Gut mycobiome in the spectrum of Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): from MASH to hepatocellular carcinoma.
4 affiliations
- 1Graduate Program in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS Brazil; Experimental Laboratory of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Experimental Research Center, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
- 2Department of Clinical Analysis, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil.
- 3Laboratory of Bacterial Physiology and Microbial Molecular Genetics, Department of Parasitology, Microbiology and Immunology, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
- 4San Diego Digestive Diseases Research, Center University of California San Diego, USA.
Abstract
Gut Microbiome (GM) dysbiosis is associated with the development and progression of Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and steatohepatitis (MASH). Human GM contains bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses. Gut mycobiome (GMyco) is still poorly studied in patients with MASLD. Herein we investigated GMyco composition at different MASLD stages.Methods
23 patients were recruited: controls (n = 5); MASH (n = 6); cirrhosis (n = 7); and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) (n = 5). Stool samples were collected and stored in -80 °C for subsequent DNA extraction and profiled by 18S rRNA sequencing. The single sequence variants obtained were inferred with DADA2 and classified with SILVA v138. Diversity metrics (Simpson; Bray-Curtis PERMANOVA) and DESeq2 with BH FDR were used for statistical analysis.Results
Among 23 participants, 73.9% were women, and the average BMI was 30.7 kg/m². Current alcohol use was reported in 17.4%, and chronic medication use in 56.5% of individuals. MASH patients showed greater gut mycobiota alpha diversity compared with controls (p < 0.05). Controls exhibited higher relative abundance of the phylum Ascomycota, whereas Basidiomycota predominated in MASH. At the family level, Aspergillaceae was more abundant in controls, Malasseziaceae and Sporidiobolaceae in cirrhosis, and Saccharomycetaceae in HCC. Differential abundance analysis identified three ASVs differing between groups, with one ASV (genus Naganishia) homogeneously distributed in MASH and absent in controls.Conclusions
The gut mycobiota profile varied across the MASLD spectrum, with stage-specific enrichment of certain taxa despite overall similarity in community structure. Basidiomycetes ‒ notably Malassezia and Naganishia ‒ were more abundant in MASH, while Saccharomyces dominated in advanced stages. These findings suggest that distinct fungal signatures accompany disease progression and may serve as potential biological markers in MASLD.
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BibTeX
@article{perlin2026mycobiome,
title = {{Gut mycobiome in the spectrum of Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): from MASH to hepatocellular carcinoma.}},
author = {Cássio Marques Perlin and Melina Belén Keingeski and Bruno de Souza Basso and Beatriz Garcia Mendes and Julliane Dutra Medeiros and Francis Moreira Borges and Bernd Schnabl and Mário Reis Álvares-da-Silva},
journal = {Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.clinsp.2026.101200},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42887291},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Gut mycobiome in the spectrum of Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): from MASH to hepatocellular carcinoma.
AU - Cássio Marques Perlin
AU - Melina Belén Keingeski
AU - Bruno de Souza Basso
AU - Beatriz Garcia Mendes
AU - Julliane Dutra Medeiros
AU - Francis Moreira Borges
AU - Bernd Schnabl
AU - Mário Reis Álvares-da-Silva
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
DO - 10.1016/j.clinsp.2026.101200
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42887291
AB - Gut Microbiome (GM) dysbiosis is associated with the development and progression of Metabolic-dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and steatohepatitis (MASH). Human GM contains bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses. Gut mycobiome (GMyco) is still poorly studied in patients with MASLD. Herein we investigated GMyco composition at different MASLD stages.Methods 23 patients were recruited: controls (n = 5); MASH (n = 6); cirrhosis (n = 7); and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) (n = 5). Stool samples were collected and stored in -80 °C for subsequent DNA extraction and profiled by 18S rRNA sequencing. The single sequence variants obtained were inferred with DADA2 and classified with SILVA v138. Diversity metrics (Simpson; Bray-Curtis PERMANOVA) and DESeq2 with BH FDR were used for statistical analysis.Results Among 23 participants, 73.9% were women, and the average BMI was 30.7 kg/m². Current alcohol use was reported in 17.4%, and chronic medication use in 56.5% of individuals. MASH patients showed greater gut mycobiota alpha diversity compared with controls (p < 0.05). Controls exhibited higher relative abundance of the phylum Ascomycota, whereas Basidiomycota predominated in MASH. At the family level, Aspergillaceae was more abundant in controls, Malasseziaceae and Sporidiobolaceae in cirrhosis, and Saccharomycetaceae in HCC. Differential abundance analysis identified three ASVs differing between groups, with one ASV (genus Naganishia) homogeneously distributed in MASH and absent in controls.Conclusions The gut mycobiota profile varied across the MASLD spectrum, with stage-specific enrichment of certain taxa despite overall similarity in community structure. Basidiomycetes ‒ notably Malassezia and Naganishia ‒ were more abundant in MASH, while Saccharomyces dominated in advanced stages. These findings suggest that distinct fungal signatures accompany disease progression and may serve as potential biological markers in MASLD.
SN - 1807-5932
SN - 1980-5322
ER -