Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of Embelin on the cell growth and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cell line SW480. Methods SW480 cells were treated by a series concentration of Embelin.MTT assay and flow cytometry apoptosis assay were used to quantify cell growth inhibition and apoptosis rate respectively.Western blot was used to measure the expression level of Cyclin D1,survivin and XIAP. Results Embelin alone inhibited cell growth and triggered apoptosis of SW480 cells,and IC 50 was 37.02 μM after 48 h.Apoptosis rate was (15.3±2.5)% when treated 20 μM Embelin,and there was significant difference compared with those of 40 μM and 80 μM Embelin (P<0.05,P<0.01).But cell apoptosis rate of SW480 was lower than the growth inhibition rate under the same concentration of Embelin.The cell growth inhibition might be associated with the downregulation of cyclin D1. Conclusion Embelin significantly inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis of SW480 cells,and it may be regarded as a potential anti-cancer drug.