CASP3 and hepatocellular carcinoma: On the contrary, no association between SerpinB3 and caspase-3 or BCl2-modifying factor (BMF) mRNA was detected in rat HCC specimens (Spearman’s rank correlation, p = not statistically significant), suggesting that SerpinB3 more likely regulates cell proliferation rather than apoptotic cell death in the DEN-HCC rat model.