Effects of Fenugreek and Atorvastatin on Atherosclerotic Biomarkers in Rats Fed a Modified High-Ghee Diet

Abstract

Background: Diets rich in saturated fats, including ghee, may promote dyslipidemia, atherogenesis, and cardiovascular injury. This study evaluated the effects of fenugreek, atorvastatin (ATO), and their combination on lipid, inflammatory, oxidative stress, cardiac, and histopathological markers in rats fed a modified high-ghee diet (HGD).
Methods: In this experimental study, 35 adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 7): a normal-diet control group, an untreated HGD group, an HGD plus fenugreek seed powder group (500 mg/kg/day), an HGD plus ATO (30 mg/kg/day) group, and an HGD plus combined fenugreek and ATO group. The HGD was administered for 12 weeks, and treatments were given orally from weeks 9 to 12 while HGD feeding continued. At week 12, body weight, relative heart weight, serum lipid profile, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), cardiac malondial¬dehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), and cardiac histopathol¬ogy were assessed. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey’s post hoc test.
Results: Compared with the normal-diet control, HGD feeding significantly increased mean body weight, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), AIP, CK-MB, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, and cardiac MDA, and significantly decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and cardiac GSH. However, relative heart weight was not significantly changed. Compared with untreated HGD-fed rats, fenugreek significantly reduced the mean levels of body weight, TG, LDL-C, AIP, CK-MB, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, and cardiac MDA and increased HDL-C and cardiac GSH, but did not significantly change the mean level of TC. ATO significantly reduced mean body weight and cardiac MDA. Combined fenugreek and ATO treatment significantly improved TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, AIP, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, and cardiac MDA. Fenugreek and ATO improved HGD-associated histopathological alterations.
Conclusion: An HGD induces dyslipidemia, inflammation, oxidative stress, and early cardiac alterations. Fenugreek improves lipid, inflammatory, antioxidant, and histopathological outcomes, while combination therapy with ATO provides broader car-diometabolic benefits. Fenugreek may therefore serve as a promising adjunct to conventional lipid-lowering ther¬apy, although further standardized and long-term studies are required.