Whereby, identifying the mechanistic insights of the intracellular regulatory mechanisms responsible for hepatocyte apoptosis and the subsequent carcinogenesis is essential to clarify the pathophysiology of HCC and develop new therapeutic interventions [9, 10, 29] In this study, we found that the chemical carcinogen-inducible IRG1 in hepatocytes promoted hepatic apoptosis and liver damage, which then facilitated hepatocarcinogenesis. This evidence concerns the gene ACOD1 and hepatocellular carcinoma.