IL6 and hepatocellular carcinoma: Deoxycholic acid overproduction in gut dysbiosis promotes HCC progression by activating HSCs to secrete proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, PGE2, CXC9), which create an immunosuppressive milieu by suppressing NK and T-cell responses, Short-chain fatty acids also play a role in favoring HBx-mediated carcinogenesis [119,120].