This study was to investigate the inhibitive effect of resveratrol (RESV) on nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) expression and activity induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rat peritoneal macrophages (PMA). Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 7 groups, including control group, LPS group and RESV I-V group. In the LPS group, PMA were incubated in DMEM containing LPS (10 microg/ml), whereas in control group, PMA were incubated in DMEM only. In the RESV I-V groups, PMA were incubated in DMEM containing LPS (10 microg/ml) and different concentrations of RESV. After 24 hours of incubation, NF-kappaB activity in PMA, and the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and nitric oxide (NO) in the culture medium were measured. In the concentrations of 1.25-5 microg/ml, RESV had a dose- dependent inhibitive effect on NF-kappaB activity in PMA as well as the expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-1 and NO in the culture medium contrasted with the LPS group. There was no significant difference in the levels of these pro-inflammatory factors between the groups of 5 microg/ml and 10 microg/ml RESV. In conclusion, RESV has the potential for the future application of preventing inflammatory diseases involving PMA.