Specifically, the conversion of squalene to 2,3-epoxy squalene catalyzed by SQLE required consumption of NADPH, and the NADPH deficiency induced oxidative stress in HCC cells, which upregulation of DNMT3A expression leaded to PTEN silence and contributed to Akt–mTOR pathway activation [19]. Here, PTEN is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.