Abstract: Objective To investigate the effects of Rho associated coiled coil containing protein kinase2 (Rock2) on matrix metalloproteinase2 (MMP2) in hepatocellular carcinoma（HCC）. Methods The expressions of Rock2 and MMP2 protein were detected by Western blot in 30 cases of HCC tissues, and the correlation between them was also analyzed. The mRNA and protein expression of MMP2 were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot in ROCK2 stable knockdown cells. The silent mutation plasmid of Rock2 was constructed by PCR site-directed mutagenesis. The expression of MMP2 protein was determined after the Rock2 expression restored in stable knockdown Rock2 cells. The invasion and migration abilities of HepG2 in blank control group, shRock2 group and Rock2 restored group were measured by Transwell assay and wound healing assay. Results Compared with corresponding adjacent tissues, Rock2 and MMP2 were remarkably overexpressed in HCCs and demonstrated a significantly positive correlation. The expressions of MMP2 mRNA and protein were signifi cantly downregulated in Rock2 stable knockdown cells. We also confi rmed that Rock2 regulated cell invasion and migration abilities through regulating MMP2 expression. Conclusion Reduction of Rock2 could decrease the expression of MMP2 in HCC cells, thereby inhibiting HCC cell invasion and migration.