Aim To explore the effect of propolis on reverse cholesterol transport in mice in vivo. Methods Fourteen C57BL/6 male mice were divided into 2 groups,which were treated with either vehicle or propolis.After 4 weeks,Mice were bled from the retro-orbital plexus and plasmas lipid profiles were determined by enzymatic method.Then mice were injected intraperitoneally with 3H-cholesterol–labeled and cholesterol-loaded macrophages(6×106 cells containing 5.9×105 cpm in 0.5 mL medium) and monitored for the appearance of 3H-tracer in plasma,liver,feces and adrenal. Results In contrast to the control,the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDLC) and total cholesterol(TC)in plasmas of the propolis group were increased by 39% and 29%,while the levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDLC) and triglyceride(TG) had no significant changes.After intraperitoneally injected,the appearance of 3H-tracer in plasma of propolis group was rapid,with a 2.9-fold increase at 6 hours and a 1.7-fold increase at 24 hours compared with the control group.The appearance of 3H-tracer in the liver and feces were decreased by 39% and 60%,respectively.The appearance of 3H-tracer in the two adrenals was increased apparently by 84%. Conclusion Propolis can promote cholesterol efflux from the peripheric macrophages and utilization in the adrenals in mice in vivo.