MMP2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), B7-H3 knockdown upregulated E-cadherin expression but inhibited AKT phosphorylation, VE-cadherin expression and MMP2/9 activation in HCC cell lines, suggesting a PI3K/AKT/MMP pathway for B7-H3-mediated MMP activation [116].