Association of Chronic Opisthorchis Infestation and Microbiota Alteration on Tumorigenesis in Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a common hepatobiliary cancer in East and Southeast Asia. The data of microbiota contribution in CCA are still unclear. Current available reports have demonstrated that an Opisthorchis viverrini (OV) infection leads to dysbiosis in the bile duct. An increase in the commensal bacteria Helicobacter spp. in OV-infected CCA patients is associated with bile duct inflammation, severity of bile duct fibrosis, and cholangiocyte proliferation. In addition, secondary bile acids, major microbial metabolites, can mediate cholangiocyte inflammation and proliferation in the liver. A range of samples from CCA patients (stool, bile, and tumor) showed different degrees of dysbiosis. The evidence from these samples suggests that OV infection is associated with alterations in microbiota and could potentially have a role in CCA. In this comprehensive review, reports from in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies that demonstrate possible links between OV infection, microbiota, and CCA pathogenesis are summarized and discussed. Understanding these associations may pave ways for novel potential adjunct intervention in gut microbiota in CCA patients.