Corroborating these observations, studies have shown that treatment of HCC cells with miR-133b mimics, a pro-apoptotic miRNA, induces apoptotic cell death by enhancing the activities of caspase-3/-8 and increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 protein expression ratio by regulating the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis [62]. Here, AKT1 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.