Objective: To investigate the effects of angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ) on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human hepatic cancer cell line Hep G2.
 Methods: Cultured Hep G2 cells were treated by AngⅡ with various concentrations and were collected at different time points. Then total RNA was extracted. The expression of VEGF mRNA in cultured Hep G2 was determined by relative quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR),and the proliferation was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT).
 Results: AngⅡ stimulated the proliferation of HepG2 cells, and enhanced the expression of VEGF mRNA (P＜0.05), which was dose-and time-dependent. When the concentration of AngⅡ was 10-7 mol/L and the time was 60 h, the effect reached the maximum, and  which could be suppressed by Angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonist.
 Conclusions: The expression of VEGF mRNA can be induced by AngⅡin human hepatic cancer cell line Hep G2 through AT1R, which may play a definite role in tumor growth and metastasis.