Correlation analysis for alterations of intestinal flora in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: combinatorial detection of Coriobacterium, Atopobium, Coprococcus and Veillonella dispar may be a new method for HCC diagnosis.

Abstract

Introduction. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumours in the world. Due to the characteristics of low early diagnosis rate, high malignancy and rapid progression, the majority of diagnosed patients are in the middle or late stage. Accumulating evidence reveals that intestinal flora imbalance will aggravate HCC by disturbing immune regulation, especially interleukin expression. Therefore, intestinal flora-based methods have the potential to be new diagnostic or therapeutic methods for HCC.Hypothesis. Compositions of intestinal florae were different between HCC patients and healthy people. Further, intestinal florae may alleviate or aggravate HCCs.Methods. To determine which intestinal florae and interleukin aggravate HCCs, we studied the differences in intestinal florae composition and interleukin (IL) indices between HCC patients and healthy people. A total of 64 HCC patients and 24 healthy people were recruited, and their fresh stool samples and serum samples were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolite index measurement.Results. Data showed that 484 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 476 OTUs were detected in the HCC and control groups, respectively. From the phylum level to the species level, 5, 6, 10, 15, 23 and 19 colonies showed differential abundance between the HCC group and healthy people. Moreover, interleukin-6 expression and interleukin-10 expression were significantly different between two groups. Of note, differences of Coriobacterium, Atopobium and Coprococcus at genus level and Veillonella dispar at species level in two groups were significantly related to IL-6 and IL-10.Conclusion. The abundance of intestinal florae in the HCC group was different from the control group. Additionally, combinatorial detection of Coriobacterium, Atopobium and Coprococcus at genus level and V. dispar at species level may be a new method for HCC diagnosis.