Objective To investigate the effect of nicotine on the expression of AQP1 and the proliferation of endplate chondrocytes. Methods Rat lumbar spinal endplate chondrocytes were cultivated. By Western blotting and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the different concentrations of nicotines effects on the expression of AQP1 was assayed, and the bioactivity of endplate chondrocytes was evaluated by MTT. Results Nicotine inhibited the proliferation of endplate chondrocytes at 0.05 g/L level. At 0.025 g/L level, nicotine had no effect on the protein and mRNA expression of AQP1; but at 0.05 g/L level, it inhibited the protein and mRNA expression of AQP1 significantly, compared with the control group（P<0.05）; at 0.1 g/L and 0.2 g/L level, the effect of inhibition was more significant（P<0.01）. Conclusions The high risk factors of intervertebral disc degeneration, such as smoking, had significant negative effect on the expression of AQP1. Its modulations of AQP1 may be one of reasons of causing the degeneration of intervertebral discs.