Objective To study the effects and possible mechanism of highglucose on rat Schwann cells growth and apoptosis EM>in vitro/EM>. Methods Schwann cells were cultured with different concentrations of glucose for 72 hours. MTT assays were used to detect the activities of SCs. Apoptosis was observed by TUNEL assay. The expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax protein were evaluated by Western blotting assay. Results In high-glucose (60mmol/L，90mmol/L) group，the activity of SCs was decreased and the rate of apoptosis was increased. The expression level of Bcl-2 in SCs was decreased while Bax expression level was increased in high glucose culture. Conclusion High glucose inhibits the growth of SCs and increases the cell apoptosis，which is possibly caused by decreasin