drugs known by ancient civilizations and used throughout the millennia (Petrovska, 2012). Research has pointed out the importance of the medicinal plant to the world's population (Pešić, 2015). Avocado or Perse Americana plants are a typical example of a medicinal plant (Edem, 2010). There has been an increasing interest in the study of various avocado parts due to their health-promoting properties and high nutrient value (SeonJu et al., 2019). The plant is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments, such as menorrhagia, hypertension, stomach ache, bronchitis, diarrhea, and diabetes (e.g.

Materials and Method: -
Healthy fresh leaves of Persea americana were obtained from the local market. The leaves were processed and ground into powdery form and stored. 250g of samples were weighed and soaked with 700ml of ethyl acetate measured using a 500ml measuring cylinder. It was stirred with a glass rod to mix well before storing at room temperature for 24 hours. Then the mixture was filtered severally using a muslin cloth to remove the insoluble materials. The filtrate was poured into a 250ml beaker and then concentrated by evaporating the solvent (ethyl acetate) using a water-bath at 70 o C.

Experimental Animals
Forty-five healthy Wister rats were purchased for the current study and were acclimatized for two (2) weeks before the study's commencement. The healthy rats were grouped into six groups of five rats. Thus, The Wister rats were placed in a conducive condition at a controlled room temperature. They were then acclimatized for two weeks and fed with finisher mash and drinking water before they were separated into six groups of five animals each. The aqueous extract of P. americana was administered orally to the rats through an intubation tube for 14 days. Rats in groups 1 and 2 were considered the control group and fed with finisher mash and chemiron. Whereas groups 3, 4, 5, and 6 represented the experimental groups and were fed with the P. americana leaves extract. The experimental animals were administered with the extract each day. Group 3, 4, 5 and 6 received 200mg/kg, 400mg/kg, 600mg/kg and 800mg/kg of the sample extract respectively. The extract was administered once daily for 14 days. The daily food intake of each group of rats was monitored. The animals were observed closely during the study period for appearance or behavior changes.

Sample Analysis
At the end of the experimental period, all the rats from each group were weighed using an electronic weighing balance. They were starved for 24 hours before the blood sample was collected from the side of the eye (nodular vin or medial canthus of the eye) using a sodium heparinized capillary tube.

Determination of the Hematological level
The Hematological parameters, including packed cell volume PVC, Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (Esr), white blood cell count, red blood cell count, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts measured using standard methods as described by Dacie and Lewis (1995).

Discussion: -
The current study aimed to investigate the effect of the phytochemical content of P. americana leaf on the hematological system of albino rats. Thus, the Hb, PVC, ESR, WBC, RBC, Lymphocyte and Platelet count. Following the evaluation using standard method after administering different doses (200, 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg body weight respectively) of the aqueous extract of the study plant. The observation indicated that for WBC (table 1) an elevated value of 3500, 900, 7500mm 3 , recorded for all the concentrations compared with the control 3300 and 6000mm 3, respectively. The Lymphocyte, Neutrophil, was also recorded in that direction. However, the Hb, RBC, and PVC indicated no significant difference relating to their values. In table 2, an increased value of 3500, 720, 6900, and 7200mm3 for WBC was observed for all the concentrations compared with the control 3500 and 600mm 3 . The Lymphocyte and Neutrophil were again in that order, as indicated in table 1. The Hb, RBC, and PVC appear not to have much difference in their values. An elevated value of 610,000mm 3 was recorded for Platelet when compared with the control.
Based on the observed report in table 1 and table 2, the study concluded that the P. americana leaf extracts have no significant adverse effect on the experimented animal's hematological system. However, an increased level of WBC indicates that the phytochemical extract of P. Americana could possess chemicals capable of boosting the immune system. Some studies, e.g., Amaza et al. (2016) and Clipsham (2007), have previously indicated the avocado plant's toxicity. The current study is aligned with the position of Brail et al. (2020) that supports the literatures indicating the relevance of aqueous extract of P. americana in the prevention of certain health issues such as lymphocytosis, leucopenia, and other associated hematological variations. This study is useful as it further supports the effectiveness of the phytochemical extracts of avocado in stimulating the white blood count, which is the major component of the immune system. However, future researchers are urged to explore the effect of the extract on other physiological components.