Abstract. Intake of a high dosage of baicalin has previously been shown to attenuate hyperlipidemia induced by a high-fat diet. Baicalin functions as an activator of peroxisome prolifer-

Intake of a high dosage of baicalin has previously been shown to attenuate hyperlipidemia induced by a high-fat diet. Baicalin functions as an activator of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), which is the key regulator of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that baicalin could promote cholesterol efflux in macrophages through activating PPAR‐γ. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-stimulated THP-1 cells were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein and (3H)-cholesterol for 24 h, and the effects of baicalin on cholesterol efflux were evaluated in the presence of apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1), or high-density lipoprotein subfraction 2 (HDL2) or subfraction 3 (HDL3). The expression levels of scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI), PPAR-γ and liver X receptor-α (LXRα) were detected and specific inhibitors or activators of SR‐BI, PPAR‐γ and LXRα were applied to investigate the mechanism. Treatment of THP‐1 macrophages with baicalin significantly accelerated HDL-mediated, but not ApoA-1-mediated cholesterol efflux. However, baicalin treatment increased the expression of SR-BI at the mRNA and protein levels in a doseand time-dependent manner, and pre-treatment with the SR-BI inhibitor BLT-1 and SR-BI small interfering RNA significantly inhibited baicalin-induced cholesterol efflux. Furthermore, baicalin increased the expression of PPAR-γ and LXRα, and the application of specific agonists and inhibitors of PPAR-γ and LXRα changed the expression of SR-BI, as well as cholesterol efflux. It may be concluded that baicalin induced cholesterol efflux from THP‐1 macrophages via the PPAR-γ/LXRα/SR-BI pathway.