Robert A Koeth, Betzabe Rachel Lam-Galvez, Jennifer Kirsop, Zeneng Wang, Bruce S Levison, Xiaodong Gu, Matthew F Copeland, David Bartlett, David B Cody, Hong J Dai, Miranda K Culley, Xinmin S Li, Xiaoming Fu, Yuping Wu, Lin Li, Joseph A DiDonato, W H Wilson Tang, Jose Carlos Garcia-Garcia, Stanley L Hazen
BACKGROUND: l-Carnitine, an abundant nutrient in red meat, accelerates atherosclerosis in mice via gut microbiota-dependent formation of trimethylamine (TMA) and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) via a multistep pathway involving an atherogenic intermediate, γ-butyrobetaine (γBB). The contribution of γBB in gut microbiota-dependent l-carnitine metabolism in humans is unknown. METHODS: Omnivores and vegans/vegetarians ingested deuterium-labeled l-carnitine (d3-l-carnitine) or γBB (d9-γBB), and both plasma metabolites and fecal polymicrobial transformations were examined at baseline, following oral antibiotics, or following chronic (≥2 months) l-carnitine supplementation...
January 2, 2019: Journal of Clinical Investigation