To investigate the effects of salvianolic acids on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) against damage induced by cholestane-3β-5α-6β-triol (chol-triol) Methods The viability of HUVEC was measured by MTT method The apoptosis of HUVEC induced by chol-triol was detected by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay The production of malondialdehyd (MDA) in HUVEC was tested by thiobarbaturic acid (TBA) assay Results The viability of HUVEC treated with chol-triol 100 μmol/L decreased by 39 8% while salvianolic acids 100 μg/ml increased by 27 9% The apoptotic rate of HUVEC measured by PI staining increased from 6%-8% to 17%-20% after chol-triol treatment for 12 h Salvianolic acids 100 μg/ml reduced the apoptotic rate to 10%-14% after treatment HUVEC for 1 h prior to chol-triol treatment In another experiment, chol-triol increased the number of TUNEL-positive cells 5 times, but salvianolic acids 10 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells by 36 9% and 61 2%, respectively The production of MDA in HUVEC increased by 120 7% after chol-triol treatment for 12 h Salvianolic acids 10 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml also decreased the concentration of MDA by 28 7% and 39 8%, respectively Conclusion Salvianolic acids has protective effect on endothelial cells against damage induced by chol-triol To investigate the effects of salvianolic acids on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) against damage induced by cholestane-3β-5α-6β-triol (chol-triol) Methods The viability of HUVEC was measured by MTT method The apoptosis of HUVEC induced by Chol-triol was detected by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay The production of malondialdehyd (MDA) in HUVEC was tested by thiobarbaturic acid (TBA) assay Results The viability of HUVEC treated with chol-triol 100 μmol/L was by 39 8% while salvianolic Acid 100 μg/ml increased by 27 9% The apoptotic rate of HUVEC measured by PI staining increased from 6%-8% to 17%-20% after chol-triol treatment for 12 h Salvianolic acids 100 μg/ml reduced the apoptotic rate To 10%-14% after treatment HUVEC for 1 h prior to chol-triol treatment In another experiment, chol-triol increased the number of TUNEL-positive cells 5 times, but salvianolic acids 10 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml reduced the Number of TUNEL-positive cells by 36 9% and 61 2%, respectively, The Production of MDA in HUVEC increased by 120 7% after chol-triol treatment for 12 h Salvianolic acids 10 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml also decreased the concentration of MDA by 28 7% and 39 8%, locked conclusion Salvianolic acids has protective effect on endothelial cells against damage induced by chol-triol