Moreover, HepG2 presented notably downregulated autophagy-associated proteins, and the increase of miR-3651 further suppressed the autophagy process, but with the intervention of BEZ235, the impacts of miR-3651 were completely reversed. miR-3651 intensifies the growth and invasion of HCC cells through activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, which is probably a breakthrough in the future diagnosis and therapy of HCC.