SMAD2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: When investigating the effect of Propofol on the proliferation and apoptosis of HCC cells, Li et al. found that Propofol could increase the activity and expression level of TGF-β1 by 12% and 20% respectively and inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells by 10% through the TGF-β1/SMAD2 signaling pathway83.