Objective：To investigate the gene expression and significances of PTCH and SMO in diethylnitrosamin (DEN)-induced primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats.
Methods：Rat HCC models were established by DEN-induction method. The gene expressions of PTCH and SMO in rat HCC tissues along with their adjacent benign tissues were determined by real time PCR.
Results： Of the 13 rats, the expression level of PTCH mRNA in HCC tissues and their benign adjacent tissues was 6.33±0.62 and 7.18±0.99 (P＜0.05), respectively. The expression level of SMO mRNA was 7.93±1.00 and 8.76±0.83 (P＜0.05), respectively.
Conclusions：PTCH and SMO are important regulation factors of the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway. Thus, the SHH signaling pathway is probably involved in the tumorigenesis of HCC.