CXCL8 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Rt-PCR revealed several inflammatory mediators, including COX2, IL8, IL6 and IL-1β, were upregulated in NETs-treated HepG2 cells, and this was more pronounced in the setting of HCC-NETs, as stimulation of HepG2 with HCC-NETs resulted in an enhanced production of the inflammatory mediators (Figure 4B).