Gatarek Paulina, Kaluzna-Czaplinska Joanna
Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, Lodz, Poland.
EXCLI J. 2021 Feb 11;20:301-319. doi: 10.17179/excli2020-3239. eCollection 2021.
Due to numerous links between trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) and various disorders and diseases, this topic is very popular and is often taken up by researchers. TMAO is a low molecular weight compound that belongs to the class of amine oxides. It is formed by the process of oxidation of trimethylamine (TMA) by the hepatic flavin monooxygenases (FMO1 and FMO3). TMAO is mainly formed from nutritional substrates from the metabolism of phosphatidylcholine/choline, carnitine, betaine, dimethylglycine, and ergothioneine by intestinal microflora in the colon. Its level is determined by many factors, such as age, gender, diet, intestinal microflora composition, kidney function, and also liver flavin monooxygenase activity. Many studies report a positive relationship between the level of TMAO concentration and the development of various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cardiorenal disorders, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, ischemic stroke, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and chronic kidney disease, and also diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cancers (stomach, colon), as well as neurological disorders. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge on the effects of TMAO on human health, the relationship between TMAO and intestinal microbiota, the role of TMAO in different diseases, and current analytical techniques used in TMAO determination in body fluids.
由于氧化三甲胺（TMAO）与多种病症和疾病之间存在众多联系，该主题非常热门，经常被研究人员探讨。TMAO是一种低分子量化合物，属于氧化胺类。它是由肝脏黄素单加氧酶（FMO1和FMO3）将三甲胺（TMA）氧化而成。TMAO主要由结肠中肠道微生物群对磷脂酰胆碱/胆碱、肉碱、甜菜碱、二甲基甘氨酸和麦角硫因代谢产生的营养底物形成。其水平由许多因素决定，如年龄、性别、饮食、肠道微生物群组成、肾功能以及肝脏黄素单加氧酶活性。许多研究报告了TMAO浓度水平与各种疾病的发生发展之间存在正相关，如心血管疾病和心肾疾病，包括动脉粥样硬化、高血压、缺血性中风、心房颤动、心力衰竭、急性心肌梗死和慢性肾病，还有糖尿病、代谢综合征、癌症（胃癌、结肠癌）以及神经疾病。在本综述中，我们总结了关于TMAO对人体健康影响的现有知识、TMAO与肠道微生物群的关系、TMAO在不同疾病中的作用以及目前用于测定体液中TMAO的分析技术。
