Objective:To investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of high mobility group protein box 1(HMGB1) on the proliferation and migration of human airway smooth muscle cells(HASMCs). Methods:Normal HASMC between passages 3 and 8 were randomly divided into the control group, HMGB1 group with different concentrations(125, 250, 500, and 1 000 ng/mL), and TGF-β(1 ng/mL) group as a positive control, respectively. The HMGB1-stimulated proliferation of HASMCs was evaluated by cell counting of CCK-8. The number of migrated cells was performed using Transwell migration assay. Western blotting assay was performed to detect the phosphorylation of Akt following HMGB1 stimulation. Result: The proliferation of HASMCs treated with HMGB1 was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner than those of untreated control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the number of migrated cells was significantly increased after HMGB1 activation compared to the control group(P < 0.01). The phosphorylation level of Akt in the HMGB1 group(500 ng/mL) was significantly increased compared with the control group(P < 0.05). Conclusion:Our data suggest that HMGB1 contributes to airway remodeling by stimulating the proliferation and migration of HASMCs through regulating phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt pathway, which provides a promising target for future therapy of asthma.