Abstract: Objective To investigate effects of retinol on the expressions of epidermal growth factor (EGF), stem cell factor (SCF), colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in cultured human umbilical-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs). Methods Human UCMSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord and identified for immunophenotypes. The cells were then cultured in DMEM/F12 media supplemented with 12% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 12% FBS + 1 μmol/L retinol, 15% knockout serum replacement (KSR) and 15% KSR + 1 μmol/L retinol. The expressions of the cytokines EGF, SCF, CSF1 and LIF in the cells were detected using RT-PCR and ELISA. Results The isolated cells exhibited characteristic immunophenotypes of human UCMSCs and expressed EGF, CSF1 and SCF at both mRNA and protein levels but not LIF protein. Retinol (1 μmol/L) significantly promoted the expressions of SCF and CSF1 at both mRNA and protein levels but did not result in changes of EGF and LIF expressions in human UCMSCs. Conclusion Retinol at the concentration of 1 μmol/L can promote expression of SCF and CSF1 in human UCMSCs in vitro.