this plant grows in the first days of summer and used for various attempt ( 1 , 2 ) . nitrogenic materials , glucose , protein , ferolic acid , quercetin , daucosterol , cirsiliol , steroids and glucomannan are some materials found in salep ( 3 , 4 ) . this plant is used in preparation of drinks , confections and ice cream . on the other hand , it is used as a traditional medicine in various countries including iran . in traditional medicine , it is used for the treatment of diarrhea , cough and impotency ( 5 , 6 ) . nevertheless , we know that some herbal drugs may cause some adverse effects in some organs , especially liver and kidneys . a systematic review in korea presented the possibility of increased risk of hepatotoxicity by administration of some herbal drugs ( 7 ) . despite the fact , some studies showed that some plants may have protective effect for liver such as garlic in nonalchoholic steatohepatitis ( nash ) ( 8) , or aubutilon indicum in paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity ( 9 ) . considering that salep is widely used in some communities , evaluation of the effects of this plant on liver seems to be necessary . the aim of this study was to assess the effect of salep on liver for the first time . samples of the plant harvested from farmlands around yasouj ( a city in the southwest of iran ) were obtained . the roots of the plant washed and dried in the laboratory ( away from direct light of sun ) . the powder mixed by ethylic alcohol in 1 to 5 proportions and mixed for 24 hours to yield a uniform solution . in the next stage , the solution filtered and dried for 48 hours to yield the solid extract without alcohol . the final extract mixed with distilled water in 20 , 40 and 80 mg / ml and maintained in refrigerator ( 10 ) . in this study , all the ethic points in working by animals were considered in all steps . the proposal of this study was approved in the research ethic committee of jahrom university of medical sciences . in this study , 50 wistar rats weighting 180 to 200 grams were used . before starting the study , rats cared in animal house in jahrom university of medical sciences for adaptation to environment . during the study , these animals were in 12 hours light and 12 hours darkness with temperature of 20 - 25c . the first group underwent no intervention ; the second group received 1 ml distilled water intraperitoneally daily , each rat in 3rd , 4th and 5th groups received 20 , 40 and 80 mg / kg prepared hydroextract , respectively daily . , blood tests for liver function were performed . for this purpose after anesthesia , 5 ml blood received from each rat and after centrifugation in 3000 r / m for 15 minutes serum was separated and used for tests ( 11 ) . the levels of alt ( alanine aminotransferase ) and ast ( aspartate aminotransferase ) were measured by dgkc buffer phosphate method and the level of alp ( alkaline phosphatase ) measured by -nitrophenyl phosphate amp . serum albumin and total bilirubin and total protein were measured by the methods of bromocresol green , diazo with sulphanilic acid , and biuret reaction end point , respectively . the level of mad was evaluated by elisa method ( biospes italy ) and the levels of tac and toc were also measured by elisa ( ldn italy ) ( 12 ) . after drawing the blood , liver was separated , weighted and fixed by formalin solution . statistical analysis was performed using spss software ( ibm ) and p value below 0.05 considered to be significant . samples of the plant harvested from farmlands around yasouj ( a city in the southwest of iran ) were obtained . the roots of the plant washed and dried in the laboratory ( away from direct light of sun ) . the powder mixed by ethylic alcohol in 1 to 5 proportions and mixed for 24 hours to yield a uniform solution . in the next stage , the solution filtered and dried for 48 hours to yield the solid extract without alcohol . the final extract mixed with distilled water in 20 , 40 and 80 mg / ml and maintained in refrigerator ( 10 ) . this study was an experimental study on wistar rats . in this study , all the ethic points in working by animals were considered in all steps . the proposal of this study was approved in the research ethic committee of jahrom university of medical sciences . in this study , 50 wistar rats weighting 180 to 200 grams were used . before starting the study , rats cared in animal house in jahrom university of medical sciences for adaptation to environment . during the study , these animals were in 12 hours light and 12 hours darkness with temperature of 20 - 25c . the first group underwent no intervention ; the second group received 1 ml distilled water intraperitoneally daily , each rat in 3rd , 4th and 5th groups received 20 , 40 and 80 mg / kg prepared hydroextract , respectively daily . in 29th day of study , blood tests for liver function were performed . for this purpose after anesthesia , 5 ml blood received from each rat and after centrifugation in 3000 r / m for 15 minutes serum was separated and used for tests ( 11 ) . the levels of alt ( alanine aminotransferase ) and ast ( aspartate aminotransferase ) were measured by dgkc buffer phosphate method and the level of alp ( alkaline