Pharmacologyonline 2: 538-545 (2009) Shah et al. 538 HEPATOPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF HORDEUM VULGARE LINN. SEEDS AGAINST ETHANOL-INDUCED LIVER DAMAGE IN RATS Purvi A. Shah*, Mihir Y. Parmar, Vaishali T. Thakkar, Tejal R. Gandhi Anand Pharmacy College, Shree Ramkrishna Seva Mandal Campus, Opp. Town Hall, Anand, Gujarat. Summary Alcohol toxicity is one of the world’s major health problems. Herbal alternatives are one of the best ways to minimize these disease conditions. In the present study, methanolic extract of Hordeum vulgare Linn. (Family: Poaceae) seeds was investigated for the hepatoprotective activity against ethanol-induced liver damage in rats. Ethanol-induced liver damage in rats was induced by oral administration of 20% ethanol (3.76 g/kg/d) for 18 days. Other groups of rats were pretreated with methanolic extracts of Hordeum vulgare seeds (300 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) or silymarin (200 mg/kg, p.o.) 30 min prior to ethanol ingestion. The degree of protection was measured by various liver parameters such as functional (thiopentone-induced sleeping time), physical (liver weight and volume), serum biochemical parameters like serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGOT & SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total and direct bilirubin (TBL & DBL), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and total protein (TP) along with changes in histological parameters. Ethanol produced significant changes in various liver parameters such as functional (thiopentone- induced sleeping time) and physical (increased liver weight and volume). It also increased above biochemical parameters and decreased total protein (TP) along with changes in histological parameters (damage to hepatocytes). Treatments with methanolic extract of H. vulgare (300 and 500 mg/kg/d, p.o. for 18 d) and silymarin significantly prevented the functional, physical, biochemical and histological changes induced by ethanol, indicating the recovery of hepatic cells. These results demonstrate that methanolic extract of H. vulgare seeds possessed the hepatoprotective activity as evidenced from the functional, physical, biochemical and histological parameters. Key Words: Hordeum vulgare, Hepatoprotective activity, Ethanol, Silymarin . *Corresponding author: Mrs. Purvi A. Shah Anand Pharmacy College, Opposite Town hall, Anand -388 001 Gujarat, India Telefax number: 91-02692-250020 E- mail: purvi2210@yahoo.co.in