Objective To study the effect of rosiglitazone, a ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR?), on the expression of PPAR? in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and its effect on the biological characters of HSCs. Methods The activated HSCs were devided into three groups:control, 3??mol/L rosiglitazone group, and 10??mol/L rosiglitazone group. The expression of PPAR?, ?-smooth muscle actin(?-SMA), and type Ⅰ and Ⅲ collagen was detected by means of RT-PCR, Western blot and immunocytochemistry respectively. The cell proliferation was determined with MTT colorimetric assay. The cell apoptosis was demonstrated with flow cytometry. Results The expression of PPAR? at mRNA and protein level markedly increased in HSCs of 10??mol/L rosiglitazone group(t≥4.627, P