Objective To investigate the effect of Astragalus membranaceus（APS） on the proliferation, osteogenic capacity and structure of periodontal ligament cells（PDLCs） in vitro. Methods PDLCs were cultured in vitro with APS of 0.08、0.1、0.2、0.4 mg·mL -1. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium（MTT）, alkaline phosphatase（ALP） and cell structure were detected to determine the proliferation and differentiation of PDLCs proliferation and differentiation. Results When the APS was 0.2mg·mL-1, the absorbance of MTT and ALP exhibit significantly increased as compared to the control（P
