RESUMO
Liver is a vital organ of the body that manages metabolic disposition of drugs and other foreign substances. Liver damage is one of the major causes of human mortality. Natural products including mushrooms have gained researchers’ attention as the source of for drugs to treat liver diseases. In this context, here, we examined hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extracts of the fruiting bodies and mycelia of the Elm oyster Hypsizygus ulmarius. Carbon tetrachloride was used to induce hepatic injury and silymarin served as standard drug. Hepatoprotection was evaluated by determining the activities of liver function enzymes, antioxidant status and the histopathological changes in liver tissue of experimental animals. Treatment with the extracts decreased elevated liver function enzymes, such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase and also enhanced depleted antioxidant levels in liver tissue. The histopathological observations supported these findings. The results suggested the potential use of elm oyster mushroom to prevent liver disorders.