Background: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with a higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the importance of the gut?liver axis has been recognized in NASH-associated HCC. We investigated the effect of TU-100 on the intestinal microbiome and hepatocarcinogenesis in a NASH model.
Methods: Seven-week-old Tsumura Suzuki obese diabetes mice, a model that shows the spontaneous onset of NASH and HCC, were used. They were divided into a TU-100 treated group and a control group. Mice were sacrificed at 24 and 48 weeks to evaluate hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, carcinogenesis, cytokine expression, and microbiome abundance.
Results: At 24 weeks, the TU-100 group showed significantly lower expression of IL6, IL1B, and ACTA2 mRNA in the liver (P?<?0.05). At 48 weeks, the TU-100 group showed significantly lower levels of serum alanine aminotransferase. The TU-100 group also showed a lower rate of NASH than the control group (28% vs 72%?;?P?=?0.1). Tumor diameter was significantly smaller in the TU-100 group compared with that in the control group (P?<?0.05). Regarding the intestinal microbiome, the genera Blautia and Ruminococcus were increased in the TU-100 group (P?<?0.05), whereas Dorea and Erysipelotrichaceae were decreased in the TU-100 group (P?<?0.05).
Conclusions: TU-100 regulates the intestinal microbiome and may suppress subsequent hepatocarcinogenesis in the NASH model. J. Med. Invest. 70 : 66-73, February, 2023.
Keywords: HCC; NASH; TU-100; hepatocarcinogenesis; microbiome.