Protective Effect of Pterocarpus santalinoides Leaf Diet against Cadmium-Induced Biochemical and Haematological Alterations

Pterocarpus santalinoides is a nutritional and medicinal plant with diverse phytochemical constituents and therapeutic properties. Cadmium is an important environmental toxicant that can accumulate in biological tissues and cause oxidative stress, renal damage, and haematological disturbances. This study investigated the protective effect of a Pterocarpus santalinoides leaf diet on selected biochemical, antioxidant, and haematological indices in cadmium-exposed Wistar rats. Thirty Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups of six rats each: normal control, negative control, low-dose (PS1), medium-dose (PS2), and high-dose (PS3) groups. Except for the normal control, the animals received cadmium chloride at 5 mg/kg body weight for 14 consecutive days. The treatment groups were subsequently fed diets containing 10%, 20%, or 40% Pterocarpus santalinoides leaf meal for 21 days. The negative control and treatment groups were exposed to cadmium, while the treatment groups received varying concentrations of the Pterocarpus santalinoides leaf diet. At the end of the experiment, serum and blood samples were collected for biochemical, antioxidant, and haematological analyses using standard laboratory procedures. Cadmium exposure caused marked alterations in the measured parameters, with increased serum urea and creatinine levels and reduced activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, indicating renal dysfunction and oxidative stress. Significant reductions in white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet counts, as well as packed cell volume, were also observed in the untreated cadmium-exposed rats. Administration of the Pterocarpus santalinoides leaf diet improved these alterations, as evidenced by reductions in serum urea and creatinine levels and increases in antioxidant enzyme activities. Haematological indices also improved following dietary treatment. The improvements were generally more pronounced at higher dietary inclusion levels, with values approaching those of the normal control group. These findings suggest that the Pterocarpus santalinoides leaf diet has a protective effect against cadmium-induced renal, oxidative, and haematological disturbances, which may be associated with its antioxidant and other bioactive constituents.