Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of morroniside on lipid peroxidation of cortex in rats with focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. Methods The animal model was induced by occlusion of middle cerebral artery with suture embolus, ischemia for 30 min, and reperfusion for 72 h in rats. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was detected with spectrophotometry. Results Compared with sham group, the content of MDA increased obviously in model rat. Compared with model group, Morroniside（30 mg/kg，90 mg/kg，270 mg/kg）and vitamin E（35 mg/kg） decreased the content of MDA significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion Morroniside may protect the cortex from lipid peroxidation.

Key words: Morroniside, ischemia/reperfusion, malondialdehyde (MDA), lipid peroxidation