HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF PYRUS PASHIA BUCH.-HAM. EX D. DON AGAINST CCl4 INDUCED LIVER DAMAGE

The study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Pyrus pashia Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Hepatotoxicity was induced by CCl₄ 30% in olive oil (1ml/kg i.p.). Mice were treated with aqueous extract of P. pashia at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg b.wt. orally for 14 days. There were two group pre-treatment (once daily for 14 days before CCl₄ intoxication) and post-treatment (2, 6, 24 and 48 hr after CCl₄ intoxication) groups. The observed effects were compared with a known hepatoprotective agent, silymarin. Pre-treatment and post-treatment groups of aqueous extract of P. pashia significantly reduced elevated serum levels of serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin and increased the level of total protein as compared to CCl₄ treated group. The histopathological study also confirms the hepatoprotection. Preliminary qualitative phytochemical analysis of the plant revealed the presence of carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, tannins, and saponins. The data are expressed as ± S.E.M. one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by multiple comparisons with the Tukey post hoc test to compare different parameters between the groups.