EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS AND ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF DANDELION (TARAXACUM OFFICINALE F.H. Wigg.) LEAVES AND ROOTS ON SOME HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF NORMAL AND STZ-INDUCED DIABETIC WISTAR ALBINO RATS

The effects of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg leaves and roots on some haematological parameters of Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic Wistar albino rats (Rattus rattus) were investigated. The parameters investigated include; packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) levels and white blood cell (WBC) counts. Exactly 75 wistar albino rats weighing between 100-225 g were used for the study, and a total of four groups were created. Two groups were divided into six sub-groups of five rats each for the leaf and root extracts respectively, with the remaining two groups being the normal control rats (NCR) and diabetic control rats (DCR). The two sub-groups were thus; sub I, comprising of sub-groups 1-4 which were for diabetic test rats (DTR) on 6% and 10% of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of leaves respectively, while sub-group 5 and 6 were normal test rats (NTR) on 10% of both extracts of leaves respectively. Same was also the case for sub II which represents the root extracts. Two days after streptozotocin-induction, the administration of T. officinale leaf and root extracts (Aqueous and Ethanolic) commenced and lasted for three weeks. Changes in PCV, haemoglobin levels and WBC counts between the NCR and DCR against normal treated rats (NTR) and diabetic treated rats (DTR) on various doses of the extracts were evaluated using one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]