Aim Aim To study effect of Tongmai recipe on epidermal growth factor receptor and protooncogene c-myc mRNA expression in aorta of atherosclerotic rabbit.Methods Forty rabbits were randomly divided into four groups:①Control group:10 rabbits were fed with common food twice daily;②Model group:10 rabbits were fed with high cholesterol diet supplemented by cholesterol 0.5 g/(kg·d),yolk 2 g/(kg·d) and lard 2 g/(kg·d);③Low dosage Tongmai recipe administration group(LT group):10 rabbits were fed with high cholesterol diet as well as in model group,simultaneously administrated with Tongmai recipe at a dosage of 7.3 g/(kg·d),④High dosage Tongmai recipe administration group(HT group):10 rabbits were fed with high cholesterol diet as well as in model group,simultaneously administrated with Tongmai recipe at a dosage of 21.9 g/(kg·d).After 16 weeks,epidermal growth factor receptor were assessed by immunohistochemistric assays.c-myc mRNA in aorta were quantified with semiquantitative RT-PCR methodology.Results we found that in model group,accumulation of epidermal growth factor receptors and mRNA expression of protooncogene c-myc in aorta significantly increased as compared to those in control group(0.327±0.030 vs 0.209±0.006,p<0.01;0.52±0.11 vs 0.34±0.07,p<0.01).In HT group,they significantly decreased as compared to those in model group(0.242±0.014 vs 0.327±0.030,p<0.01;0.41±0.07 vs 0.52±0.11,p<0.05).In LT group,there was no significant change as compared to those in model group(0.301±0.027 vs 0.327±0.030 p>0.05;0.44±0.09 vs 0.52±0.11 p>0.05).Conclusion ①Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor and c-myc which promoted proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells increased in atherosclerotic individuals.②Tongmai recipe may possesses the role of depression of proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells by depressing the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor and protooncogene c-myc.