Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of alcohol extract of RadixEchinopsison carbon tetrachloride(CCl₄) induced acute liver injuryof mice.The experimentalmodel of acute liver injury was induced by administration of CCl₄ into male mice.The activities of alanine transaminase(ALT),aspartate transaminase(AST)in mice serum were determined.The levels ofsuperoxidedismutase(SOD),MDA and the activity of glutathioneperoxidase(GSH-Px) in liver tissue of mice were also determined.In addition,the liver pathological examination was observed by light microscope.Compared with model groups,the contents of ALT, AST in Radix Echinopsisalcohol extract group was significantly decreased,the content of MDA was also significantly lowered,and the activity of SOD and GSH was significantly improved after preventive treatment with extract of Radix Echinopsis.Hence,it was concluded that Radix Echinopsisalcohol extract has the efficacy of protecting liver from injuryreflected by itsscavenging free radical and antioxidant activities.

Key words: Radix Echinopsis, alcohol extract, carbon tetrachloride, liver injury