Objective:To investigate the effects of tetrandrine (TET) in combination with paclitaxel (PTX) on the proliferation and apoptosis in human gastric cancer cell line MKN-45. Methods: MKN-45 cells were routinely cultured in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum. Subconfluent cell cultures were treated with either TET or PTX,or TET in combination with PTX for 48 h. Cell growth and proliferation of MKN-45 were analyzed with MTT assay. DAPI staining and flow cytometric analysis were used to detect the apoptosis of MKN-45. Results: Both TET and PTX alone or the combined treatment inhibited MKN-45 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for TET and PTX were significantly decreased when MKN-45 cells were treated simultaneously with TET plus PTX compared with the two drugs applied alone(P < 0.05). DAPI staining and flow cytometric analysis showed that the apoptosis rates in the cells treated with TET and PTX were much greater than TET or PTX applied singly (P < 0.05). Conclusion: TET and PTX exerted a synergistic effect on the inhibition of proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in gastric cancer cells.