Elevated trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is associated with poor prognosis in primary sclerosing cholangitis patients with normal liver function.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is produced in the liver from trimethylamine, which is exclusively generated by gut bacteria.

Objective

The objective of this article is to investigate the relationship between TMAO and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and its clinical characteristics.

Methods

Serum TMAO was measured in 305 PSC patients, 90 ulcerative colitis patients and 99 healthy controls.

Results

In PSC patients with normal liver function (n = 197), TMAO was higher in patients reaching liver transplantation or death during follow-up than those who did not, with an optimal TMAO cut-off of 4.1 µM (AUC = 0.64, p < 0.001). PSC patients with high TMAO (>4.1 µM, n = 77) exhibited shorter transplantation-free survival than pa

SUBMITTER: Kummen M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5446140 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature