Objective: The present study was designed to determine if reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the paraventricularnucleus (PVN) were involved in modulating cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) in anesthetized rats. Methods: Malondialdehyde(MDA), the end product of lipid peroxidation, in the PVN, was determined by thiobarbituric acid (TBA) spectrometric method. Renalsympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and arterial pressure were recorded in sinoaortic-denervated and cervical-vagotomized rats. The CSARwas evaluated by the response of the RSNA evoked by epicardial application of bradykinin (BK, 0.4 μg). Results: The MDA in the PVNwas significantly increased after epicardial application of BK compared with control (2.0 + 0.3 vs 0.8 + 0.1 nmol/mg protein, P ＜ 0.01 ).Microinjectionof a superoxide anion scavenger, tiron (20 nmol) into the PVN significantly inhibited the CSAR evoked by BK (12.3 ± 1.9vs 4.2+ 1.2％, P ＜ 0.01) and decreased MDA level (1.9±0.3 vs 0.6+0.1 nmol/mg protein, P ＜0.01) compared with control.Conclusion: The ROS in the PVN is involved in modulating the CSAR in rats.