Objective To examine the effects of newly designed LY52 on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and invasive ability of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Methods The effects of LY52 on the proliferations of HepG2 cells were detected by MTT assay. Gelatin zymography and Western blot were used to detect the effects of LY52 on matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression in the cell line. Transwell chamber assay was used to detect the effects of LY52 on the invasion of the cells. Results No obvious inhibitory or cytotoxicity effects of LY52 was found in lower concentrations (lt;200 μg/ml) of LY52. Gelatin zymography and Western blot showed that matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression were inhibited by LY52 in a dose-dependent manner in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, transwell chamber assay showed that LY52 could significantly inhibit the invasion of the cell line in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusion The results suggest that LY52 may inhibit the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by suppressing the matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity.