EEF2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) studies, Coptis extract containing 4.4% palmatine specifically blocks de novo vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein synthesis by increasing phosphorylation of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) in HCC cells, thereby exerting anti-angiogenic effects (Tan et al., 2014).