**1. Introduction**

160 Hepatocellular Carcinoma – Basic Research

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Human tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2) is an extracellular matrix-associated Kunitz-type serine proteinase inhibitor that inhibits the plasmin- and trypsin-mediated activation of matrix metalloproteinases and inhibits tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. Previous studies have shown that TFPI-2 is downregulated in the progression of various tumors. Here we aim to investigate the expression and function of TFPI-2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). *In situ* hybridization and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the expression of TFPI-2 in hepatocarcinoma tissues was markedly lower than that in tumor-adjacent normal hepatic tissues. Restored expression of TFPI-2 in HepG2 cells inhibits cell proliferation and invasion. Taken together, our results suggest that TFPI-2 plays tumor-suppression function and its inactivation may contribute to HCC.
