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Yanfen Shi,1 Wuming Kong,2 Yanxu Lu,1 Yu Zheng3 1Jiaozuo People’s Hospital, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province 454000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences Affiliated Sixth People’s East-Hospital, Shanghai City 201306, People’s Republic of China; 3Kunming Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming City, Yunnan, Province 650011, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yu Zheng Department of Spleen and Stomach Disease, No. 25, Dongfeng East Road, Panlong District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province 650011, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-0871-63804608Email zsxye81yuyu@126.comObjective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent and lethal tumors affecting human health worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-cancer effects of Xiaoai Jiedu Recipe (XJR) on HCC development and its underlying mechanisms.Methods: The expression of microRNA-29a (miR-29a) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in HCC tissues and cells was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells were measured by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, wound-healing, and transwell assays, respectively. The regulatory relationship between miR-29a and STAT3 in HCC was predicted by TargetScan and analyzed by luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. The protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2/9 and STAT3 was detected by Western blotting. A xenograft tumor mouse model was established, and tumor weight and volume were measured.Results: The expression of miR-29a was significantly decreased in HCC tissues and cells compared with that in normal tissues and cells. The up-regulation of miR-29a was related with lymph node metastasis and tumor node metastasis stage. XJR treatment significan