Article from Albany Daily Star (circa spring 2016).Concise article explaining how DMB 'blocks' trimethylamine production.
Hazen and Wang are the names to look out for re Cleveland lab research.
This article (Daily Albany Star : spring 2016) concisely explains in layperson terms how DMB 'blocks' TMA formation by bacteria in the gut. It includes quotes from Dr Hazen (well known to us) and his collegue Dr Zeneng Wang. Dr Wang seems to be the lead author of most of the research from Cleveland Clinic lab research on ways to block TMA formation in the gut. The Hazen lab was the one who in 2011 put forward the theory that TMA-oxide may be a major factor in atherosclerosis.
Read the TMA - DMB article
Connection with systemic body odor :
As TMAU is the only current 'benign' systemic malodor disorder documented (really), with the cause of the malodor said to be trimethylamine, then any research that might block TMA formation in humans will be of interest to those who feel TMA is solely responsible for their smell (or partly). So we follow the research of the Cleveland lab in particular (e.g. papers with Wang and/or Hazen) and any others researching this theory.
DMB-TMA Cleveland research : What we know so far
In Late 2015 Wang et al issued a paper saying DMB 'blocked' TMA formation in mice gut.
In Aug 2015 the lab announced a deal with Proctor and Gamble to sell an over-the-counter product to help with 'TMA-oxide management'. It's not known when it will be on sale.
Comments on the article :
The article explains how DMB acts as a 'gobstopper' to the enzyme in the bacteria, blocking it's ability to oxidize TMA. This is because DMB is stuturally similar to choline. Enzyme blockers are often 'analogs' of the substrate that act as a decoy.
It's interesting to note they mention TMA smells. Perhaps this was an influence on Dr Hazen, though it says originally they looked for a TMA-oxide blocker. Anyhow Dr Hazen is aware of TMAU since 2011.
It's a case now of waiting for the DMB supplement to be on sale, though it could take years.
So Wang went after the microbes instead. He identified a substance called DMB that looks a little like choline, and acts as a gobstopper. It gums up the enzymes that the bacteria normally use to digest choline, which prevents them from producing TMA...
...To be clear, the researchers aren’t trying to kill the microbes. Their substance isn’t an antibiotic; it just nudges the microbes’ behavior away from certain actions that negatively affect our health. “It’s a new approach to treating not just the individual Homo sapiens but also the microbes that live with us, and collectively contribute to disease,” says Hazen...
... At first, Hazen’s team tried to prevent the second part of this chain by blocking the animal enzyme. They succeeded, lowering TMAO levels in mice and making them resistant to atherosclerosis. But there was just one problem: Disabling the enzyme leads to a build-up of TMA, which doesn’t harm the heart but does smell of rotting fish....
Read the TMA - DMB article
...To be clear, the researchers aren’t trying to kill the microbes. Their substance isn’t an antibiotic; it just nudges the microbes’ behavior away from certain actions that negatively affect our health. “It’s a new approach to treating not just the individual Homo sapiens but also the microbes that live with us, and collectively contribute to disease,” says Hazen...
... At first, Hazen’s team tried to prevent the second part of this chain by blocking the animal enzyme. They succeeded, lowering TMAO levels in mice and making them resistant to atherosclerosis. But there was just one problem: Disabling the enzyme leads to a build-up of TMA, which doesn’t harm the heart but does smell of rotting fish....
Read the TMA - DMB article
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