2.3. Cell Line and Cell Culture

The human normal liver cell line LO2 was purchased from KeyGEN Biotech (Nanjing, China). The human HCC cell lines Huh7, SMMC-7721, and HepG2 were provided by the Cell Bank of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Shanghai, China). Cells were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum, 100 U/ml streptomycin, and 100 mg/ml penicillin at 37°C in a humidified atmosphere containing 5% CO₂.