The present study aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of cisplatin (DDP) combined with salinomycin (SAL) on the gastric cancer cell line SGC‑7901, as well as to explore the mechanisms underlying their actions. An MTT assay was used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of SAL, DDP and their combination on gastric cancer cell proliferation. Morphological alterations of cancer cells following treatment were observed under an inverted phase‑contrast microscope and a fluorescence microscope. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry. The expression of nuclear factor (NF)‑κB p65 and Fas protein ligand (L) in cancer cells was assessed using immunocytochemistry. The present results demonstrated that the combination of SAL and DDP significantly inhibited the proliferation (P<0.05) and altered the morphological characteristics of SGC‑7901 cells, thus suggesting that SAL may enhance the susceptibility of gastric cancer cells to DDP. In addition, treatment with a combination of SAL and DDP resulted in S phase‑arrest and increased the apoptotic rate of SGC‑7901 cells. Furthermore, marked FasL upregulation and NF‑κB p65 downregulation were observed in cancer cells treated with the combination of SAL and DDP. The results of the present study demonstrated that the combination of SAL and DDP induced the apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells, and suggested that the underlying mechanism may involve the upregulation of FasL and downregulation of NF‑κB p65.