Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of Liuhuang mixture-a traditional Chinese medicine on the levels of oxidative stress in insulin resistant(IR)rats.Methods Healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups:normal group, model group, Liuhuang mixture group, rosiglitazon group according to body weight(8 rats in each group).Insulin-resistance(IR)rat model was established with dexamethasone and the IR rats were interfered with rosiglitazon and Liuhuang mixture.Superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in serum and liver of the rats were determined with chemical colorimetry 14 days after the intervention.Results Compared with the model group, the levels of MDA in serum(6.92±1.65 nmol/mL)and liver(12.15±1.43 nmol/mg)decreased and the activity of SOD in serum(180.55±20.28 U/mL)and liver(215.55±22.28 U/mg)increased after the treatment of Liuhuang mixture.Conclusion The improvement of IR by Liuhuang mixture may be induced by the effect on inhibiting the oxidative stress pathway.