Abstract

High dosage garlic exerts adverse health properties and grape seed extract (GSE) exhibit a variety of beneficial effects, even at high dosage. In the present study we evaluated the toxic effect of high dosage garlic treatment on blood parameters and the protective effect of GSE co-treatment. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with 5 g/kg body weight (bw) crude garlic extract during one month and co-treated or not (vehicle 10% ethanol) with GSE (500 mg/kg bw). Blood parameters were evaluated. Data confirmed that high dosage garlic induced anemia, increased MCV, reduced the MCHC, but has no effect on MCH. Garlic also has no effect on glycemia, calcemia, natremia and kaliemia. GSE co-treatment counteracted almost all garlic’s effects. High dosage garlic induced a toxic effect into erythrocytes parameters and GSE has real contradictory property.

Key words: Garlic, grape seed extract, erythrocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glycaemia, plasmatic electrolytes, administration mode.

Abbreviation

Hb, Hemoglobin; HCT, hematocrit; MCV, mean cell volume; MCH, mean cell hemoglobin; MCHC, mean cell hemoglobin concentration.