ArticleSignal transduction and targeted therapy2022
Berberine treats atherosclerosis via a vitamine-like effect down-regulating Choline-TMA-TMAO production pathway in gut microbiota.
Article in Signal transduction and targeted therapy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 99 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
99 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 161 citations in OpenAlex.
- Berberine-gut microbiota interactions based on CiteSpace: current research status and hotspots.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of TMAO, microRNAs, and the oral/gut microbiomes in atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction: mechanistic insights and translational opportunities.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of prebiotics and phytochemicals on serum trimethylamine N-oxide reduction and gut microbiota: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Pooled it
- Gut microbiota regulate atherosclerosis via the gut-vascular axis: a scoping review of mechanisms and therapeutic interventions.Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- Impacts of intestinal microbiota metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide on cardiovascular disease: a bibliometric analysis.Frontiers in microbiology · 2024Pooled it
- Association of trimethylamine oxide and its precursors with cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Exploring global research trends in Chinese medicine for atherosclerosis: a bibliometric study 2012-2023.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Trimethylamine N-oxide activates cardiac fibroblasts transformation through NLRP3 inflammasome activation with changes in mitochondrial dynamics and ER-mitochondrial contact under ER stress.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2026Article
- Oral‑gut axis in systemic disease: A barrier‑metabolism‑immunity three‑dimensional regulatory model (Review).International journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Rhein alleviates acute pancreatitis by inhibiting TMAO-mediated inflammatory signaling pathways and reducing acinar cell injury.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota‑derived metabolites in cardiovascular disease: Focus on trimethylamine N‑oxide, short‑chain fatty acids and bile acids (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2026Review
- Clonal Hematopoiesis and Gut Microbiota-Derived TMAO as Candidate Amplifiers of Cardiovascular Inflammation: The CHIDT Hypothesis.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Microbiota-Derived Metabolites in Developmental Programming: Bridging Early-Life Gut Microbiota to Childhood Metabolic Disorders.Current medical science · 2026Review
- Intervening at the microbial crossroads: targeting inflammation across the oral-gut-reproductive microbiome crosstalk in atherosclerosis.Antonie van Leeuwenhoek · 2026Review
- Gut Microbial Choline TMA-Lyase CutC: From Metabolic Mechanism to a Novel Therapeutic Target for Diseases.Nutrients · 2026Review
- New Advances in the Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies of Gut Microbiota in Regulating Glycolipid Metabolism to Combat Atherosclerosis.Journal of cardiovascular translational research · 2026Review
- The Role of Long Non-Coding RNA in Atherosclerosis: Mechanism and Intervention of Traditional Chinese Medicine.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Based on the gut-heart axis: Polygonum capitatum improves atherosclerosis by modulating gut microbiota and TMAO, supporting MCPIP1/p53-associated endothelial protection.Chinese medicine · 2026Article
- Metagenomics and Machine Learning Identify TMA-ProducingNutrients · 2026Article
- Multi-Omics Mechanisms of Trimethylamine Oxide and Cardiovascular Disease: A Review.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) derived from the gut microbiota is an atherogenic metabolite. This study investigates whether or not berberine (BBR) could reduce TMAO production in the gut microbiota and treat atherosclerosis. Effects of BBR on TMAO production in the gut microbiota, as well as on plaque development in atherosclerosis were investigated in the culture of animal intestinal bacterial, HFD-fed animals and atherosclerotic patients, respectively. We found that oral BBR in animals lowers TMAO biosynthesis in intestine through interacting with the enzyme/co-enzyme of choline-trimethylamine lyase (CutC) and flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) in the gut microbiota. This action was performed by BBR's metabolite dihydroberberine (a reductive BBR by nitroreductase in the gut microbiota), via a vitamine-like effect down-regulating Choline-TMA-TMAO production pathway. Oral BBR decreased TMAO production in animal intestine, lowered blood TMAO and interrupted plaque formation in blood vessels in the HFD-fed hamsters. Moreover, 21 patients with atherosclerosis exhibited the average decrease of plaque score by 3.2% after oral BBR (0.5 g, bid) for 4 months (*P < 0.05, n = 21); whereas the plaque score in patients treated with rosuvastatin plus aspirin, or clopidogrel sulfate or ticagrelor (4 months, n = 12) increased by 1.9%. TMA and TMAO in patients decreased by 38 and 29% in faeces (*P < 0.05; *P < 0.05), and 37 and 35% in plasma (***P < 0.001; *P < 0.05), after 4 months on BBR. BBR might treat atherosclerotic plaque at least partially through decreasing TMAO in a mode of action similar to that of vitamins.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.