Objective To determine the expression levels of micro RNA (miR)-196, miR-217, and transforming growth factor β receptor 1 (TGFβR1) protein in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissues and its adjacent tissues, to reveal the relationship among them in the pathological process of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Methods A total of 30 cases’ pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissues and its adjacent tissues were collected. The expression levels of miR-196b and miR-217 in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and adjacent tissues were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction method, the level of TGFβR1 protein was detected by Western blotting method. Results In the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissues, the expression levels of miR-196b and TGFβR1 protein were significantly higher than those of adjacent tissues (P<0.001), while the level of miR-217 was significantly lower than that of adjacent tissues (P=0.001). For further detection, the level of miR-196b in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissues was significantly positively correlated with the expression level of TGFβR1 protein (r=0.803, P<0.001), while the expression level of miR-217 was negatively correlated with the expression level of TGFβR1 protein (r=–0.839, P<0.001). Conclusions Expression TGFβR1 protein in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissues may be bi-directionally regulated by miR-196b and miR-217. This two-way regulating mechanism may be one of the important mechanisms for restricting the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, implying a potential target for treatment of pancreatic cancer.