Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genera, by modulating hepatic immune responses, reduce intrahepatic pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations, including IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, attenuating janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway activation, diminishing HCC-associated cytokine expression, and consequently reducing liver cancer cell proliferation and invasion, improving the immune microenvironment, and inhibiting HCC initiation and metastasis. The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is hepatocellular carcinoma.