Effect of the Alcoholic or the Aqueous Extracts of Ziziphus Spina-christi Leaves on the White Blood Cells and the Oxidative Stress Status in Local Rabbits

Abstract

The Ziziphus Spina-Christi [ZSC]is a plant with many uses in herbal medicine, which has become a potential source of
treatment for various types of diseases. The study was conducted to investigate the effects of the aqueous or the alcoholic
extracts of ZSC leaves on some the white blood cells parameters represented by: the total white blood cells, Lymphocytes,
Heterophils, Monocytes, Eosinophils and Basophils and on the oxidative stress status by measuring malondialdehyde and
the antioxidant enzymatic status by estimating superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase and glutathioneS-transferase as well as the reduced form of glutathione in rabbits exposed to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen
peroxide [H2O2] with drinking water. A total of 20 rabbits was used in this study and randomly distributed into five
groups [4 rabbits in each], the experiment continued for 6 weeks. The T1 group is the healthy control group, T2 was
treated with 2% H2O2 solution to induce oxidative stress to be used in the following groups [T3, T4 and T5]. The T3
group was treated with 300 mg/kg of body weight with the aqueous extract of ZSC, the rabbits in T4 was treated with 300
mg /kg of body weight with the Alcoholic extract while the rabbits in T5 group was treated with 300 mg/Kg of the
bodyweight of a mixture [1:1] of the aqueous and the alcoholic extracts. The results of our study showed a significant
decrease [ P≤0.05] in the total number of white blood cells, the proportion of lymphocytes and Esophile cells accompanied
with a significant increase in the proportion of Heterophil, Monocyte and Basophile cells as well as the percentage of
Heterophil/ Lymphocyte in the blood serum of the second group of rabbits T2, which was exposed to oxidative stress
induced by hydrogen peroxide 2% H2O2 and were treated with 1% distilled water compared to the control group T1.
While the use of the aqueous or alcoholic extract of [ZSC] leaves or both as in the groups T3, T4, T5 respectively, led to
overcome the values of the above parameters.