The triclosan was shown to have anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory effect with inhibition of inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin $E_2(PGE_2)$. The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether and how $PGE_2$ could be inhibited by triclosan in human gingival fibroblast. Human gingival fibroblast-1 cells (ATCC CRL2014) were pre-treated for 1 hour with triclosan (0.001 ${mu}/ml{sim}10$ ${mu}/ml$) and then stimulated with $TNF-{alpha}$ (1.0 ng/ml). $PGE_2$ synthesis was evaluated by ELISA and gene expression of COX-1 and COX-2 was evaluated by RT-PCR after $TNF-{alpha}$, triclosan, and NS-398 (COX-2 inhibitor, 5, ${mu}M$) and/ or cycloheximide (protein synthesis inhibitor, 2 ${mu}g/ml$). Triclosan was cytotoxic to human gingival fibroblasts in the concentration higher than 1.0 ${mu}g/ml$ for longer than 24 hours in tissue culture. The $PGE_2$ synthesis was inhibited by triclosan in dose-dependent manner. Greater COX-2 mRNA suppression was observed with triclosan (0.1 ${mu}g/ml$) than with $TNF-{alpha}$ alone, without change in COX-1 gene expression. Inhibitory effects of triclosan on $PGE_2$ synthesis disappeared in presence of cycloheximide. This study suggests that triclosan inhibit prostaglandin $E_2$ at the level of COX-2 gene regulation and require de novo protein synthesis.