〔Abstract〕 Objective To investigate the influence of sodium aescinate on the autophagic flux in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), and the influence of chloroquine on the effect of sodium aescinate. Methods HCC cell lines(Huh7, HepG2 and Hep3B) were treated with sodium aescinate, then the proteins extracted from these cells were analyzed by the Western blot. After the co-administration of sodium aescinate and chloroquine, the Western blot, MTT assay, cell apoptosis assay, and colony formation assay were executed.Results Compared with the control, sodium aescinate upregulated the LC3B protein and inhibited the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. The combination of sodium aescinate and chloroquine induced more expression of LC3B protein than the single drug. Furthermore, compared with the control or single drug, the combined treatment significantly decreased the cell viability(P<0.05), increased the early apoptosis(P<0.01), and attenuated the ability of colony formation(P<0.001).Conclusion Sodium aescinate induces the protective autophagy in HCC, and chloroquine can potentiate the effect of sodium aescinate.