 Corresponding author: Joshua, Charles Isirima Department of Biomedical Technology, School of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba-Port Harcourt, 500272, Rivers State, Nigeria. Copyright © 2021 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0. Prevention of doxorubicin-induced haematotoxicity by turmeric in Wistar rats Joshua Charles Isirima 1 and Dorcas Okayo Okoroafor 2 1 Department of Biomedical Technology, School of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba- Port Harcourt, 500272, Rivers State, Nigeria. 2 Department of Biomedical Technology, School of Science Laboratory Technology, University of Port Harcourt, Choba- Port Harcourt, 500272, Rivers State, Nigeria. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2021, 09(03), 096–108 Publication history: Received on 02 February 2021; revised on 05 March 2021; accepted on 07 March 2021 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2021.9.3.0084 Abstract Doxorubicin is a known anticancer drug used in treatment of various cancers including leukemias, lymphomas, soft- tissue sarcomas and solid tumors. Doxorubicin exerts its toxicity on the blood by causing bone marrow suppression, myelosuppression, pronounced marrow depression and bone marrow depletion, and hypoplasia This study investigated the effect of turmeric on the haematological parameters in doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress in Wistar rats. 54 adult Wistar rats were divided into 9 groups of six animals each. Group 1 animals served as control (normal saline), group 2 animals served as negative control, and received doxorubicin, group 3 animals were given doxorubicin and turmeric, group 4 animals received doxorubicin and vitamin C, group 5 animals received doxorubicin and vitamin E, group 6 animals received doxorubicin, vitamins C and turmeric, group 7 animals received doxorubicin, vitamin E and turmeric, while group 8 animals received doxorubicin, vitamin C and vitamin E and finally, group 9 animals receive doxorubicin, vitamin C, vitamin E and turmeric. The experiment lasted for 28 days and blood samples were collected from each animal from the various groups for haematological assay. Doxorubicin caused a significant decrease in the serum levels of white blood cell count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, monocyte count, platelet count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume. These changes were prevented by turmeric alone or in combined concomitant administration with vitamins C and or E and doxorubicin Keywords: Haematotoxicity; Doxorubicin; Turmeric; Wistar rats 1. Introduction Standard cancer treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, these have many complications and problems for patients [1, 2]. Chemotherapy is used for advanced cancers and multiple metastases because it is the only means by which cancer cells can be destroyed throughout the body [2]. Doxorubicin is an anthracycline antibiotic with proven antineoplastic activity against a broad range of tumors [3, 4]. It is most often used in acute leukemia and lymphoma, and organ cancers of the lung, breast, bladder, stomach, thyroid and reproductive system [2, 5] and vomiting is the most common side effect from doxorubicin in its injectable form. Doxorubicin also disrupts the production of red blood cells and can cause blood clotting disorders, anemia and leukopenia, thus according to Cortes et al., [6], its effect on blood parameters should be closely monitored during chemotherapy. Its use can be associated with a variety of toxicoses, including myelosuppression, enterocolitis, alopecia, and cardiomyopathy [7, 8 and 9]. Doxorubicin administration has been associated with dose-related decreases in hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red blood cell numbers in dogs, rabbits, and humans [9, 10, and 11]. Several researchers have reported adverse effects of doxorubicin administration on the haematological parameters. In one study aimed at evaluating the effect of