Deer blood effectively improved clinical signs of anaemia in a rodent model

Abstract

Iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) is one of the most common health problems in the world. As a type of traditional Chinese medicine, deer blood (DB) is often used to treat IDA in China. However, no scientifically designed studies with strict controls were available for the evaluation of therapeutic effects of DB on IDA. In the present study, IDA rat model was first established through feeding iron-deficient diet and then three doses of DB treatment (low, mid and high) were used to feed these rats. During the 30-day treatment period, body condition of the negative-control rats continued to decline. There was no significant difference among the groups of DB-high, positive control and overall intact control in haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit concentration and the number of red blood cells. Results showed that both groups DB-mid and DB-high showed significantly increased iron concentrations in the three organs including liver, spleen and kidney of the rats, compared with all other groups, including the positive-control group. We believe our study has opened a new avenue for the development of DB as a drug to treat IDA in clinics.