Which medication might be prescribed to alleviate angina by improving blood flow?

Nitroglycerin is a medication specifically used to alleviate angina by improving blood flow to the heart muscle. It works as a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes and widens the blood vessels. This dilation reduces the heart's workload and increases the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart, which is crucial during episodes of angina, where the heart is not receiving enough oxygen due to narrowed coronary arteries. By relieving the constriction of blood vessels, nitroglycerin helps to decrease the frequency and intensity of angina attacks, making it a common first-line treatment for this condition.

Other medications listed serve different purposes; statins are primarily used to manage cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, while atenolol, a beta-blocker, works to decrease heart rate and blood pressure but does not directly improve blood flow as nitroglycerin does. Metformin is an antidiabetic medication, irrelevant to the treatment of angina. Therefore, nitroglycerin stands out as the choice that directly targets the alleviation of angina through enhanced blood flow.