TGFB1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: It mainly originates from the transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs): resting HSCs are stimulated by cytokines, such as TGF-β and PDGF, in TME, and transformed into activated myofibroblast-like CAFs, a process that is closely related to the background of hepatic fibrosis/cirrhosis, and is accompanied by fibrotic milieu in more than 90% of HCC cases [23–25].