Objective: To study the mechanism of Jiawei Wendan decoction fighting the nutritional obesity of rats by the contents of serum levels of total superoxides

such as dismutase (T-SOD)

nitric oxide(NO)

malondialdehyde(MDA)

and the aspect of the pathological changes of liver and adipose tissue. Method: Adopting the double feeding method of high fat emulsion and general feed to copy the model of rats with nutritional obesity. Thirty male SD rats of ablactation were equally divided into the blank control group

model control group and the Jiawei Wendan decoction group. Animals in each group were fed with normal diet every day. Except the control group

animals in the other two groups were treated with intragastric administration of self-made high fat emulsion(20 mL·kg-1) every morning for 4 weeks. From the fifth week to the eighth week

Jiawei Wendan decoction 7.74 g·kg-1 was given every afternoon orally

and animals in the control group and model control group were given with the same volume of water. After the last administration

there was a fasting of 12 h

but water was available. The serum level of T-SOD

NO

MDA were tested; separating liver and adipose tissue

hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining

and the structure and pathological change of liver

adipose cells were observed under optical microscope. Result: The serum NO content in the experimental scattered Jiawei Wendan decoction group was significantly lower than those in the model group (P<0.01); the rats' liver cell boundaries are clear and neat;with scattered fatty degeneration of liver cells; the number of fat cells increased and the volume of these cells decreased. Conclusion: The mechanism of Jiawei Wendan decoction for anti-nutritional obesity in rat may be related to the decrease in the level of serum NO

fighting against the fatty degeneration of liver cells

and reducing the volume of fat cell.