OBJECTIVE To study the inhibitory effect of oridonin on the growth of cancer cells.METHODS Fifteen human cancer cell lines were subjected to various concentrations of oridonin in culture medium.The inhibitory rate of cell growth was measured by the MTT assay.and compared with a negative control and 5-Fu-positive control.RESULTS The 50% inhibiting concentration (IC50) and maximal inhibi tion (Imax) of oridonin shown by studying the growth of the cancer cell lines were as follows:leukemias (HL60 cells:3.9 μg/ml and 73.8%.K562 cells:4.3 μg/ml and 76.2%):esophageal cancers (SHEEC cells:15.4 μg/ml and 99.2%,Eca109 cells:15.1 μg/ml and 84.6%,TE1 cells:4.0 μg/ml and 70.2%):gastric cancers (BGC823 cells:7.6 μg/ml and 98.7%,SGC7901 cells:12.3 μg/ml and 85.7%):colon cancers (HT29 cells:13.6 μg/ml and 97.2%,HCT cells:14.5 μg/ml and 96.5%):liver cancers (Bel7402 cells:15.2 μg/ml and 89.2%,HepG2 cells:7.1 μg/ml and 88.3%):pancreatic cancer (PC3 cells:11.3 μg/ml and 68.4%):lung cancer (A549 cells:18.6 μg/ml and 98.0%):breast cancer (MCF7 cells:18.4 μg/ml and 84.7%):uterine cervix cancer (Hela cells:13.7μg/ml and 98.5%).CONCLUSION Oridonin had a relatively wide anti-tumor spectrum,and a relatively strong inhibitory effect on the growth of the 15 human cancer cells.Inhibitory effects were concentration dependent.