This study investigated the effects of matrine on tumor growth and apoptosis in sarcoma mice and its effect on FAS/FASL signaling pathway.S₁₈₀ sarcoma in mice model was established,30 mice were divided into 5 groups,each group of six,divided into control group,matrine group (10,25 and 50 mg/kg) and cisplatin (DDP 5 mg/kg) group.The control group of rats were treated with normal saline lavage,matrine groups with different concentration of matrine to fill the stomach.DDP group received intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin for 3 days.After 12 days of feeding,the tumor was removed and its weight was measured.Apoptosis of tumor tissues was detected by TUNEL assay,Caspase-8 activity was measured,FAS/FASL was detected by immunohistochemistry,and protein expressions of FAS/FASL and Caspase-8 were detected by Western blot.Compared with the control group,the tumor weight of 10,25 and 50 mg/kg matrine group was significantly decreased(P<0.05),and the tumor cell apoptosis rate was significantly increased(P<0.01),all with significant statistical differences and concentration dependence.Compared with the control group,the activity of Caspase-8 in the tumor tissues of 10,25 and 50 mg/kg matrine group was significantly increased(P<0.01),and the expression of FAS/FASL and Caspase-8 protein was increased,all with statistically significant differences (P<0.01),and these effects were positively correlated with the concentration of matrine.Compared with the cisplatin group,the tumor weight of the 25 and 50 mg/kg matrine group decreased significantly,the tumor cell apoptosis rate increased significantly,the expression of FAS/FASL and Caspase-8 protein and the activity of caspase-8 increased significantly (P<0.01).Matrine can promote the apoptosis of tumor tissues in sarcoma mice,and this effect is related to the up-regulation of FAS/FASL expression and activation of caspase-8.