Table 1.
Gut microbiota alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma patients compared to healthy individuals.
| Category | Microbiota/parameter | Taxonomic level | Change in HCC | Clinical/pathological significance | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community | Overall gut microbial diversity | Ecosystem | ↓Decreased | Dysbiosis, reduced ecosystem stability, and resilience | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Phylum (↑) | Proteobacteria | Phylum | ↑ Increased | Liver tissue enrichment; associated with inflammation | Yu and Schwabe (2017) |
| Phylum (↑) | Actinobacteria | Phylum | ↑ Increased | Liver tissue enrichment; pro-inflammatory potential | Yu and Schwabe (2017) |
| Phylum | Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes | Phylum | Altered* | Metabolic and immune dysregulation | Yu and Schwabe (2017) |
| Taxa (↑) | Rhizobiaceae | Family | ↑ Increased | Microbial signature associated with HCC | Dossa et al. (2016) |
| Taxa (↑) | Agrobacterium | Genus | ↑ Increased | Microbial signature associated with HCC | Dossa et al. (2016) |
| Taxa (↑) | Parabacteroides | Genus | ↑ Increased | Linked to hepatic inflammation and fibrosis | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↑) | Clostridium | Genus | ↑ Increased | Associated with HCC development and progression | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↑) | Gemmiger | Genus | ↑ Increased | Promotes inflammatory responses | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↑) | Phascolarctobacterium | Genus | ↑ Increased | Contributes to hepatic pathology | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↑) | Enterococcus | Genus | ↑ Increased | Pathogenic potential, inflammation driver | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↑) | Streptococcus maltophilia | Species | ↑ Increased | Strongly associated with poor prognosis | Dossa et al. (2016) |
| Taxa (↓) | Pseudomonas | Genus | ↓ Decreased | Loss of potentially protective bacteria | Dossa et al. (2016) |
| Taxa (↓) | Verrucomicrobiaceae | Family | ↓ Decreased | Impaired intestinal barrier function | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↓) | Bifidobacteriaceae | Family | ↓ Decreased | Reduced protective and anti-inflammatory effects | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↓) | Akkermansia | Genus | ↓ Decreased | Compromised mucus layer integrity | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↓) | Alistipes | Genus | ↓ Decreased | Immune dysregulation | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↓) | Dialister | Genus | ↓ Decreased | Loss of barrier-protective functions | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↓) | Collinsella | Genus | ↓ Decreased | Altered metabolic homeostasis | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Taxa (↓) | Adlercreutzia | Genus | ↓ Decreased | Reduced beneficial metabolite production | Rajapakse et al. (2023), Behary et al. (2021a), and Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Metabolite | TMAO (Trimethylamine N-oxide) | Microbial metabolite | ↑ Increased (serum) | Positively correlated with HCC risk; promotes tumor progression | Zhou et al. (2024) and Liu et al. (2018) |
| Metabolite | SCFAs (Short-chain fatty acids) | Microbial metabolite | ↓ Decreased | Loss of anti-inflammatory, barrier-protective, and anti-tumor effects | Liu J. et al. (2023), Guo et al. (2013), and Gao et al. (2021) |
| Biomarker | LPS antibodies | Immune marker | ↑ Increased (serum) | Indicates bacterial translocation and barrier dysfunction | Yang et al. (2019) |
| Biomarker | Flagellin antibodies | Immune marker | ↑ Increased (serum) | Reflects gut-liver axis dysregulation and systemic inflammation | Yang et al. (2019) |
Changes indicate alterations in HCC patients compared to healthy individuals. ↑ = increased abundance/levels; ↓ = decreased abundance/levels. *Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes are noted as altered in HCC patient liver tissue, but specific directional changes require further clarification. TMAO = Trimethylamine N-oxide; SCFAs = Short-chain fatty acids; LPS = Lipopolysaccharide. Refs = Reference numbers from manuscript. Color coding: Red = increased taxa; Green = decreased taxa; Yellow = metabolites; Blue = biomarkers.