The Associations of Gut Microbiota Metabolites with Blood Lipids and the Effect of Rosuvastatin Therapy on Them

Background: Gut microbiota is contributed to the variations of blood lipids, and statins are found to affect the gut microbiota compositions. The aims of this study were to evaluate the associations of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and related precursors with blood lipids and the effect of rosuvastatin therapy on them.Methods: Totally 112 patients with suspected cardiovascular disease and received regular rosuvastatin therapy were enrolled in this study previously. The TMAO, choline, carnitine, betaine and γ-butyrobetaine (γBB) levels of the patients were analyzed by stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), and the associations between them and blood lipids were analyzed by statistical methods.Results: Plasma TMAO was correlated with triglyceride positively (r=0.303, p<0.05) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) negatively (r=-0.405, p<0.001). Plasma betaine was correlated with low density lipoprotein cholesterol negatively (r=-0.308, p<0.01). After adjustment of sex, age, body mass index, blood lipids and concomitant diseases, the association between TMAO and HDL-c was still significant (p<0.05). Besides, the correlation between TMAO and HDL-c still existed after rosuvastatin therapy (r=-0.253, p<0.01). Rosuvastatin therapy could decrease TMAO levels and increase carnitine, betaine and γBB levels significantly when it lowering the blood lipids.Conclusions: These results indicated that TMAO and related precursors were associated with blood lipids significantly, especially HDL-c. Rosuvastatin therapy not only affects the blood lipids, but also influences the levels of TMAO and related precursors.Trail registration: This study was retrospectively registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT02305862).