Abstract
Statins are well known to have muscle toxicity problem. Herba Cistanches (HC) is a Chinese herb traditionally used for pain in the loins and knees. Our previous in vitro study suggested that it could protect against statin-induced muscle toxicity. However, its in vivo protective effect has never been investigated. The objective of this study was to determine if the aqueous extract of HC (HCE) could prevent simvastatin-induced muscle toxicity in rats, and whether HCE could also exert beneficial effects on reducing high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and elevated liver cholesterol, thereby reducing the dose of simvastatin when used in combined therapy. From our results, HCE significantly restored simvastatin-induced reduction in muscle weights and reduced elevated plasma creatine kinase in rats. HCE also improved simvastatin-induced reduction in muscle glutathione levels, muscle mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduced simvastatin-induced muscle inflammation. Furthermore, HCE could exert reduction on liver weight, total liver lipid levels and plasma lipid levels in high-fat-fed mice. In conclusion, our study provided in vivo evidence that HCE has potential protective effect on simvastatin-induced toxicity in muscles, and also beneficial effects on diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver and hyperlipidemia when being used alone or in combination with simvastatin at a reduced dose.