Our results showed that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), a pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) inactivator, increased under hypoxia, however the highly malignant cells (Huh7) increased much less than non-cancerous/less malignant cells, meanwhile the PDH expression in cancer cells was well maintained, ATP5B (ATP synthase subunit beta) and succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) was significantly upregulated in cancer cells but they all slightly decreased in non-cancerous cells (Fig. 2e,f,h,i). This evidence concerns the gene PDP1 and cancer.