Objective: To study total flavonoids from Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma(FN) in reducing blood lipid and its mechanism. Method: Hyperlipidemia animal model was set up in Wistar rats

and randomly divided into normal control group

hyperlipidemia model group

FN high

medium and low dose groups (200

100

50 mg·g-1)

and Simvastatin butyl group (8 mg·kg-1). They were orally given drugs for six weeks. Biochemical method was used to detect totalcholesterol (TC)

triglyceride (TG)

low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-densty lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) content in rat blood and liver tissues. The steatosis model was established by exposing L-02 hepatocytes in fat emulsion

randomly divided into normal control group

model group

FN low

medium and high dose groups (100

300

500 μmol·L-1)

and Simvastatin butyl group (100 μmol·L-1)

and cultured for 24 h. The effects of FN on the contents and activities of key enzymes and proteins in the synthesis and decomposition pathways of TG and TC were investigated by biochemical method; ELISA was used to detect diacylgcerol acyltransferase(DGAT)

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme(HMG-CoA)

cholesterol 7a-hydroxylase(CYP7A) and lipase liver triglycerides(HTGL) contents. Result: In the rat experiment

compared with the normal group

the model group showed a higher blood lipid(P<0.01); compared with the hyperlipidemia model group

FN middle dose and high dose (300

500 μmol·L-1) groups inhibited rat liver weight (P<0.05)

reduced TC

TG

LDL-C content in serum (P<0.05

P<0.01)

increased HDL-C content (P<0.05

P<0.01)

and inhibited concentrations of TC and TG in liver (P<0.05). In the cell experiment

FN middle dose and high dose groups can significantly reduced the levels of TC

TG (P<0.05

P<0.01) and DGAT

HMG-CoA activity (P<0.01)

and increased CYP7A

HTGL activity (P<0.05

P<0.01). Conclusion: FN can reduce blood lipid

which may be correlated with decrease in DGAT

HMG-CoA activity and increase in CYP7A

HTGL activity.