〔Abstract〕 Objective To investigate the effects of hepatobiliary metabolic dysfunction on gut microbiota in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy(ICP). Methods Forty Sprauge-Dawley(SD) rats at 10 days of gestation were randomly divided into two groups, 25 for ICP induction and 15 as control.Estradiol benzoate, combined with progesterone, was given to the rats by intraperitoneal injection from 10 to 14 days after gestation.Hepatic impairment indicators of total bilirubin(TBIL),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),r-glutamyl transferase(GGT),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),and total bile acids(TBA) in sera of the animals were detected in each group to verify the model construction.Simultaneously, the liver tissues were subjected to pathology examination and fresh faeces samples were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing to explore the gut microbiota profiles. Results The serum levels of TBIL,ALT,AST,GGT,ALP and TBA in ICP group were significantly elevated compared with the control(P<0.05);the ICP rats presented obvious characteristics of hepatobiliary disorders, showing prominent steatosis, necrosis of hepatocytes and infiltration of inflammatory cells, with formation of bile thrombus in some animals.The abundance ofEubacterium,Bacteroides,Parabacteroides distasonisandBacteroidesuniformis remarkably decreased whereasPrevotellaandFusobacteriumsignificantly increased in ICP rats when compared with the control(P<0.05). Conclusion The hepatic injuries and bile acid metabolic disorders occurred in ICP rats, which resulted in dysbiosis of gut microbiota.