A comparative study on the atheroprotective potential of heparin and atorvastatin in hypercholesterolemic rats

Abstract

The present study is to evaluate the effect of standard drug heparin and atorvastatin on the atherogenic disturbances 
in hypercholesterolemic atherogenic animals. Six groups of male Wistar rats were employed in this study, of which 
three groups received atherogenic CCT diet (rat chow supplemented with 4% cholesterol, 1% cholic acid and 0.5% 
thiouracil) for 17 days. Two groups were treated with standard heparin (200 units/kg/day, s.c) and atorvastatin (1.34 
mg/kg/day, oral gavage) respectively commencing from 10th day of the experimental period with the remaining group 
served as control. Another 3 groups received normal rat chow diet during the entire experimental period. One group 
received only CCT diet while the other two groups received heparin and atorvastatin respectively. Increase in the 
plasma levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein and low density 
lipoprotein induced by CCT diets were normalized by heparin and statin treatment. The CCT diet induced abnormal 
rise with the plasma hepatic marker enzymes alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminases and aspartate 
transaminases, plasma urea, glucose and creatinine levels were restored to normal with the treated groups. The CCT 
diet induced lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activities were restored to normal 
in the treated groups. Standard heparin and atorvastatin intervention minimized the atherogenic diet induced 
histopathological lesions in liver, kidney and aortic tissues.