EDN1 and hepatocellular carcinoma: In our study, EDN1 showed marked upregulation in chronic HCV cases (3.96-fold, 1.83–2.08 fold in HCC groups and 2.15-fold in the SVR group), consistent with prior studies linking it to the CXCL8–SRC oncogenic axis in prolonged HCV infection underscoring its role in linking inflammation to tumor initiation.52