Abstract： Objective The study is to investigate the effect of tanshinone on lung reperfusion injury. Methods 24 New-Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. In one group, the lungs were perfused and preserved with LPD solution, the other with LPD+ tanshinone solution. The isolated lungs were preserved for 18 hours and then reperfused with rewarming whole blood. After reperfusing 30 minutes the lung samples were examined by pathology, wet/dry weight and measure of NO, SOD and MDA. Results In two groups, the reperfusion injury lungs were fresh, but had partial congestion, edema and ecchymoma under naked eye, under light microscopy the structures of the pulmonary vesiculars, branchia and capillaries were complete, but the epithelial cells of the vesicles and capillaries in the LPD group were more swelling and hypertrophy than that in LPD+ tanshinone group. The wet/dry weight ratio was significantly lower in LPD+ tanshinone group than in the LPD group. NO [(2.16±2.15)μmol/g] and SOD [(37.03±18.01NU/mg] were higher in the LPD+ tanshinone group than in the LPD group [(0.68±0.33) μmol/g, (17.63±11.04)NU/mg] (all P<0.05), MDA was lower in the LPD+ tanshinone group [(0.47±0.20)μmol/mg] than in the LPD group [(0.86±0.44)μmol/mg] (P<0.05). Conclusions Tanshinone can dean oxygen free radical and is of stronger antioxidation, results in alleriating of lung reperfusing injury. Tanshinone has positive effect on preservative quality of the reperfusion injury lung.