Vincristine and Tridax procumbens have comparable effects on the haematology and serum biochemistry of experimental rat model

Abstract ID 87899 Poster Board 446 Abstract: Screening plant compounds for promising pharmacological effects is a key component of drug discovery. Hence, there is much interest in the search for accessible and affordable anticancer compounds that can serve similar purposes as the marketed drugs. Vincristine is a widely used anticancer drug in humans and animals. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of vincristine (VCT) and Tridax procumbens (TDP) - a well-known medicinal plant on the haematology and serum biochemistry of male Wistar rats. Forty rats (80-100g) were grouped equally into eight (A to H) and treated as follows: Group A (control) was administered normal saline (1mL/kg), B (0.1 mg/kg VCT), C to E (50, 100, 200 mg/kg TDP), and F to H (VCT and TDP). All treatment was done daily for 10 days orally except for VCT which was administered intra-peritoneally. Body weight change, haematology and serum biochemistry parameters were assessed using standard procedures. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and results were expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean, with p<0.05 considered as significant. There was a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the body weight change of VCT-treated rats. On the contrary, Tridax procumbens caused a dose-dependent increase in the body weight change of treated rats and reversed the reduced body weight change property of VCT in the co-treated groups. We observed a non-significant difference (p>0.05) in the assessed haematology and serum biochemistry parameters for all groups especially PCV, HB, RBC, WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, Na, K, Cl, total protein, ALT, AST, ALP, creatinine, cholesterol, and triglycerides as compared to the control group. The results of this study, therefore, point to possible overlap between the effects of VCT and TDP; nevertheless, more research will be needed to fully explore the unique anticancer and safety potential of TDP. Keywords: Tridax procumbens, Vincristine, Cancer, Drug discovery