EP induces apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in G phase in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by inhibiting the HMGB1–RAGE and AKT pathways (Cheng et al., 2014); EP suppresses growth and invasion of gallbladder cancer cells via downregulation of HMGB1-RAGE axis (Li et al., 2012). Here, HMGB1 is linked to gallbladder cancer.