Haematinic Activities of the Aqueous Extract of Kalanchoe pinnata Leaves in Hyperlipidaemic Female Rat Models

Background and Objective: Kalanchoe pinnata has been widely used traditionally as a blood boosting extract in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. However, there has been no scientifically published report on this claim, thus, this study evaluated the haematinic activities of the aqueous extract of Kalanchoe pinnata leaves in female hyperlipidemic rat models. Materials and Methods: The female albino rats were induced with hyperlipidaemia using a high-fat diet mixture. Thirty female albino rats were grouped into 5 groups, with 6 rats in each group. Group 1 served as normal control, group 2 was positive control, and group 3 was negative control, while groups 4 and 5 were administered 200 and 400 mg/kg aqueous K. pinnata extract for 21 days. The rats were sacrificed, and blood samples were collected to investigate the levels of erythrocytes, Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Haemoglobin (Hb), and platelets using standard laboratory methods. The IBM SPSS v25 was employed in the evaluation of the percentage of body weight difference (BWD), while GraphPad Prism10.2 was used for the statistical analysis of the haematological indices. Results: An increase in the erythrocytes, PCV, and haemoglobin levels of the experimental rats administered with the aqueous extract of Kalanchoe pinnata when compared to the negative control group. The greatest increase was observed with the 400 mg/kg extract group. A concurrent decrease in the platelet levels was also observed in the experimental rats on administration of the extract. Conclusion: The aqueous extract of Kalanchoe pinnata leaves has good haematinic properties and thus provides its pharmacological basis for use in the boosting of blood levels traditionally.