Furthermore, paeoniflorin inhibited cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer associated fibroblasts through the upregulation of miR-149 expression and inactivation of interleukin 6 (IL-6)-STAT3-matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs), indicating that paeoniflorin could be a new agent that targets the cancer microenvironment [14]. This evidence concerns the gene STAT3 and gastric cancer.