title: Effects of atorvastatin and artichoke leaf tincture on oxidative stress in hypercholesterolemic rats.
abstract: BACKGROUNG/AIM: Since combining conventional drugs with herbal medicinal products is in current research focus and possible of great interest as therapy improvement way, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of well-established antiatherosclerotic drug atorvastatin (CAS number 134523-00-5) and commercially available artichoke leaf tincture (ALTINC), used as combined therapy, as well as to compare effects of these two treatments separately.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental animals were divided into five groups: the group I (the control group of rats fed with standard diet during 11 weeks), and the remaining 4 groups of rats (II, III, IV and V) fed with standard diet during the first week and then with hypercholesterolemic diet during the next 10 weeks. The group II of rats were left without treatment, while in the groups III, IV and V were rats treated per os with atorvastatin (1.15 mg/kg body weight--b.w.), ALTINC (0.1 mL/kg b.w.) and their combination in same doses, respectively, for the last six weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cholesterol rich diet led to pronounced hyperlipidemia which could not be overcame with the therapy. However, the therapy showed positive effects on abdominal aorta wall thickness and parameters of oxidative stress (malondialdehyde--MDA, proxidative-antioxidative balance--PAB) and antioxidative protection (reduced glutathione--GSH, paraoxanase 1--PON1, superoxide dismutase--SODA SH groups), especially ALTINC was successful in oxidative status improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Separate treatments comparison showed that artichoke leaf tincture is very potent antioxidant with beneficial effects in early stages of atherosclerosis. Since atorvastatin and constituents of ALTINC probably have different mechanisms of action, simultaneous use of both therapies could be beneficial but should be further investigated since our results showed that ALTINC is less effective when used in combination with atorvastatin.
authors.forename: Milkica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crevar-Sakac
authors.forename: Zorica
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vujić
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kotur-Stevuljević
authors.forename: Jasmina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ivanisević
authors.forename: Zorana
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jelić-Ivanović
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milenković
authors.forename: Milica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Markelić
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vujcić
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D000069059:Atorvastatin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D031943:Cynara scolymus; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D004357:Drug Synergism; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves; D051381:Rats; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000069059:Atorvastatin