Beta vulgaris commonly known as beet root belongs to family Amaranthaceae, has been used in folk medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments like fever, constipation, cancer and diabetes. Modern research is investigating in further detail how beet extracts could be used to protect normal and diabetic liver, however no systemic scientific study is available on its effect as hepatoprotective agent. Phytochemical studies of Beta vulgaris root reveal the presence of flavonoids, carbohydrate, betain, neobetain and anthocyanin pigments. The present study was made to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of Beta vulgaris (EEBV) root against CCl4-induced hepatic damage in rats. Hepatoprotective activity of EEBV was studied by estimating serum enzyme levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein and bilirubin. The treatment with EEBV showed significant (P<0.01) reduction of CCl4 induced elevated serum levels of enzyme activities and bilirubin with parallel significant (P<0.01) increase in total protein, indicating the extract could preserve the normal functional status of the liver. Histology of the liver sections of the animals treated with the extracts showed the presence of normal hepatic cords, absence of necrosis and fatty infiltration, which further evidenced the hepatoprotective activity.
