FUNDAMENTO: O suco de laranja (Citrus sinensis) é rico em vitami-na C, folatos e seu principal flavonóide, a hesperidina, cuja conformação es-pacial é semelhante à genisteína de soja que tem ação favorável sobre o aparelho cardiovascular. A vitamina C é conhecida como potente inibidor da peroxidação lipídica. Mas sua capacidade por possuir efeitos terapêuticos no tratamento da aterosclerose é pouco estudada. OBJETIVO: O presente tra-balho visa a determinar se o suco de laranja pode ter efeito aditivo no trata-mento com estatinas e fibratos, reduzindo placas ateroscleróticas e a quanti-dade de LDL Oxidado (LDL ox). MÉTODOS: Análise do efeito do suco nas dimensões de cortes histológicos e na quantidade de anticorpos anti LDL oxidado (antiLDLox) em lesões ateroscleróticas na aorta de coelhos. RE-SULTADOS: O suco de laranja potencializou a redução de área de placas ateroscleróticas e a quantidade de LDL(ox) em relação às reduções obtidas com rosuvastatina e gemfibrozil. CONCLUSÕES: O suco de laranja tem efei-to sinérgico ao tratamento convencional da aterosclerose de coelhos

Statins and fibrates have been used as anti-atherosclerotic drugs. However, a high number of treated patients still present acute events and death by atherosclerotic complications. Flavonoid ingestion has been associ-ated with lower risk of death, lower incidence of coronary artery disease and more preserved endothelial function in atherosclerotic patients. Orange juice is rich in C vitamine, a well known potent inhibitor of lipidic peroxidation, and in flavonoids, mainly the hesperidine that seems the soy bean genisteine, which is associated with decrease LDL and increase HDL. Objective: In this work we studied if orange juice has addictive effect to statin and gemfibrozil in the treatment of rabbit atherosclerosis, reducing plaque area and oxidate LDL (LDLox). Methods: Five group of atherosclerotic rabbits, fed with 1% cholesterol enriched diet during 12 weeks, were analyzed: GI - received no treatment, GII Gemfibrozil 600mg/day, GIII treated with Gemfibrozil 600mg/day + orange juice, GIV - rosuvastatin/10mg / day and GV - rosu-vastatin/10mg / day + orange juice. The most severe atherosclerotic cross section in ascendant aorta was analyzed in H&E and anti-oxidated LDL (oxLDL) immunostained slides, obtaining intimal area, total vessel area, % luminal obstruction and % oxLDL area in intima. Results: The means (stan-dard deviations) of plaque area and % plaque area of oxLDL in GI were 1.05 (0.91) and 0.12 (0.13), with no significant difference with GII animals, respec- tively 3.85 (5.27) and 0.18 (0.22), but significantly reduced in GIII, 0.64 (1.56) and 0.03 (0.05). Similar data were seen in GIV, 2.11 (2.77) and 0.19 (0.25), compared with GV, 0.04 (0.09) and 0.00 (0.00). Conclusion: This work de-monstrates that orange juice has a potential synergistic action with statin and fibrates in reducing atherosclerosis and the mechanism seems to involve in-hibition of oxLDL concentration and migration of smooth muscle cells in the subendothelial space