Objective To explore the possible mechanism of Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction（ 香砂六君子汤） in treating spleen deficiency and hyperlipidemia. Methods A total of 40 SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control group

a high fat group

a spleen deficiency and high fat group

a Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction normal dose group and Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction high dose group

with 8 rats in each group. The spleen deficiency and high fat group

the Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction normal dose group and the Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction high dose group established a spleen deficiency model by combination of excessive diet and exhaustive swimming for 15 days. Except for the normal group

the rats were fed with high-fat diet for 14 weeks to establish hyperlipidemia model. Beginning at the10 th week

the Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction normal dose group and high dose group were respectively given 5. 67

11. 34 g/（ kg·d） of Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction. The normal control group

the high fat group and the spleen deficiency and high fat group were given a corresponding volume of normal saline by gavage. After 4 weeks

serum total cholesterol（ TC）

triglyceride（ TG）

low-density lipoprotein cholesterol（ LDL-C）

high-density lipoprotein cholesterol（ HDL-C）

and phospholipid transfer protein（ PLTP）

lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase（ LCAT）

cholesterol ester transfer protein（ CETP） content

rat D-xylose excretion rate

liver PLTP

LCAT

CETP mRNA expression were measured in each group. HE staining was used to observe liver cell morphology changes. Results Compared with the normal control group

the levels of serum TC

TG

LDL-C

PLTP

CETP

PLTP and CETP mRNA were increased

and the levels of HDL-C

LCAT and LCAT mRNA were decreased in the high-fat group and the spleen deficiency and high fat group（ P < 0. 05 or P < 0. 01）. HE staining showed that the liver cells were obviously swollen and the fat vacuoles were clearly visible. The urinary D-xylose excretion rate in the spleen deficiency and high fat group was lower than that in the normal control group（ P < 0. 05）. Compared with the high fat group

the serum levels of PLTP and CETP increased and the LCAT content decreased in the spleen deficiency and high fat group（ P < 0. 05 or P < 0. 01）. Compared with the spleen deficiency and high fat group

except for the D-xylose excretion rate of the Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction normal dose group and the high dose group

all the above indexes were significantly improved（ P < 0. 05）. Liver cell swelling was significantly alleviated

and fat vacuoles were reduced. There were no significant differences in the indexes between the Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction normal dose group and the high dose group（ P >0. 05）. Conclusion Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction can alleviate the swelling and vacuolization of liver cells in spleen deficiency and hyperlipidemia. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of cholesterol reverse transport.