Using the 3114/3115 thermal activity monitor (TAM) air isothermal microcalorimeter, ampoule mode, the heat output of Candida albicans growth at 37 degrees C was measured, and the effect of emodin on C. albicans growth was evaluated by microcalorimetry coupled with chemometric methods. The similarities between the heat flow power (HFP)-time curves of C. albicans growth affected by different concentrations of emodin were calculated by similarity analysis (SA). In the correspondence analysis (CA) diagram of eight quantitative parameters taken from the HFP-time curves, it could be deduced that emodin had definite dose-effect relationship as the distance between different concentrations of it increased along with the dosage and the effect. From the principal component analysis (PCA) on eight quantitative parameters, the action of emodin on C. albicans growth could be easily evaluated by analyzing the change of values of the main two parameters, growth rate constant k (2) and maximum power output P(2)(m). The coherent results of SA, CA, and PCA showed that emodin at different concentrations had different effects on C. albicans growth metabolism: A low concentration (0-10 microg ml(-1)) poorly inhibited the growth of C. albicans, and a high concentration (15-35 microg ml(-1)) could notably inhibit growth of this fungus. This work provided a useful idea of the combination of microcalorimetry and chemometric analysis for investigating the effect of drug and other compounds on microbes.