Characterization of the intestinal fungal microbiome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Gut mycobiota plays a crucial role in benign liver diseases; however, its correlation with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. This study aimed to elucidate fungal differences in patients with HCC-associated cirrhosis compared to cirrhotic patients without HCC and healthy controls.

Methods

The 72 fecal samples from 34 HCC patients, 20 cirrhotic patients, and 18 healthy controls were collected and analyzed using ITS2 rDNA sequencing.

Results

Our results revealed the presence of intestinal fungal dysbiosis with significant enrichment of opportunistic pathogenic fungi such as Malassezia, Malassezia sp., Candida, and C. albicans in HCC patients compared with healthy controls and cirrhosis patients. Alpha-diversity analysis demonstrated that patients

SUBMITTER: Zhang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9933289 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature