BACKGROUND The effect of lipid-regulating therapy has been affirmed definitely in the first and second grade prevention of coronary arteriosclerotic cardiopathy, and Ginkgo biloba extract has a certain effect to lower blood lipid.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of new Ginkgo biloba extract recipe (NGBR) on the blood-lipid level and the degree of hepa tic fatty degeneration in experimental hyperlipidemic rats. DESIGN:A randomized and controlled trial.SETTING: Department of Cardiology , Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University; Suzhou Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Soochow University,MATERIALS: A total of 60 SD rats of clean grade, after one week adaptive feeding, were randomly divided into six groups: normal control group, hyperlipidemic model group, NGBR 20 mg/(kg·d), 40 mg/(kg·d)and 80 mg/(kg·d) groups, as well as lipanthyl 25 mg/(kg·d)group, with 10 in each group. 10METHODS: The rats in lipanthyl 25 mg/(kg·d), NGBR 20 mg/(kg·d), 40 mg/(kg·d) and 80 mg/(kg·d) groups were by gavage administrated 10 mL/kg, at 9:00-10:00 every morning; while the rats in normal control group and hyperlipidemic model group were given distilled water of the same volume. Except for the rats in normal control group, the rats in other five groups were by gavage given fatty emulsion 10 mL/kg, at 1:00-2:00every afternoon for 28 days consecutively. On the 29th day, all the rats were tested on serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein AI (apoAI) and apolipoprotein B (apoB); at the same time the lives of the rats were taken out for pathological.examination of the degree of hepatic fatty degeneration. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The blood-lipid changes and the degree of hepatic fatty degeneration of rats in each group RESULTS:Totally 60 rats involved all entered the final result analysis. ① Comparison of blood-lipid changes of rats in each group: The levels of TC and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in hyperlipidemic model group were obviously increased, HDL-C level was decreased, as compared with those in normal control group there was a significant difference (P < 0.01); but the TG level was only slightly increased (P > 0.05). In the three NGBR groups the levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were obviously decreased(P < 0.05 or 0.01 ), and the levels of HDL-C, apoAI and apoB were increased to a certain grade, with in the NGBR 80 mg/(kg·d)group the difference being obvious(P < 0.05). ② Comparison of the degree of hepatic fatty degeneration of rats in each group: In pathological examination, the liver of rats in hyperlipidemic model group presented diffuse fat vacuoles; in NGBR 40 and 80 mg/(kg·d)groups, the degeneration levels reduced to a given degree, especially obvious in NGBR 80 mg/(kg· d)group. CONCLUSION:NGBR can effectively correct the lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemia, with a good preventive role to hyperlipidemia induced by feeding fatty emulsion.