Objective To study the expression of SDF-1α and CXCR4 in the peripheral blood patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods 50 RA patients were recruited and 25 healthy volunteers were enrolled as normal controls．The expressions of CXCR4 on CD3+CD4+T cells and CD3+CD8+T cells were detected by flow cytometry in 50 patients with RA and 25 healthy subjects. The level of SDF1αand IL6 were detected by ELISA．Results The expression of CXCR4 on CD3+CD4+T cells and CD3+CD8+T cells and the levels of SDF-1αand I-6 in peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis were significantly higher than those of healthy controls (P＜0.05). Linear correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between CXCR4 and SDF-1α expression in peripheral blood and IL-6 (P＜0.05).Conclusion SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis and IL-6 maybe play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.