Moreover, HCC cells with miR-192-5p loss could also actively interact with their environmental non-tumor cells to produce a more aggressive and stemness-related feature via the over-produced lactic acid by HCC cells and consequently activating a lactate/MCT1/NDRG3/pERK pathway in their environmental non-tumor cells (Fig. 7g). Here, NDRG3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.