Bacterial Translocation and Risk of Liver Cancer in a Finnish Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Elevated systemic exposure to gut-derived bacterial products has been associated with hepatic inflammation and chronic liver diseases, potentially increasing the risk of liver cancer. However, only one prior study prospectively examined exposure to bacterial products in the circulation and risk of liver cancer, with a relatively limited coverage of biomarkers. METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study (224 liver cancer cases and 224 matched controls) in a large cohort of Finnish male smokers followed from baseline (1985-1988) to 2014. The associations between a panel of biomarkers for bacterial translocation and the risk of liver cancer were assessed using multivariable-adjusted conditional logistic regression. The biomarkers included immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgG, and IgM against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and flagellin, soluble CD14 (an LPS coreceptor), and the LPS-binding protein. RESULTS: Anti-flagellin IgA [odds ratios (OR), 2.79; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.34-5.78; P trend = 0.01] and anti-LPS IgA (2.44; 95% CI, 1.33-4.48; P trend < 0.01) were significantly associated with risk of liver cancer. When restricting the analysis to histologically classified hepatocellular carcinoma, the ORs were 4.18 (95% CI, 1.60-10.92; P trend < 0.01) and 2.48 (95% CI, 1.16-5.29; P trend < 0.01), respectively. The results were not substantially changed after excluding cases diagnosed within the first 5 years of follow-up and those with hepatitis C virus infection. CONCLUSIONS: Antibodies to flagellin and LPS were associated with increased risk of liver cancer. IMPACT: Gut-derived bacterial translocation into the circulation may play a role in the development of primary liver cancer. Our findings could contribute to the understanding of primary liver cancer etiology and further prevention efforts.

Exposure to bacterial products lipopolysaccharide and flagellin and hepatocellular carcinoma: a nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Leakage of bacterial products across the gut barrier may play a role in liver diseases which often precede the development of liver cancer. However, human studies, particularly from prospective settings, are lacking. METHODS: We used a case-control study design nested within a large prospective cohort to assess the association between circulating levels of anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and anti-flagellin immunoglobulin A (IgA) and G (IgG) (reflecting long-term exposures to LPS and flagellin, respectively) and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. A total of 139 men and women diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma between 1992 and 2010 were matched to 139 control subjects. Multivariable rate ratios (RRs), including adjustment for potential confounders, hepatitis B/C positivity, and degree of liver dysfunction, were calculated with conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Antibody response to LPS and flagellin was associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (highest vs. lowest quartile: RR = 11.76, 95% confidence interval = 1.70-81.40; P trend = 0.021). This finding did not vary substantially by time from enrollment to diagnosis, and did not change after adjustment for chronic infection with hepatitis B and C viruses. CONCLUSIONS: These novel findings, based on exposures up to several years prior to diagnosis, support a role for gut-derived bacterial products in hepatocellular carcinoma development. Further study into the role of gut barrier failure and exposure to bacterial products in liver diseases is warranted.

Serum Endotoxins and Flagellin and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are thought to be involved in colorectal cancer development. These processes may contribute to leakage of bacterial products, such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and flagellin, across the gut barrier. The objective of this study, nested within a prospective cohort, was to examine associations between circulating LPS and flagellin serum antibody levels and colorectal cancer risk. METHODS: A total of 1,065 incident colorectal cancer cases (colon, n = 667; rectal, n = 398) were matched (1:1) to control subjects. Serum flagellin- and LPS-specific IgA and IgG levels were quantitated by ELISA. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for multiple relevant confouding factors. RESULTS: Overall, elevated anti-LPS and anti-flagellin biomarker levels were not associated with colorectal cancer risk. After testing potential interactions by various factors relevant for colorectal cancer risk and anti-LPS and anti-flagellin, sex was identified as a statistically significant interaction factor (Pinteraction < 0.05 for all the biomarkers). Analyses stratified by sex showed a statistically significant positive colorectal cancer risk association for men (fully-adjusted OR for highest vs. lowest quartile for total anti-LPS + flagellin, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.10-2.51; Ptrend, 0.049), whereas a borderline statistically significant inverse association was observed for women (fully-adjusted OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.47-1.02; Ptrend, 0.18). CONCLUSION: In this prospective study on European populations, we found bacterial exposure levels to be positively associated to colorectal cancer risk among men, whereas in women, a possible inverse association may exist. IMPACT: Further studies are warranted to better clarify these preliminary observations.

Circulating Biomarkers of Gut Barrier Function: Correlates and Nonresponse to Calcium Supplementation among Colon Adenoma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Gut barrier dysfunction contributes to several gastrointestinal disorders, including colorectal cancer, but factors associated with intestinal hyperpermeability have been minimally studied in humans. METHODS: We tested the effects of two doses of calcium (1.0 or 2.0 g/d) on circulating biomarkers of gut permeability [anti-flagellin and anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Ig, measured via ELISA] over a 4-month treatment period among colorectal adenoma patients in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial (n = 193), and evaluated the factors associated with baseline levels of these biomarkers. RESULTS: Baseline concentrations of anti-flagellin IgA and anti-LPS IgA were, respectively, statistically significantly proportionately higher by 11.8% and 14.1% among men, 31.3% and 39.8% among those with a body mass index ≥ 35 kg/m(2), and 19.9% and 22.0% among those in the upper relative to the lowest sex-specific tertile of waist circumference. A combined permeability score (the summed optical densities of all four biomarkers) was 24.3% higher among women in the upper tertile of plasma C-reactive protein (Ptrend < 0.01). We found no appreciable effects of supplemental calcium on anti-flagellin or anti-LPS Igs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that (i) men and those with higher adiposity may have greater gut permeability, (ii) gut permeability and systemic inflammation may be directly associated with one another, and (iii) supplemental calcium may not modify circulating levels of gut permeability biomarkers within 4 months. IMPACT: Our findings may improve the understanding of the factors that influence gut permeability to inform development of treatable biomarkers of risk for colorectal cancer and other health outcomes.