Studying the effects of atorvastatin on alendronate-induced gastric ulcer in experimental rats

Alendronate in one of the most frequently used Bisphosphonates for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. its clinical uses are limited by its side effects including gastric ulcer which is considered to be triggered by oxidative stress and inflammation. Atorvastatin, which inhibits cholesterol synthesis and is used to prevent adverse cardiovascular events, is a drug that has previously shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the protective effects of atorvastatin on gastric ulcer induced by alendronate in rats. 28 Albino Wistar rats were divided into four groups: 6 rats in the negative control group (NC) that was given saline 10 ml/kg/day, 8 rats in the alendronate group (ALD) given alendronate at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day, 8 rats in the alendronate+atorvastatin group (ALD+ATO) given atorvastatin at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day simultaneously with the two previous groups and alendronate at a dose of 20 mg/kg/day one hour after the administration of atorvastatin, 6 rats in the atorvastatin alone group (ATO) given atorvastatin at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day. All materials were orally given for seven days. The rats were sacrificed, and then the following parameters were studied: weight difference between the final and the first day, oxidative stress (malondialdehyde levels), macroscopic and histopathological examinations. The results showed that the administration of Atorvastatin before Alendronate inducing ulcer led to protection from ulcer macroscopically and microscopically, while there was no significant effect on the oxidative stress resulting from alendronate administration, which may be one of the protective factors, but not the main one. الكلمات المفتاح Key words: