TXNIP and hepatocellular carcinoma: Using a red fluorescent MitoTracker dye, a cell-permeable dye that selectively accumulates in active mitochondria [26], we showed that punctate mitochondria were more visible in TXNIP-OE HCC-1954 cells than in WT HCC-1954 cells, as indicated by the reduced fluorescence (Fig. 2D), suggesting that TXNIP overexpression induces mitochondrial damage in HCC-1954 cells.