phosphatase ) measured by -nitrophenyl phosphate amp . serum albumin and total bilirubin and total protein were measured by the methods of bromocresol green , diazo with sulphanilic acid , and biuret reaction end point , respectively . the level of mad was evaluated by elisa method ( biospes italy ) and the levels of tac and toc were also measured by elisa ( ldn italy ) ( 12 ) . after drawing the blood , liver was separated , weighted and fixed by formalin solution . statistical analysis was performed using spss software ( ibm ) and p value below 0.05 considered to be significant . liver enzymes evaluation ; the levels of ast , alt and alp significantly decreased with administration of higher doses of salep ( 80 mg / kg ) . this effect was found in bilirubin mda and toc levels . on the other hand , it seems that with administration of salep the level of total serum protein and albumin elevated , especially with the highest dose . abbreviations : alt , alanine transferase ; alp , alkaline phosphatase ; ast , aspartate transferase ; g / dl , gram per deciliter ; iu / l , internation unit per liter ; mda , malondialdehyde ; tac , total antioxidation capacity ; and toc , total oxidation capacity . pathology of liver tissue evaluated and there was no sign of edema , irregularity of the hepatocells , vein engorgement , necrosis , accumulation of kupfer cells , change in portal area and infiltration of inflammatory cells . in short , no significant effect on liver tissue was revealed by various doses ( 20 , 40 , or 80 mg / kg ) of salep ( figure 1 ) . pathology of liver tissue evaluated and there was no sign of edema , irregularity of the hepatocells , vein engorgement , necrosis , accumulation of kupfer cells , change in portal area and infiltration of inflammatory cells . in short , no significant effect on liver tissue was revealed by various doses ( 20 , 40 , or 80 mg / kg ) of salep ( figure 1 ) . injection of salep extract could decrease the level of liver function enzymes including ast , alt and alp . in liver damage , the level of these enzymes would be increased ( 13 ) . this effect may be due to the presence of anti - oxidant material in this plant . polyphenols and flavonoid components such as quercetin are important anti - oxidants in this plant ( 14 ) . these components have protective effect on the liver against toxins and free radicals ( 15 , 16 ) . it is shown that ferolic acid has protective effect for liver against toxic materials such as alcohol and high fat foods . in these studies it was shown that ferolic acid can effectively reduce the level of alt , ast and alp in rats , which received alcohol and high fat foods ( 17 ) . glucomannan is a fiber , which is water soluble and can inhibit stress oxidation and reduce ast and alt levels ( 18 , 19 ) . this fiber is also effective on reducing the blood sugar , cholesterol and body weight ( 20 , 21 ) . one of the signs of progression of chronic liver disease is decreased level of total protein and albumin . the level of this deduction is proportionate with the severity of liver damage ( 22 , 23 ) . in this study , we showed that the level of total protein and albumin could be elevated by salep . mad is one of the important criteria for lipid peroxidation and is an indicator for liver damage ( 24 ) . tac ( total antioxidant capacity ) is a better criterion than gpx , cat and sod for evaluating the anti - oxidation condition in the body ( 25 ) , this capacity has a reverse correlation with toc ( 26 ) . augmentation of tac and reduction of toc and mad by salep may be due to antioxidants in this plant . this action is performed by elevation of antioxidative enzymes such as glutathione , glutathione reductase , glutathione peroxidase and catalase ( 27 ) . reduced glutathione can diminish the oxidized form of glutathione peroxidase , which in turn can diminish hydrogen peroxide ( h2o2 ) as a dangerous reactive component within the cell . this component can elevate the level of sod ( supper oxide dismutase ) and catalase enzymes . , salep may have a protective effect on liver in animal models and more studies are needed to evaluate its effect in human .
background : salep is used for various purposes in food industries and traditional medicine 
 . therefore , evaluation of its effect on the liver seems to be necessary.objectives:the aim of this study was to assess salep effect on liver.materials and methods : in this experimental study , various concentrations of salep were intraperitoneally administered to five groups of wistar rats ( control , placebo and 20 , 40 and 80 mg / kg salep ) . 
 after one month , liver enzymes and liver tissue were evaluated and compared between different groups.results:significant decreased level of liver enzymes , mda ( malondialdehyde ) and toc ( total oxidation capacity ) were found in various concentrations of salep administration . on the other hand , 
 a significant increase was found in tac ( total antioxidant capacity ) level with various doses of salep.conclusions:elevated level of total protein and albumin and decreased level of liver enzyme by salep extract were found in this study . 
 therefore , this plant may be a useful medicine for patients with liver diseases .