OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of tonifying Shen recipe (TSR) on levels of advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs) in aorta, serum lipids and lipid peroxidation in ovariectomized rats.

METHODSRats were randomly divided into the sham group, the ovariectomized group and the TSR group, in which the rats were treated with TSR for 13 weeks starting from 2 weeks after ovariectomy. Blood sample was taken out from rat at the end of the experiment after 24 hrs fasting for determination of lipids and lipid peroxidation, and the animal was sacrificed, the aorta was taken out for detecting AGEs.

RESULTSNo significant difference was found between groups in levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol. In comparing with the sham group, levels of aortic AGEs, serum triglyceride (TG), oxidized low density lipoprotein (OX-LDL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the ovariectomized group were obviously higher (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apo-lipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) were lower (all P < 0.01). While in the TSR group, as compared with the ovariectomized group, the above-mentioned abnormal changes, excepting for TG, were all reversed to certain degree (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONTSR displays its cardiovascular protecting effect in ovariectomized rats through lowering the AGEs content in aorta, reducing the serum levels of OX-LDL and MDA, raising the levels of serum HDL-C and apoA-I and increasing SOD activity.