Open Access

Rifaximin prophylaxis in MASLD‑hepatocellular carcinoma: Lessons from a negative animal model

  • Authors:
    • Larisse Longo
    • Gabriel Tayguara Silveira Guerreiro
    • Luiza Behrens
    • Matheus Henrique Mariano Pereira
    • Carlos Eduardo Pinzon
    • Carlos Thadeu Schmidt Cerski
    • Carolina Uribe‑Cruz
    • Mário Reis Álvares‑da‑Silva
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: October 24, 2024     https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2024.1882
  • Article Number: 4
  • Copyright: © Longo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been rising, particularly among individuals diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease. In the present study, the prophylactic effects of rifaximin (RIF) on HCC, inflammatory markers and cardiovascular risk (CVR) were investigated in an animal model. Adult Sprague‑Dawley rats were randomly allocated into three groups (n=10, each): Control [standard diet/water plus gavage with vehicle (Veh)], HCC [high‑fat choline deficient diet (HFCD)/diethylnitrosamine (DEN) in drinking water/Veh gavage] and RIF [HFCD/DEN/RIF (50 mg/kg/day) gavage] groups. After euthanasia at week 16, biochemical/inflammatory markers and the liver histology were assessed. The results demonstrated that the HCC and RIF animals had a significant increase in fresh liver weight, liver weight/body weight ratio, serum total cholesterol (TC), high‑density lipoprotein‑cholesterol, triglycerides, hepatic lipid accumulation and hepatic concentration of triglycerides and TC, relative to the controls (P<0.001, for all). Additionally, the HCC and RIF animals had higher plasminogen activator inhibitor, intercellular adhesion molecule‑1, E‑selectin and CVR scores than the controls (P<0.001, for all). The HCC animals had higher interleukin (IL)‑1β (P=0.011), IL‑10 (P<0.001), toll‑like receptor‑2 (P=0.012), lipopolysaccharide‑binding protein (P=0.018) and metalloproteinase‑2 (P=0.003) levels than the RIF animals. Furthermore, liver steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis, along with increased collagen fiber deposition occurred in the HCC and RIF groups. However, HCC occurred only in 2 RIF rats. In conclusion, although most animals did not develop HCC in the present study, RIF positively affected liver inflammation markers involved in steatohepatitis pathogenesis.
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January-2025
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Spandidos Publications style
Longo L, Guerreiro GT, Behrens L, Pereira MH, Pinzon CE, Cerski CT, Uribe‑Cruz C and Álvares‑da‑Silva MR: Rifaximin prophylaxis in MASLD‑hepatocellular carcinoma: Lessons from a negative animal model. Biomed Rep 22: 4, 2025.
APA
Longo, L., Guerreiro, G.T., Behrens, L., Pereira, M.H., Pinzon, C.E., Cerski, C.T. ... Álvares‑da‑Silva, M.R. (2025). Rifaximin prophylaxis in MASLD‑hepatocellular carcinoma: Lessons from a negative animal model. Biomedical Reports, 22, 4. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2024.1882
MLA
Longo, L., Guerreiro, G. T., Behrens, L., Pereira, M. H., Pinzon, C. E., Cerski, C. T., Uribe‑Cruz, C., Álvares‑da‑Silva, M. R."Rifaximin prophylaxis in MASLD‑hepatocellular carcinoma: Lessons from a negative animal model". Biomedical Reports 22.1 (2025): 4.
Chicago
Longo, L., Guerreiro, G. T., Behrens, L., Pereira, M. H., Pinzon, C. E., Cerski, C. T., Uribe‑Cruz, C., Álvares‑da‑Silva, M. R."Rifaximin prophylaxis in MASLD‑hepatocellular carcinoma: Lessons from a negative animal model". Biomedical Reports 22, no. 1 (2025): 4. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2024.1882