Treatment with low concentrations of NaHS (10-100 μM) increases the protein levels of phosphorylated-epidermal growth factor receptor (p-EGFR), phosphorylated-extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (p-ERK), matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), and p-Akt, which could activate the EGFR and its downstream signaling pathways to promote HCC proliferation and invasion (Fig. 3). This evidence concerns the gene MMP2 and hepatocellular carcinoma.