Protective Effects of Alcoholic Extract of Althaea officinalis on Diazinone-Induced liver toxicity in Adult male hamster

Diazinon is one of the most widely used organophosphorus insecticides, to control plant pests in agricultural fields and is known to be a harmful environmental pollutant in the world. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of alcoholic extract of Althaea officinalis against Diazinon-induced liver damage in adult male hamsters. 42 male hamsters were divided into six groups: The positive control group received distilled water, The negative control group received Diazinon poison, The group receiving the Althaea officinalis extract (300 mg/kg) and the group receiving the Althaea officinalis extract (600 mg/kg) received alcoholic extract of Althaea officinalis at doses of 300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg of body weight, The group receiving Diazinon and the Althaea officinalis extract (300 mg/kg) and the group receiving Diazinon and the Althaea officinalis extract (600 mg/kg) received Diazinon toxin first and then alcoholic extract of Althaea officinalis at doses of 300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg of body weight. Daily the hamsters were treated orally for 15 days. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were taken and serum levels of Alanine aminotransferase, Aspartate aminotransferase, Alkaline phosphatase, the whole (total) Bilirubin, the whole (total) protein and serum Albumin were measured. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test using SPSS software. In Diazinon group, there was a significant increase in serum levels of Alanine aminotransferase, Aspartate aminotransferase, Alkaline phosphatase, the whole (total) Bilirubin and a significant decrease in serum (total) protein and Albumin levels compared with the positive control group. Alcoholic extract of Althaea officinalis caused a significant and dose-dependent decrease in the levels of hepatic enzymes and the whole (total) Bilirubin and significant increase in the whole (total) protein and serum Albumin levels. The result of this study showed that Althaea officinalis has a protective and therapeutic effect against Diazinon-induced hepatotoxicity in hamster.