Objective: The histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIS) have been shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, stimulate apoptosis, an induce cell cycle arrest. Our purpose was to investigate the antiproliferative effects of a HDACI, trichostatin A (TSA), against human cervical cancer cells (HeLa). Methods: HeLa cells were treated in vitro with various concentrations of TSA. The inhibitory effect of TSA on the growth of HeLa cells was measured by MTT assay. To detect the characteristic of apoptosis chromatin condensation, HeLa cells were stained with Hoechst 33258 in the presence of TSA. Induction of cell cycle arrest was studied by flow cytometry. Changes in gene expression of p53, p21Waf1 and p27Kip1 were studied by semiquantitative RT-PCR. Results: TSA inhibited cell growth in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Hoechst 33258 staining assay showed that TSA induced apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis indicated that treatment with TSA decreased the proportion of cells in S phase and increased the proportion of cells in G0/G1 and/or G2/M phases of the cell cycle. This was concomitant with overexpression of genes related to malignant phenotype, including an increase in p53, p21Waf1 and p27Kip1. Conclusion: These results suggest that TSA is effective in inhibiting growth of HeLa cells in vitro. The findings raise the possibility that TSA may prove particularly effective in treatment of cervical cancers.