The aim was to study the protective effects of amifostine (AMF) on normal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells against the chemotherapeutic damage from etoposide (VP-16). The cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMNC), fresh and frozen peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC), and HL-60 cells were divided into AMF, AMF + VP-16, VP-16 and control groups, each group cell viability was determined by using trypan blue exclusion test, the CFU-GM culture was used to count cells, the apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The results showed that in CBMNC, fresh and frozen PBSC samples, cell viability and the number of CFU-GM in AMF + VP-16 group were all significantly higher than those in VP-16 group (P < 0.05); the CFU-GM incidence in AMF + VP-16 group was higher than that in VP-16 group, and the GFU-GM life in AMF + VP-16 group was also longer than that of latter, in CBMNC samples, the number of CFU-GM in AMF groups was higher than that in control group, but there was no statistical significance between the two groups (P > 0.05), in HL-60 cell apoptotic rate in AMF + VP-16 group was little higher than that in VP-16 group, but no statistical significance between these two groups (P > 0.05). It is concluded that AMF can significantly protect normal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells against the damage from VP-16. Moreover, AMF does not affect cytotoxity of VP-16 on HL-60 cells, and can not stimulate the growth and differentiation of cord hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells directly.