In order to study whether the endothelial cells (ECs) with lipid peroxidation induced by diamide can express and secrete macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), the expression of MIP-1α protein in the cells was detected by cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and that of MIP-1α mRNA was determined by cell in situ hybridization and nuclease S1 protection assay after the ECs were exposed to different concentrations of diamide for 4 h. The chemotactic activity of MIP-1α was tested by micropore filter method using modified Boyden chambers. Cell ELISA showed that the expression of MIP-1α protein in endothelial cells exposed to 1 μmol/L, 5 μmol/L and 10 μmol/L diamide was 1.9-fold, 2.3-fold and 1.7-fold respectively as much as that in the control cells, which was statistically significant by analysis of variance. In situ hybridization revealed that the mRNA expression of ECs treated with 1 μmol/L, 5 μmol/L and 10 μmol/L diamide was 1.3-fold, 3.0-fold and 1.7-fold as much as that in the control group, which had statistical significance (F=188. 93,P<0.01). The mRNA expression in 5 μmol/L dimide treated ECs, measured by nuclease S1 protection assay, was 3.4-fold as much as that in the control group (t=8.70,P<0.05). Chemotactic response (99.50±4.31 μm) to the culture medium conditioned by 5 μmol/L diamide treated ECs, which was stronger than that (66.47±3.25 μm) conditioned by the ECs (F=404.31,P<0.05), was significantly decreased (F=192.25,P<0.05) after adding MIP-1α antibody. It suggests that diamide, a lipid peroxidation inducer, could stimulate ECs to produce high level of MIP-1α, and might play an important role in atherogenesis by promoting the migration of peripheral blood monocytes into arterial intima.