Abstract: Objective To study the effect of emodin on the proliferation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and expression of
hematopoietic growth factors in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Methods The proliferation of rat BMSCs
exposed to emodin was analyzed using MTT assay, and flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis and cell cycle
changes of the exposed cells. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression of the hematopoietic
growth factors. Results Exposure to 0.1 and 1 μg/ml emodin for 48 and 72 h significantly enhanced the proliferation of BMSCs
(P<0.01). The cells exposed to 0.1 μg/ml emodin showed significantly increased percentage of cells in G2/M phase (P<0.05), and
1 μg/ml emodin exposure caused increased cells in S phase (P<0.01) and decreased cells in G1/G0 phase (P<0.05). Emodin
exposure for 48 h resulted in significantly decreased cell apoptosis (P<0.05). BMSCs treated with 0.1 μg/ml emodin showed a
significant increase in the expression of thrombopoietin mRNA (P<0.05). Conclusion Emodin can promote the proliferation of
BMSCs in vitro possibly by regulating the cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis and thrombopoietin expression.