Causal relationships among gut microbiota, plasma metabolites, and hepatocellular carcinoma: A mediation Mendelian randomization study.

ABSTRACT: Observational studies have revealed an association between gut microbiota and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the causal relationship is unclear. This study investigated the causal relationship between gut microbiota and HCC and quantified the potential mediating role of plasma metabolites using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Two-sample MR analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between 211 gut microbiota species, 1400 plasma metabolites, and HCC using summary data from genome-wide association studies. Furthermore, a 2-step approach quantified the mediating effect of the gut microbiota on HCC through plasma metabolites. Effect estimates were primarily obtained using the inverse variance weighting method, and the robustness of the causal relationships was further

SUBMITTER: Zeng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12746965 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature