Dissecting the association between gut microbiota and liver cancer in European and East Asian populations using Mendelian randomization analysis

Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbiology

Hua Jiang¹  Chiyi He¹  Zhongyi Li²  Lingxuan An²  Tianjun Song³  Kai Zheng⁴ 

[1] Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu City, China;Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany;Department of Medicine II, University Hospital, Munich, Germany;Department of Trauma Microsurgery, Zhengzhou Central Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China;

关键词: gut microbiota;    liver cancer;    Mendelian randomization;    Europeans;    East Asians;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmicb.2023.1255650

 received in 2023-07-09, accepted in 2023-09-01,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAmple evidence suggests an important role of the gut microbiome in liver cancer, but the causal relationship between gut microbiome and liver cancer is unclear. This study employed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to examine the causal relationship between the gut microbiome and liver cancer in European and East Asian populations.MethodsWe sourced genetic variants linked to gut microbiota from the MiBioGen consortium meta-analysis, and procured liver cancer genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data from the FinnGen consortium and Biobank Japan. We employed the inverse variance weighted method for primary statistical analysis, fortified by several sensitivity analyses such as MR-PRESSO, MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted mode, and maximum likelihood methods for rigorous results. We also evaluated heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy.ResultsThe study examined an extensive set of gut microbiota, including 131 genera, 35 families, 20 orders, 16 classes, and 9 phyla. In Europeans, ten gut microbiota types displayed a suggestive association with liver cancer (p < 0.05). Notably, Oscillospira and Mollicutes RF9 exhibited a statistically significant positive association with liver cancer risk, with odds ratios (OR) of 2.59 (95% CI 1.36–4.95) and 2.03 (95% CI 1.21–3.40), respectively, after adjusting for multiple testing. In East Asians, while six microbial types demonstrated suggestive associations with liver cancer, only Oscillibacter displayed a statistically significant positive association (OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.11–2.19) with an FDR < 0.05. Sensitivity analyses reinforced these findings despite variations in p-values.ConclusionThis study provides evidence for a causal relationship between specific gut microbiota and liver cancer, enhancing the understanding of the role of the gut microbiome in liver cancer and may offer new avenues for preventive and therapeutic strategies.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Jiang, Song, Li, An, He and Zheng.