Gender-Stratified Gut Dysbiosis Patterns in HCC Patients: A Cross-Sectional Microbiome Study
Yehia, T., Azab, M., Abdellah, A., Amin, I., Ramadan, M. (2025). Gender-Stratified Gut Dysbiosis Patterns in HCC Patients: A Cross-Sectional Microbiome Study. EKB Journal Management System, 9(2), 110-120. doi: 10.21608/rpbs.2025.403562.1388
Tasnem Yehia; Marwa M Azab; Ali Abdellah; Ibrahim A Amin; Mohammed Ramadan. "Gender-Stratified Gut Dysbiosis Patterns in HCC Patients: A Cross-Sectional Microbiome Study". EKB Journal Management System, 9, 2, 2025, 110-120. doi: 10.21608/rpbs.2025.403562.1388
Yehia, T., Azab, M., Abdellah, A., Amin, I., Ramadan, M. (2025). 'Gender-Stratified Gut Dysbiosis Patterns in HCC Patients: A Cross-Sectional Microbiome Study', EKB Journal Management System, 9(2), pp. 110-120. doi: 10.21608/rpbs.2025.403562.1388
Yehia, T., Azab, M., Abdellah, A., Amin, I., Ramadan, M. Gender-Stratified Gut Dysbiosis Patterns in HCC Patients: A Cross-Sectional Microbiome Study. EKB Journal Management System, 2025; 9(2): 110-120. doi: 10.21608/rpbs.2025.403562.1388

Gender-Stratified Gut Dysbiosis Patterns in HCC Patients: A Cross-Sectional Microbiome Study

Records of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Volume 9, Issue 2, March 2025, Page 110-120  XML PDF (944.88 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/rpbs.2025.403562.1388
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Authors
Tasnem Yehia1; Marwa M Azaborcid 2; Ali Abdellah3; Ibrahim A Amin4; Mohammed Ramadan email 5
1Pharmacist
2Microbiology and Immunology, Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Suez Canal University, Ismaillia 41522, Egypt
3Department of microbiology and immunology, faculty of pharmacy, suez canal university
4Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71524, Egypt
5Behind Thawra School Sharkia Egypt
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibits significant sex disparities, with males demonstrating a higher incidence. While hepatitis C virus (HCV) drives hepatocarcinogenesis and the gut microbiome influences liver disease progression, Sex-specific microbiome signatures in HCC remain underexplored.
Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 36 participants stratified by sex and disease status: male controls (MC, n=9), male with HCC (MHCC, n=9), female controls (FC, n=9), and female with HCC (FHCC, n=9). Stool samples underwent 16S rRNA sequencing (V3-V4 regions).
Results: Profound sex-specific dysbiosis emerged: MHCC patients showed significant enrichment of pro-inflammatory Proteobacteria (Succinivibrio), correlating with coagulopathy (INR: r= 0.62) and thrombocytopenia (r= –0.61), while FHCC exhibited depletion of commensal Prevotella_9 and enrichment of estrogen-associated Eggerthella, linked to hyperbilirubinemia (r= 0.54) and extreme AFP elevation (r= 0.49). Alpha diversity loss was universal but more severe in males (Shannon index, padj= 0.008). Machine learning identified Lachnospiraceae_ND3007_group (male AUC = 0.81) and Eggerthella (female) as top discriminators.
Conclusion: Sex-stratified dysbiosis patterns reveal distinct HCC pathogenesis, inflammatory (Proteobacteria-driven) in males and metabolic (Eggerthella-mediated) in females. These signatures provide novel biomarkers for personalized risk stratification in HCV-associated HCC.
Keywords
Hepatocellular carcinoma; gut microbiome; Sex disparities
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