Objective:To analyze the effect of melatonin on the activity of synovial cells and the expression of related proteins Rankl,Bcl-2 and Bax in rheumatoid arthritis stimulated by interleukin-17(IL-17).Methods:Rheumatoid arthritis synovial cells were divided into control group,IL-17 group and IL-17+melatonin group.Cell activity and expression levels of related proteins Rankl,Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by CCK8 kit and western blotting.Results:Compared with the control group,the IL-17 group had higher cell activity(P<0.01).The cell activity of IL-17+melatonin group was lower than that of IL-17 group(P<0.01).Compared with the control group,the expression levels of Rankl and Bcl-2 proteins in the IL-17 group increased,while the expres-sion levels of Bax decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the IL-17 treatment group,the expression levels of Rankl and Bcl-2 in the IL-17+melatonin group decreased,and the expression level of Bax increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:Melatonin can inhibit the activity of IL-17 on rheumatoid arthritis synovial cells,and melatonin can reduce the expression of Rankl and anti apoptosis of IL-17 on rheumatoid arthritis synovial cells.