Abstract: Objective To evaluate the targeted killing of malignant melanoma cells by aclarubicin liposomes conjugated with vascular endothelial growth factor （ADM-VEGF-SSL） in vitro. Methods To detect the binding ability of liposomes to malignant melanoma （MM） cells, the human malignant melanoma cell line A375 was cultured in the presence of ADM-VEGF-3H-SSL or ADM-3H-SSL for 2 days followed by the detection of radioactivity of these cells. Then, A375 cells were cultured with various concentrations （0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 mol/L） of ADM-VEGF-SSL, ADM-SSL or free ADM for 48 hours in the 48-hour cytotoxity test, or for 0.5 hour followed by another 48-hour culture in drug-free medium in the 0.5-hour cytotoxity test. After that, MTT assay was used to detect the survival rate of these cells. Results ADM-VEGF-SSL could specifically bind to and kill A375 cells. The binding rate of ADM-VEGF-SSL was 2.15 folds as high as that of ADM-SSL. The survival rate of A375 cells after being treated with ADM-VEGF-SSL for 48 hour was similar to that with free ADM （P > 0.05）, but lower than that with ADM-SSL （P < 0.05）, while the survival rate of melanocytes treated with ADM-VEGF-SSL was higher than that with free ADM or ADM-SSL （both P < 0.05）. As shown by the 0.5-hour cytotoxity test, shortening the treatment course did not attenuate the effect of ADM-VEGF-SSL on A375 cells. Conclusions ADM-VEGF-SSL can specifically recognize A375 cells, efficiently deliver adriamycin into tumor cells, markedly inhibit the proliferation of A375 cells, and eventually, a targeted kill of these cells is realized.