ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of different levels of resveratrol on oxidative stress injury in central nervous system of rats with obstructive jaundice and its protective effect and mechanism of oxidative stress injury. MethodsThirty two female SD rats of 6 weeks old were used as experimental object. The animals were randomly divided into four groups, 8 rats in each group. Sham operation group (SO group), the common bile duct were seperated without ligation; while the models of obstructive jaundice of obstructive jaundice group (OJ group), obstructive jaundice+low dose resvera-trol (L-Res)treatment group (OJ+L-Res group), and obstructive jaundice+high dose resveratrol (H-Res) treatment group (OJ+H-Res group) were established by operation. After the operation, the rats in OJ+L-Res group and OJ+H-Res group were treated with different doses of resveratrol, the rats in SO group and OJ group were given the same dose of normal saline. On the 14th day after operation, blood were tested for total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), ALT, and AST. And cerebral cortex specimen were collected, then malondialdehyde (MDA), total superoxidedismutase (T-SOD) activity, and HO-1 protein expression in the rats brain of the four groups were measured. ResultsThe levels rise of TBIL and DBIL after modeling suggested that obstructive jaundice model were estabilshed successfully, but there was no significant difference among the OJ group, OJ+L-Res group, and OJ+H-Res group. In the OJ group, OJ+L-Res group, and OJ+H-Res group, the levels of ALT, AST, and MDA were increased while levels of T-SOD and HO-1 protein expression were decreased when compared with SO group(P < 0.05). Among the OJ group, OJ+L-Res group, and OJ+H-Res group, levels of ALT, AST and MDA were lower in the treatment groups than in the OJ group(P < 0.05), while levels of T-SOD and HO-1 protein expression which reflects the oxidative stress were higher in the treatment group(P < 0.05). Different doses of resveratrol had different effects on T-SOD and HO-1 protein expression with statisticl significance (P < 0.05). ConclusionsResveratrol have little effect on TBIL and DBIL of obstrctive jaundice rats, but it can protect the liver function, and it has antioxidant properties of decreasing MDA and incresing SOD and HO-1 protein expression levels in the cerebral cortex cells of obstructive jaundiced rats.