Studies of sweat glands had demonstrated that there were degenerating cells and proliferating cells in the eccrine sweat glands. To compare the differences in the proliferating cells between human adult and fetal eccrine sweat glands, immunostaining of proliferating-associated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki67 nuclear antigen (Ki67) was performed, and the location and the percentage of the positive staining cells were analyzed. The results showed that a few cells of the secretory and ductal portion in both the adult and fetal eccrine sweat glands stained positive with Ki67 and PCNA. The labeling index of PCNA in adult eccrine sweat glands was 34.71 +/- 8.37%, while that in the fetal was 62.72 +/- 6.54%. The labeling index of PCNA in fetal eccrine sweat glands was higher than that in adult. Myoepithelial cells were negative staining with anti-PCNA antibody in adult eccrine sweat glands, while in the fetal a few myoepithelial cells were positive staining. Labeling index of Ki67 in adult eccrine sweat glands was similar to that in the fetal, ranging from 0.5 to 4.3%. Myoepithelial cells of the adult and fetal eccrine sweat glands both were negative staining with anti-Ki67 antibody. We concluded that the myoepithelial cells had proliferating ability only in fetal eccrine sweat glands, and that the proliferating ability of fetal eccrine sweat glands was stronger than that of the adult.