Journal of Biochemistry International

Kalanchoe pinnata is widely used in traditional medicine for the management of several health conditions; however, its safety following repeated administration remains insufficiently characterised. Because prolonged exposure to medicinal plant extracts may produce dose-dependent systemic or organ-specific effects, assessment of haematological indices and hepatic biomarkers is important for evaluating potential toxicity. This study therefore investigated the sub-chronic effects of aqueous Kalanchoe pinnata leaf extract on selected haematological parameters and serum liver marker enzymes in male Wistar albino rats. This study evaluated the effects of 28-day oral administration of aqueous Kalanchoe pinnata leaf extract (KPE) on selected haematological indices and serum liver marker enzymes in male albino rats. Twenty-five male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into five groups of five animals each. Group I served as the control and received distilled water, while Groups II–V received 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg body weight of KPE, respectively, for 28 consecutive days. Haematological assessment included red blood cell (RBC) count, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), total white blood cell (WBC) count, lymphocyte and neutrophil percentages. Serum liver marker enzymes assessed were alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The results showed that KPE administration produced no statistically significant changes (p > 0.05) in RBC, Hb, PCV, WBC, lymphocyte or neutrophil counts across all treatment groups compared with the control. Conversely, serum ALT, AST and ALP activities showed a dose-related increase. At 100 and 200 mg/kg, the increases in enzyme activities were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, significant increases (p < 0.05) were observed at 400 mg/kg, while more pronounced elevations (p < 0.01) occurred at 800 mg/kg. ALT increased from 32.5 ± 1.8 U/L in the control to 52.7 ± 3.5 U/L and 89.4 ± 5.2 U/L at 400 and 800 mg/kg, respectively. AST increased from 48.3 ± 2.2 U/L in the control to 78.9 ± 4.8 U/L and 124.6 ± 7.1 U/L, while ALP increased from 118.6 ± 6.5 U/L to 167.2 ± 10.4 U/L and 245.8 ± 15.7 U/L at the corresponding doses. The findings indicate that repeated administration of KPE did not produce significant haematological toxicity during the 28-day exposure period but produced evidence of hepatic injury at 400 and 800 mg/kg, as indicated by elevations in serum ALT, AST and ALP.