Moreover, the transfer of CD45+ EPCs from cachexic HCC mice intravenously to tumour‐free mice caused a decrease in thymocytes compared to mFbs, decreased the mFb/capFb ratio (Figure 5C) and decreased Mmp9, LtβR and Ccl19 expression in mFbs (Figure 5D,E). Here, MMP9 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.