Abstract: Objective　To explore the protective effects of andrographolide on cardiopulmonary function and inflammation damage in sepsis rats induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Methods　A total of 75 SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group (group A), the lipopolysaccharide model group (group B), the CLP group (group C), the CLP + low-dose andrographolide group (group D) and the CLP + high-dose andrographolide group (group E), 15 rats in each group. Rats in the group A only underwent laparotomy, cecum separation and abdominal closure surgery. In the group B, sepsis model was established by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide. The group C, group D and group E were induced sepsis by CLP. Rats in the group D and group E were given intraperitoneal injection of 10 and 20 mg/kg andrographolide after modeling, respectively. The heart rate (HR) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were compared between the five groups. The cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The scores of lung injury were compared between the five groups. The oxygen partial pressure p (O2) was detected by blood gas analyzer. The partial pressure of arterial blood oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen [PaO2/FiO2] was calculated. The left lung tissues were collected to calculate wet/dry weight ratio (W/D). The cardiopulmonary damage was observed by HE staining. The expression levels of cysteine proteinase-3 (Caspase-3), cysteine proteinase-9 (Caspase-9), Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax), B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and P65 in cardiopulmonary tissues were detected by Western blot assay. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) in peripheral blood were detected by ELISA. The level of neutrophils (NEU) was detected by full-automatic blood cell analyzer. Results　Compared with the group A, values of HR, LVEF, p(O2) and PaO2/FiO2 were significantly decreased in the group B and the group C (P＜0.05), while cTnl, CK-MB, lung injury score, W/D, expressions of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in cardiopulmonary tissues, Bax/Bcl-2, CINC-1, NEU, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and p-P65/P65 were significantly increased (P＜0.05). Compared with the group C, changes of the above indexes were on the contrary in the group D and the group E (P＜0.05). HE staining showed that rupture and dissolution of myocardial muscle fibers, dissolution and shrinkage of muscle corpuscle were significantly reduced. The neutrophil infiltration in lung interstitium, thickening of alveolar septum and cellular edema were significantly improved in the group D and the group E. Conclusion　Andrographolide can alleviate the inflammatory response in sepsis rats induced by CLP, improve cardiopulmonary function, inhibit expressions of apoptotic proteins and protect cardiopulmonary tissues.