Abstract: The present paper aimed to investigate the effects of zanthonin on the function of lipid metabolism in vivo in an obesity model SD rat. A total of 48 SD male rats were divided by body weight into blank control group, model control group, zanthonin low / medium / high dose group 4, 8, 12 mg/(kg•d), fenofibrate positive control group 40 mg/(kg•d). After gavage for 6 weeks, the initial weight, end weight and feed intake of the rats were recorded and the feed efficiency of the experimental animals was calculated. After dissection, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) and liver indices, total fat, TC and TG were measured. The results show that zanthonin effectively reduced the feed efficiency in SD rats. Compared with high fat model group (MC), the contents of TC, TG and LDL-C in serum of SD rats in high dose group were significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the content of HDL-C significantly increased (P<0.05), and the degree of atherosclerosis significantly decreased (P<0.05). Compared with MC group, total fat, TC and TG in liver tissue of SD rats in high-dose group decreased by 29.66%, 16.74% and 43.78% (P<0.05). The experiments elucidated that zanthonin can effectively prevent obesity and reduce hepatic fat accumulation due to a high-fat meal in SD rats, providing a basis for further investigation of the mechanisms by which zanthonin exerts its effects on lipid metabolism.