Abstract: Objective To detect the plasma levels of mannan-binding lectin (MBL) and MBL-associated serine protease-2 (MASP- 2) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore their role in the tumorigenesis and progression of HCC. Methods The plasma levels of MBL and MASP-2 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 64 HCC patients and 30 healthy control subjects. The correlation of MBL and MASP-2 with the clinical parameters of HCC patients were analyzed. Results The plasma levels of MBL (P=0.014) and MASP-2 (P=0.002) were significantly higher in HCC patients than in the healthy controls, but the MBL-to-MASP-2 ratio did not differ significantly between the two groups. In HCC patients, plasma MBL level was positively correlated with vascular invasion (r=0.253, P=0.047) and total bilirubin level (r=0.283, P=0.024). The plasma level of MASP-2 was positively correlated with TNM stage (r=0.276, P=0.027) and negatively correlated with plasma albumin level (r=0.-0.317, P=0.015). ROC curve analysis revealed an area under curve of 0.665 for MBL (P=0.010) and 0.694 for MASP-2 (P=0.003). The sensitivities of MBL and MASP-2 were 50% and 89.1% in the diagnosis of HCC, respectively. Conclusion MBL and MASP-2 are associated with the inflammatory state and disease progression in patients with HCC.