OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevention and cure action of the traditional Chinese medicine gegenqinlianjiaweitang(葛根芩连加味汤)to diabetic rat retinopathy.METHODS Thirty adult male rats were divided into three groups,10 rqts each.Diabetes were induced in rats of groups 2 and 3,respectively by abdominal cavity injection of streptozocia(60mg/kg).The group 2 rats were treated with the traditional Chinese medicine gegenqinlianjiaweitang every day.Rats were observed for 16 weeks including blood glucose and eye manifestation.At the end of 16 week ferrohemoglobin were measureed.Then killed rats.Six randomly selected rats in each group were enucleated one eye for retinal preparation.The retinal vessels and numbers of pericytes and endothelial cells were evaluated via light microscope and electron microscope in two eyes of each groups.RESULTS All diabetic rats demonstrated hyperglycemia and high ferrohemoglobin.But the ferrohemoglobin of untreated rats are higher than the treated group(P<0.01).The endothelial/pericyte ratio in diabetic rat was higher than that in nondiabetic rats.The alter of untreated diabetic rat were significant higher than that in treated diabetic rats(P<0.01).In addition,the untreated diabetic rat group illustrated thickening retina blood vessel basement membrane and segment of blood vessel occluded.CONCLUSIONS The gegenqinlianjiaweitang can ameliorate early retinopathy of diabetic rat.The action of the medicine maybe relate to anti-advanced glycation end products and anti-aldose reductase.