PTGS2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Given that hypoxic HCC cells are proangiogenic and antiapoptotic and that the HIF-1α signaling pathway has a crucial role in regulating cellular adaptation to hypoxia, our study investigated responses of Huh-7 and Hep3B cell lines to meloxicam, a COX-2-selective inhibitor, which has been considered a potential candidate for targeting the HIF-1α-VEGF axis [15], and investigated the potential mechanism involved in regulating these responses.