Erythropoietic and hepatocurative profile of Yoyo Bitters® – A pilot study

The present study evaluated the effects of a branded Nigerian polyherbal formulation, Yoyo® bitters on the haematological and biochemical status of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-intoxicated rats. Thirty (30) healthy male Wistar rats used in this study were divided into 6 groups of 5 rats each. Group 1 served as normal control and received 3 ml/kg body weight (b.w.). of distilled water only while group 2 served as experimental control and was intoxicated with H2O2 without treatment. Rats in groups 3-5 were H2O2-intoxicated and treated with 1, 2 and 3 ml/kg b.w. of Yoyo® bitters respectively while rats in group 6 were H2O2-intoxicated and treated 100 mg/kg. b.w. of silymarin. H2O2 was administered intraperitoneal on day 0 while drugs were orally administered from days 0 to 14. The rats were sacrificed on day 15 and blood samples collected were subjected to haematological and biochemical analyses. Intoxication with H2O2 significantly (p < 0.05) induced haematotoxicity, oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity when compared with control. Treatment of intoxicated rats with the formulation restored the haematological and biochemical status to normal, suggesting that Yoyo® bitters has erythropoietic and hepatocurative effects. However, future studies are required to confirm these effects in different in vivo models.