Efficiency of black cumin seeds on hematological factors in normal and hypercholesterolemic rabbits

<strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Hypercholesterolemia is among the most common health problems treated with<br />traditional remedies. <em>Nigella sativa</em> (NS) is an effective plant for treating hypercholesterolemia.<br />However, the effects of this herb on hematologic factors and hemostasis system have not been<br />elucidated. This study was designed to investigate the effects of NS on these factors in both<br />normal and hypercholesterolemic rabbits.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong> In this research, twenty rabbits were randomly distributed into four groups of five. The<br />groups received four different diets, namely normal, normal + NS (5%), hypercholesterolemic (1٪<br />cholesterol), and hypercholesterolemic (1٪ cholesterol) + NS (5%), for 8 weeks. After this period,<br />WBC (white blood cell), RBC (red blood cell), HTC (hematocrit), HGB (hemoglobin content), PLT<br />(platelet), fibrinogen (FIB) and factors VII (F VII) were measured.<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> Using NS significantly increased PLT count in the normal group. In addition, it significantly<br />decreased WBC counts in the hypercholesterolemic group (P &lt; 0.05). However, dietary<br />use of NS did not have any effects on other hematologic factors including RBC, HTC, HGB, FIB,<br />and F VII (P &lt; 0.05).<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Increased PLT numbers might cause enhanced coagulation. The achieved results<br />call for more research on the effects of various diets (hypercholesterolemic and normal diet)<br />supplemented with NS on different coagulation factors and hemostasis system.<br /><strong>Keywords:</strong> Hematological Factors, Hypercholesterolemia, <em>Nigella Sativa </em>L., Rabbit