OBJECTIVE:To investigate the efficacy of Cigu Xiaozhi pill(慈菇消脂丸,CGXZ)on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH)-associated lipoapoptosis through the stress-activated c-Jun N-terminal ki-nase(JNK)/stress-activated protein kinase signal-ling pathway.METHODS:Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups(10 rats each):blank control,model,low-dose CGXZ,medium-dose CGXZ,high-dose CGXZ,and positive control(treated with SP600125,a JNK inhibitor).The NASH model was established and the histomor-phological characteristics of haematoxylin and eo-sin-stained liver tissues were examined under a light microscope.Cell apoptosis in liver tissues was assessed via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labelling assay.In addition,the mRNA and protein expression levels of p-JNK,p-c-Jun,caspase-8,Fas,and Fas-L were determined via fluorescence-based quantitative real-time PCR,immunohistochemical and Western blot assays.RESULTS:Histopathological examination of the liv-er showed that the model rats had moderate-to-se-vere steatosis with infiltration of inflammatory cells as well as significantly higher expression levels of the p-JNK,p-c-Jun,caspase-8,Fas,and Fas-L pro-teins,compared with those in the blank control group(P＜0.01).Hepatic lobules of the rats in the treatment groups showed significantly reduced vacuolar degeneration and steatosis as well as alle-viated inflammatory cell infiltration.The high and medium-dose CGXZ groups exhibited significantly lower mRNA and protein expression levels of p-JNK,p-c-Jun,caspase-8,Fas,and Fas-L,compared with those in the model group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:CGXZ pill inhibited the onset of he-patocyte apoptosis by regulating the expression of p-JNK,p-c-Jun,caspase-8,Fas,and Fas-L,thereby exerting therapeutic effects against NASH.