Abstract: Objective To explore the expression of aldo-keto reductase family 1 member B10 （AKR1B10） in hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）and its relationship with AFP level. Methods The expression of AKR1B10 protein was examined immunohistochemically in 65 cases of human HCC and adjacent liver tissues，as well as in 14 cases of normal human liver tissue.Levels of AKR1B10 pro-tein expression in HCC and preoperative serum AFP level were analyzed for a possible relationship. Results The expression rate and level of AKR1B10 protein were up-regulated in human HCC samples compared to the corresponding adjacent liver tissues，and in adjacent liver tissues compared to normal liver tissue（all P<0.05）.Up-regulated AKR1B10 expression was found in 50 of 65 HCC cases （76.9%）， higher than the proportion of 55.4% of patients with detectable preoperative serum levels of AFP.Moreover，AKR1B10 protein was detected in 21 of 29 HCC cases （72.4%） that were negative for preoperative serum AFP.Statistical analysis showed that AKR1B10 pro-tein expression in HCC tissue was not correlated with preoperative serum AFP level. Conclusions AKR1B10 was up-regulated in the order：normal liver tissue

Key words:  Liver neoplasms, AKR1B10, AFP