Objective The effect of ERK5 pathway on oscillatory shear stress (OSS) increased MC3T3-E1 cells proliferation was explored.Methods MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with OSS,XMD8-92 alone,or in combination.The proliferation absorbance of osteoblasts was detected using MTT assay,the protein levels of Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5),P-ERK5,and Cyclin D1 were evaluated with western blot analysis.Results OSS (0.6 ± 12 dyn/cm2) for 1h significantly enhanced osteoblasts proliferation,but the cellular proliferation was blocked by XMD8-92 (a highly selective inhibitor of ERK5 activity),suggesting that ERK5 is involved in OSS-induced osteoblasts proliferation.The protein levels of Cyclin D1 under OSS were elevated,but XMD8-92 markedly suppressed Cyclin D1 expression with exposure to OSS.Conclusions OSS promotes osteoblasts proliferation via ERK5 pathway,and Cyclin D1 is the crucial downstream target of ERK5 pathway.