Objective To investigate the effects of hollow hydroxyapatite (HA) microspheres loaded with chemokine CXCL13 on the migration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Methods Recombinant human CXCL13 (rhCXCL13) was loaded in the HA microspheres, and the in vitro release behavior of rhCXCL13 was observed. MSCs treated with CXCL13 were served as experiment group, and those treated with DMEM were used as control group. Modified Boyden's chamber method and cell station were employed to determine the migration rate, migration velocity and migration efficiency of MSCs in two groups. Furthermore, the expression of CXCR5, the specific receptor of CXCL13, was detected in MSCs by flow cytometry. Results It was found that rhCXCL13 could be gradually released from the hollow HA microspheres for an extended period of time up to 30 d, with a cumulative release rate of 80%. The migration rate, migration velocity and migration efficiency of MSCs in experiment group were significantly higher than those in control group. In addition, the expression of CXCR5 in MSCs increased significantly in experiment group. Conclusion The delivery system of hollow HA microspheres is an effective controlled release scaffold for CXCL13, and the released CXCL13 has a favorable chemotaxis to MSCs, which may be related to the up-regulation of CXCR5.