To investigate the curcumin killing leukemia cells in vitro,. Methods: The myeloid leukemic cell line HL-60 was studied by using cell culture, flow cytometrydetermining DNA content and TUNEL method measuring apoptotic cell percentage. Results: The data showed that curcumin selectively inhibited proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) HL-60 cell lines in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The growth inhibition rate was gradually increased and reached the peak at concentration of 25 m mol/L curcumin at 24h. The sub-G1 peak appeared after 12h treatment and was increased to 34.4% at 24h. The TUNEL method further certified that apoptotic cells reached 41% at the same phase. Conclusion: curcumin possesses obvious potent of anti-leukemia cell proliferation, which is contributed to the induction of HL-60 cells apoptosis. The concentration and action time of curcumin in vitro provide some reference for clinical use.