EFFECT OF USING AQUEOUS CRUDE EXTRACT FROM BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWERS (CLITORIA TERNATEA L.) AS A DYE ON ANIMAL BLOOD SMEAR STAINING

Abstract

Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea L.) is a climber which commonly grows in tropical areas. It is known to store ternatin in its blueish petals. Ternatins are a group of delphinidin glycosides, types of anthocyanin pigment, which can be easily dissolved in water and given different colors according to the pH. An aqueous extract of butterfly pea flowers is traditionally used in food colorants and hair dying. Nowadays, the utilization of natural dyes to replace the use of synthetic dyes in many fields is favored because of public concerns about the safety of synthetic dyes. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the crude extract from butterfly pea flowers on animal blood smear staining. The crude extract was prepared by soaking the petal powder in distilled water at 4ο C overnight and filtering it with gauzes and filter paper, respectively. The filtrate was adjusted to pH 0.2 and treated with a mordant before staining. The methanol-fixed blood smears of 4 different animal species (chicken, pigeon, dog, and horse) were used for the experiments. Preliminary results revealed that faint acidophilic staining was found in the nuclei of nucleated cells in the blood smears of all species. The cytoplasm of red blood cells stained grayish pink with differences of shading. Additionally, dull acidophilic staining was detected in the granules of the chicken heterophils and also the eosinophils of all species. The results indicated that using a crude extract from butterfly pea flowers for blood smear staining was able to differentiate the blood cells. The variation of acidophillic shades on different blood cells might be caused by the ability of the butterfly pea crude extract to change its color according to the pH level. However, the intensity of the staining should be improved by adjusting both the extraction protocols, in order to get more concentration of the crude extract, and also the staining conditions. Thus, it may be modified as a substitute for routine blood smear staining.