G6PD and hepatocellular carcinoma: Complementary to the above findings, two other studies [100,101] showed that in HCV-infected hepatocellular carcinoma cells, key enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway (see Figure 3) are upregulated, like glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PDG), transaldolase (TALDO), and transketolase (TKD), as well as the cytosolic malic enzyme (malate dehydrogenase, decarboxylating, NADP+ dependent) that also serves to provide NADPH for biosyntheses.