MMP9 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Promoter hypermethylation and subsequent inactivation of SOCS1 is associated with JAK/STAT3 pathway activation, which contributes to HCC development and progression.3, 4, 23 We examined several SOCS1–JAK/STAT3 pathway cognate target genes, including SOCS1, p-Stat3, and MMP9 using western blot assays.