The effect of combination therapy of allicin and fenofibrate on high fat diet-induced vascular endothelium dysfunction and liver damage in rats

The healthy male Wistar rats fed high fat diet were treated with fenofibrate (80 mg/kg per day) alone, allicin (60 mg/kg per day) alone and a lower dasage of combined therapy (allicin 20 mg/kg per day and fenofibrate 30 mg/kg per day) respectively for 8 weeks. The serum levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, nitrogen oxidative, alanine transferase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST) were determined. Acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation (EDVR) of aorta rings was tested, and the morphologic changes of liver tissue were observed.Compared with high fat diet control, fenofibrate alone or the combined therapy increased remarkably the levels of high density lipoprotein respectively (P < 0.05). Both single and combined therapy of fenofibrate and allicin significantly enhanced the levels of NO (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), but the combined therapy had greatest high EDVR responses (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the reduced levels of ALT and AST were significantly obvious in the combined therapy groups (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). In addition, the lower dosage of combined therapy significantly ameliorated severe fatty degeneration of liver cells occurred in the high fat diet fed rat although the single fenofibrate treatment showed spotty necrosis of liver cells and bile duct expansion.Combination therapy with allicin and fenofibrate can effectively enhance the protective effects on endothelial function and reduce the hepatic damage in rats with hyperlipidemia.Dyslipidemia and subsequent atherosclerosis are recognized as the most dangerous inducers of ischemic cardiovascular disease (ICD) at present. Numerous research results demonstrated that the damage of vascular endothelial function (DVEF) as the early detectable alteration of ICD occurred before the appearance of typical evidences of ICD [1]. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of DVEF have a significant implication for the hyperlipidemic patients. Several researches indicated that fenofibrate as an important