Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of isolated tetracyclic steroid constituent of Portulaca oleracea o n haematological parameters in albino rats. Methods: The isolated compound was administered on daily basis for 25 days at doses of 0.50 mg/kg and 0.75 mg/kg; blood samples were collected for analysis. Distilled water (0.5 ml) served as the control. Red Blood Cell (RBC) and Total White Blood Cell (TWBC) counts w ere determined using haemacytometer. Differential leucocyte

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... ount was done using the Schilling method. Data were analysed using ANOVA at p<0.05. Results: Treatment of rats with 0.50 mg/kg BW and 0.75 mg/kg BW of tetracyclic steroid caused significant (p < 0.05) increase in the packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb) and red blood cell (RBC) values relative to their respective controls. Treatment of rats with 0.75 mg/kg BW of tetracyclic steroid caused significant (p < 0.05) increase in the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) relative to the control. Conclusion: These findings on haematological parameters suggest that the changes in blood chemistry of the treated rat s was due to the isolated tetracyclic steroid constituent of Portulaca oleracea.