Objective To explore the inhibitory effect of recombinant mutant human tumor necrosis factor-α (rmhTNF-α) in combination with cisplatin on human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549. Methods Human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 was treated with varying concentrations of rmhTNF-α (0.38

0.75

1.50

6.00 and 12.00 IU/ml) or cisplatin (3.91

7.81

15.63

31.25 and 62.50 μg/ml) for 24 hours. Viable cell number was analyzed by using crystal violet staining. The inhibitory rates of A549 cells growth by the two drugs were calculated. For analyzing whether there was a synergistic effect of rmhTNF-α with cisplatin

A549 cells were treated with 0.75 IU/ml rmhTNF-α and increased concentrations of cisplatin.Results rmhTNF-α or cisplatin inhibited the growth of A549 cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of rmhTNF-α combined with cisplatin was significantly greater than cisplatin alone at the same concentration (all P<0.01). Conclusion rmhTNF-α combined with cisplatin might have synergistic inhibitory effect on human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549.