title: Studies on the discontinuous N-oxidation of trimethylamine among Jordanian, Ecuadorian and New Guinean populations.
abstract: Whilst the majority of individuals within a British white population are able to convert greater than 90% of their dietary-derived trimethylamine to its N-oxide, outliers exist who show varying degrees of impairment. Such individuals excrete unoxidized trimethylamine in their urine and, if sufficiently compromised, may experience malodour problems (Fish-Odour Syndrome). Little information concerning this polymorphic N-oxidation process is available in other ethnic groups and the present study explores Jordanian, Ecuadorian and New Guinean populations. Subjects with a relative deficiency in N-oxidation were found in all three groups, with 1.7% (2/116) Jordanian, 3.8% (3/8) Ecuadorian and 11.0% (11/100) New Guinean excreting 80% or less of their total trimethylamine as the N-oxide. Two subjects from the Ecuadorian population (4% and 33% total trimethylamine as the N-oxide) exhibited frank trimethylaminuria. These observations suggest that a compromised ability to N-oxidize trimethylamine is detectable in several ethnic groups and that this polymorphic phenomenon may have a widespread existence.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College, School of Medicine at St Mary's, London, UK.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: A Q
authors.initials: AQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ayesh
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004032:Diet; D004484:Ecuador / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D008744:Methylamines / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009512:New Guinea / Q000208:ethnology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010375:Pedigree; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: D008744:Methylamines; C023336:trimethylamine