This study was purposed to investigate the effect of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway on the osteoblast differentiation of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), MSCs were isolated from mouse compact bone and serially passaged. After being cultured in osteogenic induction medium, the phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 were detected by Western blot. The effects of corresponding pathway inhibitors including PD98059, JNK II and SB203580 on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and calcium accumulation in the osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs were determined by ALP staining and von kossa staining respectively. The results showed that MAPK pathway including ERK, JNK and p38 was activated in differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts. ALP activity of MSCs increased in the early phase by addition of PD98059 treatment, whereas ALP activity and calcium accumulation were not observed via JNK II treatment. However, SB203580 strongly inhibited the ALP expression and the calcium accumulation. It is concluded that p38 plays a positive role in the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, and ERK is probably a negative factor at the early phase of differentiation, but the effect of JNK is not essential.