Abstract: Objective: To study the effect of Simvastatin on the proliferation and mineralization of cultured rat calvaria osteoblasts (RCOBs). Methods: RCOBs were cultured in vitro by an enzyme-digestion method and treated with Simvastatin and rhBMP-2 in series gradient of concentration for 24 hours. Then the viability and proliferation of RCOBs were determined by MTT assay. After implantation in a 12well microtiter plate for 7 days, the mineralization nodes were stained by the von Kossa method. Photos were transferred into a black-white style and the mean mineralization area ratio was measured. Results: Simvastatin could not only stimulate the proliferation of the RCOBs in a dosedependent manner， but also increased the mineralization ratio compared with the control group, which mimicked rhBMP-2. Conclusion: Simvastatin can promote the proliferation and mineralization of RCOBs in vitro, which may partially be attributed to the osteogenesis mechanism of statins.

Key words: Simvastatin, Osteoblast, MTT assay, Proliferation, Mineralization