The complex metabolism of trimethylamine in humans: endogenous and exogenous sources
Abstract
Trimethylamine (TMA) is a tertiary amine with a characteristic fishy odour. It is synthesised from dietary constituents, including choline, L-carnitine, betaine and lecithin by the action of microbial enzymes during both healthy and diseased conditions in humans. Trimethylaminuria (TMAU) is a disease typified by its association with the characteristic fishy odour because of decreased TMA metabolism and excessive TMA excretion. Besides TMAU, a number of other diseases are associated with abnormal levels of TMA, including renal disorders, cancer, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. Aside from its role in pathobiology, TMA is a precursor of trimethylamine-N-oxide that has been associated with an increased risk of athero-thrombogenesis. Additionally, TMA is a major air pollutant originating from vehicular exhaust, food waste and animal husbandry industry. The adverse effects of TMA need to be monitored given its ubiquitous presence in air and easy absorption through human skin. In this review, we highlight multifaceted attributes of TMA with an emphasis on its physiological, pathological and environmental impacts. We propose a clinical surveillance of human TMA levels that can fully assess its role as a potential marker of microbial dysbiosis-based diseases.
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TMAO can be metabolized to dimethylamine, formaldehyde, ammonia and methane by some methanogenic bacteria containing TMAO demethylase.
“Trimethylamine N-oxide can also be metabolized to dimethylamine (DMA), formaldehyde, ammonia and methane by some methanogenic bacteria containing the enzyme TMAO demethylase [22].”
From Implication of Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) in Disease: Potential Biomarker or New Therapeutic Target (2018) · cites this paper as [22]
A large number of bacteria belonging to the order Methanobacteriales are found in the human gut, and these Archaea use methyl compounds such as TMA and TMAO as substrate to generate methane.
“A large number of bacteria belonging to the order Methanobacteriales have been found in the human gut. These Archaea use methyl compounds such as TMA and TMAO as substrate to generate methane [22,31].”
From Implication of Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) in Disease: Potential Biomarker or New Therapeutic Target (2018) · cites this paper as [22]
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- Authors
- Chhibber-Goel, J., Gaur, A., Singhal, V., Parakh, N., Bhargava, B., & Sharma, A.
- Affiliations
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (IN)
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (IN)
- Corresponding author
- Sharma, Amit
- Venue
- Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2016
- Volume
- 18
- Pages
- e8-e8
- ISSN
- 1462-3994 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2343730384
- Cited by
- 93
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 0.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
- Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Polyamine Metabolism and Applications
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Clinical Biochemistry › Metabolism and Genetic Disorders
- Keywords
- trimethylamine, trimethylaminuria, trimethylamine N-oxide, choline, L-carnitine, betaine, lecithin, dietary precursors, microbial enzymes, atherosclerosis, dysbiosis, biomarkers, fishy odor
- MeSH terms
- Air Pollutants, Animals, Diet, Humans, Metabolism, Inborn Errors, Methylamines, Neoplasms, Odorants, Risk Factors, Thrombosis, Atherosclerosis, Renal Insufficiency
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