CD44 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis: Moreover, upon analyzing CD44 expression in an experimental murine model of liver carcinogenesis (DEN/CDAA protocol), we observed that CD44 transcripts are increased in mice with NASH (induced using a choline-deficient L-amino acid-defined diet, CDAA), and are further up-regulated in experimental HCC that arise in a NASH background, suggesting that there is a progressive increase in CD44 transcript levels during disease progression.