ACE and hepatocellular carcinoma: The HCC group showed elevated serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), along with upregulated hepatic expression of P70S6K, transforming growth factor-beta, DNA methyltransferase 3 beta (DNMT3b), and Caspase-3 genes, as well as HepPar 1, Ki67, cyclin D1, and arginase 1 proteins (all P < 0.001).