Synergistic Cardioprotective Effects of Combined Chromium Picolinate and Atorvastatin Treatment in Triton X-100-Induced Hyperlipidemia in Rats: Impact on Some Biochemical Markers.

Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factors for atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease. Chromium (Cr) mineral is playing a crucial role in glucose and lipid homeostasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of combined chromium picolinate (CrPic) and atorvastatin treatment against hyperlipidemia-induced cardiac injury. Seventy-five male albino rats were divided into five groups (15 rats each). Hyperlipidemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of Triton X-100 (300 mg/kg body weight (b.w) (group ІІ). Treatment of hyperlipidemic rats was induced by daily administration of CrPic at a dose of 200 μg/kg b.w/day (group ІІІ), atorvastatin at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day (group IV), and combined treatment with both (group V) by gavage for 7 days. At the end of experiment, serum and heart tissues were obtained. Hyperlipidemia was confirmed by histopathology of heart tissues, marked serum dyslipidemia, increased atherogenic indices, and values of ischemia-modified albumin. In addition to increased values of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase enzyme and high relative expression levels of pentraxin-3 were observed. However, paraoxonase-1 activity was markedly decreased in the hyperlipidemic group. Significant improvement in all assessed parameters was observed in the rat group treated with both CrPic and atorvastatin. It can be concluded that combined CrPic and atorvastatin treatments had synergistic cardioprotective effects against hyperlipidemia which may be through modulating atherosclerosis as well as cardiac and aortic damage and/or activation of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant pathways, thus reversing endothelial dysfunction.