Objective：This study aims to investigate the role and function of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7（IGFBP7）in the chondrogenic differentiation of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells（hUC-MSCs）. Methods：Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells（hUC-MSCs）were cultured in high-density pellets to establish a chondrogenic differentiation model. Differences in cartilage differentiation were detected by alcian blue staining. hUC-MSCs was transfected with pCMV3-IGFBP7 or si-IGFBP7 to change the expression level of IGFBP7. The expression level of IGFBP7 was detected in chondrogenesis by real-time PCR and Western blot. The chondrogenesis-related marker gene Sox9 was determined by real-time PCR and Western blot. Results：IGFBP7 mRNA and protein expression significantly increased after induction of chondrogenic differentiation. The level of IGFBP7 in hUC-MSCs transfected with pCMV3-IGFBP7 was significantly increased，while the level of IGFBP7 in the si-IGFBP7 group was significantly reduced. Over-expression of IGFBP7 increased mRNA and protein level of Sox9 and promoted the differentiation of hUC-MSCs into chondrocyte. On the contrary，suppression of IGFBP7 inhibited chondrogenic differentiation. Conclusion：IGFBP7 was a positive regulator in the chondrogenic differentiation of hUC-MSCs.