Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether active part of Glycyrrhiza extract (GL)induced apoptosis in Hela cells and its inhibitory mechanism.Methods HeLa cells were treated with 25 g/mL of GL for 24hs.Cell viability and apoptosis in HeLa cells were determined by MTT,AO/EB fluorescent double staining,transmission electron microscope(TEM),and Western blot.Results The MTT results showed that GL significantly inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells in a dose-response.After treatment for 24 hrs,large number of early apoptotitc cell were observed using AO/EB fluorescent double staining and TEM.The expression of Pro-caspase-9 and Cleaved-caspase-3 protein was higher in GL-treated cells them those of the control cells(P<0.05).Conclusion GL can activate Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 genes to induce apoptosis in HeLa cells.