AIM: To establish a culture system of marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from hepatitis B patients and normal adults and to compare their biological characteristics.METHODS: MSCs were isolated from bone marrow in 34 male hepatitis B patients and 15 male normal adults and cultivated in vitro. Their biological characteristics including surface markers, shapes and appearances, growth curves, first passage time and passage generations were compared.RESULTS: Cultivation achievement ratio of hepatitis B patients was lower than that of normal adults, no statistical significance (82.35% vs 100%, P >0.05). Compared with MSCs of normal adults, MSCs of hepatitis B patients presented a statistical lower growth curve, longer first passage time (13.0 ± 1.6 d vs 11.4 ± 1.5 d, P < 0.05), fewer passaging generation numbers (10.5 ± 1.4 generations vs 12.3±1.7 generations, P < 0.05), though both shared same appearances, shapes and surface markers. MSCs in hepatitis B patients would expand, spread out and age more easily and there were more refractive particles in the cytoplasm.CONCLUSION: MSCs from hepatitis B patients can be cultured in vitro. Although their appearance, shape and surface marker are similar to those of MSCs from normal adults, there are differences in their biological characteristics.