The Gut Microbial Metabolite Trimethylamine-N-Oxide Is Present in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 9; no. 10; p. 1053
• Main Authors: Del Rio, Daniele, Zimetti, Francesca, Caffarra, Paolo, Tassotti, Michele, Bernini, Franco, Brighenti, Furio, Zini, Andrea, Zanotti, Ilaria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22.09.2017; MDPI
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer disease; Alzheimer Disease - cerebrospinal fluid; Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; Alzheimer Disease - microbiology; Bacteria - metabolism; carnitine; central nervous system; cerebrospinal fluid; choline; Chromatography, Liquid; chronic diseases; Communication; Dementia - cerebrospinal fluid; Dementia - diagnosis; Dementia - microbiology; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; intestinal microorganisms; intestines; Intestines - microbiology; liquid chromatography; Male; Mass Spectrometry; metabolism; metabolites; Methylamines - cerebrospinal fluid; Middle Aged; monitoring; Nervous system; organic matter; Predictive Value of Tests; Spinal Puncture; trimethylamine; trimethylamine-N-oxide; gut microbiota; central nervous system
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu9101053

Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a small organic molecule, derived from the intestinal and hepatic metabolism of dietary choline and carnitine. Although the involvement of TMAO in the framework of many chronic diseases has been recently described, no evidence on its putative role in the central nervous system has been provided. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether TMAO is present at detectable levels in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF was collected for diagnostic purposes from 58 subjects by lumbar puncture and TMAO was quantified by using liquid chromatography coupled with multiple-reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. The molecule was detected in all samples, at concentrations ranging between 0.11 and 6.43 µmol/L. Further analysis on CSF revealed that a total of 22 subjects were affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD), 16 were affected by non-AD related dementia, and 20 were affected by other neurological disorders. However, the stratification of TMAO levels according to the neurological diagnoses revealed no differences among the three groups. In conclusion, we provide the first evidence that TMAO can be assessed in human CSF, but the actual impact of this dietary metabolite in the patho-physiolgy of the central nervous system requires further study.