Abstract: Objective To explore the expression of human fibroleukin（hFgl 2），also known as human fibrinogen-like protein 2 prothrombinase，in the livers of patients with liver cancer or chronic hepatitis B virus（HBV） infection，and to examine possible correlations of this expression with severity of HBV infection and serum biochemistry indicators. Methods Liver tissues were obtained from 35 patients with chronic HBV infection（14 mild， 13 moderate，8 severe） and 21 patients with liver cancer. Expression of hFgl 2 was detected using immunohistochemistry，quantified using MIAS medical imaging software and compared among patients with liver cancer or the three severities of viral infection. Results Expression of hFgl 2 was significantly higher in patients with severe chronic HBV infection or liver cancer than in patients with mild or moderate infection. Among chronically infected patients， hFgl 2 expression positively correlated with serum ALT and AST；among patients with liver cancer， hFgl 2 did not correlate with serum ALT，AST，TBIL or PT. Conclusion The protein hFgl 2 is up-regulated in severe chronic HBV infection and in liver cancer. However， the expression level correlated with serum aminotransferase in chronically HBV-infected patients，but not in patients with liver cancer. This suggests that hFgl 2 may play different roles in liver cancer and chronic HBV infection.

Key words: Liver neoplasm, Human fibroleukin, Chronic hepatitis B virus infection, Liver tissue, Expression