Normally, aerobic cells are protected from the damage of free radicals by antioxidative enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) peroxidase and GSH-S-transferase. In this study, we have investigate the effect of egg yolk protein hydrolysates on antioxidative activity and the activity of antioxidative enzyme in cultured hepatocytes (Chang). Without the pretreatment with hydrolysate, about 50% of the hepatocytes were killed within 2h by 225$mu$M tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). By contrast, fewer than 20% of the 5 K hydrolysate (permeate from 5 kDa membrane and not passed through 1 kDa membrane)-pretreated hepatocytes were killed by the same concentrations of t-BHP. In addition, the activities of catalase, GSH peroxidase and GSH-transferase were significantly increasing with the treatment of 5 K hydrolysate. These results suggest that 5 K hydrolysate exerts antioxidative effect by increasing activity of antioxidative enzymes.