Abstract: Objective To study the effect of berberine on the lipid metabolism and the expression of ox-LDL,CD36 and PPARγ in the peritoneal macrophage(PM) and alveolar macrophage(AM) from the type 2 diabetic rats. Methods Sprague-Dauley rats were randomly divided into groups of normal control,high-fat diet,type 2 diabetes and berberine treatment.The levels of blood glucose,insulin and lipid were measured biochemically,the content of ox-LDL in macrophage and the protein expression of CD36 and PPARγ in macrophage were assayed by ELISA,the mRNA expression of CD36 and PPARγ in macrophage was disclosed by RT-PCR. Results Compared with the control group, the levels of glucose,insulin and total cholesterol (TC),triglycerides(TG),low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in blood were increased significantly(P<0.01),and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C)was decreased(P<0.01) in type 2 diabetic group.The berberine treatment decreased blood glucose,insulin, LDL-C(P<0.05) and TC, TG(P<0.01),but increased the HDL-C level(P>0.05). The content of ox-LDL,the protein and mRNA expressions of CD36 and PPARγ in PM and AM increased in type 2 diabetic group(P<0.01),while the levels of ox-LDL,the expressions of protein and mRNA of CD36 and PPARγ in PM and AM decreased in berberine treatment group(P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusions Berberine may prevent the development of diabetic complication by correcting insulin resistance and ameliorating the disturbance of lipid metabolism.The decreasing of ox-LDL and the inhibiting of the expression of CD36 and PPARγ in macrophages may contribute to the prevention