Gut Microbial Metabolite Trimethylamine N-Oxide Is Related to Thrombus Formation in Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia. Patients with AF are prone to forming cardiac thrombi. Elevated serum trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels are associated with increased thrombosis risk. No previous studies have examined the relationship between serum TMAO levels and thrombus formation in AF patients.

A total of 117 consecutive rheumatic heart disease patients with AF were enrolled. The patients were divided into 2 groups: patients with thrombi (n = 25) and patients without thrombi (n = 92). Platelet function tests were performed by light transmittance aggregometry. Serum TMAO, betaine and choline levels were quantified by liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry. Results were compared between the 2 groups. The correlation between serum TMAO levels and thrombi formation was examined.

No remarkable differences in demographic characteristics were found between the 2 groups. Serum TMAO levels were significantly higher in the thrombus group (4.55 UM [3.19-4.83] vs. 3.53 UM [2.96-4.25], P = 0.01). Enhanced platelet hyperreactivity was more likely in the thrombus group. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the diagnostic potential of serum TMAO levels to identify thrombus formation, with an area under the curve of 0.661 (P = 0.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.52-0.80). Binary regression analyses showed that serum TMAO had potent predictive power for thrombus formation (P < 0.01, 95% CI of 1.21-3.08).

Elevated serum TMAO levels were predictive of thrombus formation in AF patients. Our results highlight the usefulness of serum TMAO levels in identifying individuals with increased susceptibility to thrombus formation, allowing development of precise thrombus prevention strategies.