MiR-122 might inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma progression by downregulating TGFBRAP1 in the presence of the hepatitis C virus core, suggesting that the TGF-β/smad signalling pathway may be related to the expression level of miR-122, which plays an important role in drug-induced liver injury [22–24]. This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.