Objective:This study aims to explore the application value and possible mechanism of monocarboxy transporter 1(MCT1)in the prediction of prognosis for the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Methods:We selected the tissues of HCC patients after liver resection,and used RT-PCR to estimate the expression of MCT1 and divided the patients into MCT1 high and MCT1 low groups;the phenotype and activation of the immune cells from the peripheral blood as well as the immune statues of the resected liver tissues from both groups were analyzed. A retrospective analysis of the relationship between the overall survival(OS) and disease-free survival(DFS) rate to the expression of lactate or MCT1 between 43 HCC patients who underwent liver surgery was also compared. Results:Although there was no difference in the phenotype of immune cells from peripheral blood,CD4+ T cells were easier to transform into Treg cells under the stimulation of lactic acid in the high MCT1 expression group;under the environment of lactic acid,the Treg cells from the MCT1 high expression group presented a significant increase of metabolism level;MCT1 high expression group had lower immune cell infiltration and up-regulated expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines(Foxp3,CTLA3,IL-10). The OS and DFS rate were much worse in MCT1 high patients comparing with MCT1 low group. Conclusion:MCT1-Treg related targets may serve as a new target for the diagnosis,therapeutic and prognosis prediction of HCC.