Abstract: Objective To observe the effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) on apoptosis and inflammation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) and investigate the possible mechanism. Methods Cultured HUVECs were randomly divided into control group and TNF-α group. After pretreated with TNF-α for 6 hours, the apoptosis rate was tested by flow cytometry, and the expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin and eNOS were detected by Western blot assay. The activation of NF-κB and AP-1 were detected by flow cytometry and Western blot. Results Compared with the control group, TNF-α significantly increased the apoptosis rate of HUVECs(P<0.05) and the expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, E-selectin in HUVECs(P<0.05) and inhibited the release of eNOS(P<0.05).At the same time, TNF-α activated the expressions of NF-κB and AP-1(P<0.05). Conclusion TNF-α significantly increases the apoptosis and inflammation of HUVECs. The mechanism of this injury might be related to the activation of the NF-κB and AP-1 signaling pathway and inhibiting the release of eNOS.