Objective　 To investigate the role of calcitonin gene related peptide(CGRP) and endothelin-1(ET-1) in cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM). Methods　We measured the level of CGRP and ET-1 in the samples of rat heart collected from 15 liver cirrhosis rats and 15 controls by using radio immunoassay. Results　 The data showed that the levels of CGRP (74.2130±10.3776pg/mg protein)and ET-1 level(1.4780±0.9235pg/mg protein) were significantly higher in the cirrhotic rat hearts than those in controls (P<0.05). The increase of ET-1 in the cirrhotic rat hearts was closely associated with the severity of liver cirrhosis (P=0.004); whereas no significant association was seen between the CGRP concentration and the severity of liver cirrhosis (P=0.307). Conclusion　We infer that the increasing of CGRP level in the cirrhotic rat heart may be a protective or antagonistic reaction to ET-1 or other pathogenic factors for cardiac dysfunction. The disturbance of the balance between CGRP and ET-1 in the liver cirrhosis rat hearts may contribute to the pathologic process of CCM.