Darlington N Onyejike¹ , Nsikak M Umoh², Toheeb L Sulaimon¹, Ambrose E Agulanna¹

¹Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University; ²Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria.

For correspondence:-  Darlington Onyejike   Email: dn.onyejike@unizik.edu.ng   Tel:+234-8061131867

Received: 2 August 2026        Accepted: 16 September 2026        Published: 30 September 2026

Citation: Onyejike DN, Umoh NM, Sulaimon TL, Agulanna AE. Histopathological and haematological assessment of co-administered Odogwu Bitters and Goko Cleanser herbal mixtures on the spleen of adult male Wistar rats. Trop J Pharm Res 2026; 25(9):1237-1245 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v25i9.7

© 2026 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the histopathological and haematological impact of individual and co-administered Odogwu Bitters (OB) and Goko Cleanser (GC) on the spleen of adult male Wistar rats.

Methods: Fifty rats were randomized into ten groups (n = 5). Groups B – D received OB only (0.2, 0.4 and 0.8 mL/day, respectively), groups E – G received GC only (0.2, 0.5 and 0.9 mL/day, respectively), and groups H – J received combined doses, while Group A served as the untreated control. After six weeks of oral administration, splenic tissue was processed for histology (H & E staining), and packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration were analysed.

Results: Histopathological assessment revealed nodular hyperplasia of the splenic white pulp in groups receiving moderate- and high-dose OB (C, D), low-dose GC (E), and the high-dose combination group (J). Haematologically, a significant decrease (p = 0.046) in PCV occurred exclusively in the group receiving the low dose of GC alone (E). Haemoglobin levels showed non-significant (p > 0.05) variable trends across all experimental groups. All groups exhibited significant (p < 0.05) body weight gain, with no significant (p > 0.05) changes in relative spleen weight.

Conclusion: Co-administration of Odogwu Bitters and Goko Cleanser induces specific splenic lymphoid hyperplasia and haematological alterations in the absence of systemic toxicity. These findings identify the spleen as a target organ and highlight a potential immunohaematological risk associated with the combined use of these herbal mixtures, underscoring the need for stricter safety evaluations

Keywords: Goko Cleanser, Haematological alterations, Herbal mixtures, Immunotoxicity, Odogwu Bitters, Toxicity screening

Impact Factor
Thompson Reuters (ISI): 0.6 (2023)
H-5 index (Google Scholar): 49 (2023)