Intervention effects of atorvastatin combined with Panax notoginseng saponins on rats with atherosclerosis complicated with hepatic injury

Background: Statins cannot be used for some active liver diseases, which limits its application to some extent. The combined use of statins with other drugs may be one of the ways to solve this dilemma. Objective: This research aims to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin combined with Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on rats with atherosclerosis (AS) complicated with hepatic injury. Materials and Methods: Seventy-two male Wistar rats were randomly categorized into control group (without any intervention, Group A) and AS model groups, which were divided into hepatic injury (Groups B–E) and nonhepatic injury (Groups F–I) groups. Hepatic and nonhepatic injury groups were intragastrically treated with 5.5 mg/kg·d atorvastatin (Group B, F), 200 mg/kg·d PNS (Group C, G), 5.5 mg/kg·d atorvastatin + 200 mg/kg·d PNS (Group D, H), and normal saline (Group E, I). After 8 weeks, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and serum calcium were analyzed to evaluate the hypolipidemic effect. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and r-glutamyltransferase levels were measured to assess liver function. The thoracic aortas were used for hematoxylin–eosin staining. Results: In both hepatic injury and nonhepatic injury groups, TC, TG and LDL-C levels significantly decreased in Groups B, D, F, and H. ALT and AST levels significantly increased in Group B, but significantly decreased in Groups C and D. The aortic intima thickness was significantly lower in Groups B, D, F, and H than that in the normal saline group. Conclusion: The combination of atorvastatin and PNS treatment showed a significant hypolipidemic effect and hepatic enzyme stability function.