Regulatory effect of atorvastatin combined with berberine on PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 signaling pathway in rats with hyperlipidaemia

Atorvastatin Calcium (AC) is the first line lipid-lowering drug in clinical. Nowadays, the combination of AC and BBR is often used to treat hyperlipidaemia in clinical. In order to determine the mechanism, we investigate the regulatory of atorvastatin combined with berberine on PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 signalling pathway in rats with hyperlipidaemia.The hyperlipidaemia rat model was constructed. Meanwhile, lipid-lowering and liver protective effects were determined by oil red O and H&E method. The expression of PI3K, Akt and FoxO1 was examined by IHC, WB and RT-pCR. The level of CK and LDH in serum was examined by ELISA.The results showed that the expression of PI3K, AKT increased and FoxO1 decreased in MC group compared with NC group (<i>p</i> < 0.01). The expression of PI3K, AKT decreased and FoxO1 increased compared with MC group (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The expression of FoxO1 in combination group is lower than AC group. The levels of CK and LDH in AC group increased compared with NC group (<i>p</i> < 0.01), but decreased significantly in AC+BBR group compared with AC group (<i>p</i> < 0.01).The combination of AC and BBR could regulate the lipid level by mediating PI3K/Akt/FoxO1, which is providing new references for the treatment of hyperlipidaemia.