Aim To investigate the effect of insulin on expression of MMP-9,TIMP-1 and sES. Methods Primary cultured smooth muscle cells from the internal carotid artery and endothelial cells from the aorta of SD rats treated with different doses of insulin,MMP-9, TIMP-1 and sES released by cells into medium were quantified by ELISA. Results MMP-9 and SES levels were higher in insulin group compared with control group,while TIMP-1 was less than control group(P＜0.05). Significant positive correlation was observed between insulin and MMP-9(r=0.815,P＜0.001)as well as sES(r=0.841,P＜0.001), negative correlation was observed between insulin and TIMP-1(r=-0.740,P＜0.001). Conclusion Insulin augmented the secretion of SES and MMP-9, attenuated the secretion of TIMP-1 in dependence on the concentration.