Pre-treatment with simvastatin prevents the induction of diet-induced atherosclerosis in a rabbit model

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential antiatherosclerotic activities of simvastatin in rabbits. Twenty-two, male, New Zealand rabbits were divided into the following groups: Control group (group C); cholesterol group (group A), in which the rabbits were fed a commercial rabbit chow supplemented with 0.5% w/w cholesterol for 8 weeks and then fed with normal chow for an additional 8 weeks; and a treatment group (group B), in which the rabbits initially received standard commercial rabbit chow along with being administered simvastatin for 8 weeks, following which they consumed a high-cholesterol diet for a further 8 weeks. The rabbits pre-treated with simvastatin presented significantly lower serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels when compared with the non simvastatin-treated cholesterol-fed animals. Furthermore, none of the rabbits in the simvastatin group presented with atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta. Thus, simvastatin was demonstrated to exhibit preventive properties against the formation of atherosclerosis in the atherosclerosis model in the current study, predominantly via its hypolipidemic activity.