Objective:To investigate the effects of bufalin on glomerular mesangial cells(GMC)apoptosis induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS). Methods:Rat GMC lines were cultivated in vitro and divided into 3 groups:control group,LPS group(LPS 5mg/L),bufalin group(LPS 5 mg/L and bufalin 1 × 10-8 mol/L).Cell structure was observed by electron microscrop.The transcriptional level of Bax and Bcl-2 gene were detected by RT-PCR. The protein expression level of Bax and Bcl-2 were detected by Western blot method. Results:The morphology of GMC presented changes of apoptosis with electron microscopg. The mRNA and protein expression of Bax in bufalin group were more significant than those in LPS group(P < 0.01),but the mRNA and protein expression of Bcl-2 were less than those in LPS group(P < 0.01). Conclusion:Bufalin may induce the cell apoptosis of lipopolysaccharide-induced GMC by modulating Bax and Bcl-2.