Objective To investigate the expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1α (HNF-1α) and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α (HNF-4α) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore the function of HNF-1α and HNF-4α during HCC carcinogenesis and development. Methods Twenty-six specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma were collected. The expressions of HNF-1α and HNF-4α in HCC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry staining. Results The mRNA levels of HNF-1α and HNF-4α were significantly lower in HCC tissues than that in adjacent non-cancerous tissues (0.818±0.371 vs. 0.383±0.102 for HNF-1α, P0.05; 0.846±0.384 vs. 0.397±0.105 for HNF-4α, P0.05）.The positive rates of HNF-1α and HNF-4α protein were significantly lower in HCC tissues than in adjacent non-c