Abstract: Objective:To investigate the effects of signal transduction and activators of transcription 3(STAT3) antisense oligonucleotide on proliferation and apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma HeLa cell in vitro.Methods:The cell lines were divided into three groups,blank control group,sense oligonucleotide group,and antisense oligonucleotide group.The antisense oligonucleotide was designed based on STAT3 gene sequence and transfected into HeLa cells with Lipofectamine 2000.STAT3 mRNA and protein levels were detected by RT-PCR and western blot respectively.The cell proliferation was measured by MTT,the early apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry.Results:In contrast to the blank control group and sense oligonucleotide group,STAT3 mRNA and protein levels in antisense oligonucleotide group were down regulated(P0.05),the proliferation was inhibited and early apoptosis was increased(P0.05 and P0.01).Conclusions:The STAT3 antisense oligonucleotide can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis by down-regulated the expression of STAT3 in HeLa cells.It may be a new kind of treatment method for cervical carcinoma.