Effects of Anxin Granules on blood lipid and ultrastructure of aorta in rabbits with dyslipidemia

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Anxin Granules on dyslipidemia in rabbits caused by high fat plus high cholesterol diet. METHODS: Thirty-two healthy New Zealand male white rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control group, untreated group, Zhibituo Tablet-treated group and Anxin Granule-treated group. Rabbits in the normal control group were fed with regular chow, while rabbits in the other three groups were fed with high fat plus high cholesterol diet. Zhibituo Tablets and Anxin Granules were administered to the rabbits in Zhibituo Tablet-treated group and Anxin Granule-treated group at a daily oral dose respectively. At the end of the 10th week, the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A(1) (ApoA1) and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) were tested in each group, and the ultrastructures of the aorta were also observed by an electron microscope. RESULTS: Anxin Granules could reduce the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C and ApoB. The results observed by electron microscope showed that, as compared with the untreated group and the Zhibituo Tablet-treated group, the atherosclerosis of aorta in the Anxin Granule-treated group was lighter. And it was found that there were few lipid droplet vacuoles in cytoplasm of the endothelial cells, and various cell organs and elastic membrane were existed, but no lipid droplet vacuoles in cytoplasm of the medial smooth muscle cells. CONCLUSION: Anxin Granules can regulate the metabolism of blood lipid and inhibit the formation of atherosclerosis caused by hyperlipidemia in rabbits.