Objective To explore the effect of propofol on human gastric cancer transplant BALB/c mice model treated with oxaliplatin. Methods We established a human gastric cancer model in the BALB/c mice using MGC 803 cells subcutaneous transplantation. Then the mice were randomly divided into control group (n=6), propofol group (n=6, 5 mg/kg propofol), oxaliplatin group (n=6, 6 mg/kg oxaliplatin), and propofol with oxaliplatin group (n=6, 5 mg/kg propofol+6 mg/kg oxaliplatin). The mice in each group received a total of 3 consecutive drug administrations through intraperitoneal injection once every 3 days. Mice were sacrificed two days after the last injection. Blood samples were then collected. The tumor volume and mass tumor inhibition rates were analyzed, respectively. The histological features of the tumor were evaluated with HE staining. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the serum were quantified using ELISA. In addition, the expression levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF), matrix metal protease-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 proteins in transplanted tumor tissue were quantified using ELISA. Results Compared with control group, the volume tumor inhibition rates (F=248.717, P<0.05) and mass tumor inhibition rates (F=376.205, P<0.05) of propofol group, oxaliplatin group, and propofol+oxaliplatin group were significantly reduced. The tumor volume inhibition rate and mass tumor inhibition rate of propofol+oxaliplatin group were significantly lower than those of oxaliplatin group, and the differences were statistically significant (tumor volume inhibition rate: 82.44%±4.69% vs.47.18%±5.71%, P<0.05; mass tumor inhibition rate: 77.95%±3.64% vs. 46.43%±3.99%, P<0.05). Compared with control group, cancer cell volume was reduced to varying degrees as well as the number of cancer cells was decreased in the remaining drug-treated groups using HE staining. In addition, the most significant decrease in cancer cell number happened in propofol+oxaliplatin group.The cell nucleus shrinks into a uniform blue-black dense body with an increased cytoplasmic density, increased cancer cell nuclear fragments, and large areas of necrosis. ELISA results showed that the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum and EGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in transplanted tumor tissues of propofol group, oxaliplatin group and propofol+oxaliplatin group were significantly lower than those in control group, and those in propofol+oxaliplatin group were significantly lower than those in oxaliplatin group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Propofol can increase the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to oxaliplatin, inhibit the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells, and enhance the anti-tumor effect of oxaliplatin.The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of inflammatory response by propofol and the regulation of EGF expression.