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Inconsistent nomenclature of microbiota-associated metabolites hampers progress of the field

Nature Metabolism volume 4, page 406 (2022)Cite this article

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The connection between 5-AVAB and gut microbial composition has been shown already in numerous recent publications5,6,8,9,10. However, endogenous synthesis as a secondary source of 5-AVAB in the body cannot be ruled out9. Furthermore, as mentioned in the paper by Liu et al., previous studies have also shown that diet can increase the biosynthesis of 5-AVAB or can contain a direct source of 5-AVAB9,11,12.

The key mechanism of action of 5-AVAB is the inhibition of fatty acid beta-oxidation, which has been shown in different cell types, including cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes1,2,5,13. This dose-dependent effect is similar to drugs such as meldonium and can be reversed by excess amounts of carnitine2. 5-AVAB is a substrate for the cell membrane carnitine transporter2, which likely explains why 5-AVAB accumulates in tissues with a high level of carnitine transporters, such as muscles11,12.

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Fig. 1: Structure of 5-aminovaleric acid betaine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Olli Kärkkäinen

  2. Food Chemistry and Food Development Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Ville Koistinen & Kati Hanhineva

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  1. Olli Kärkkäinen
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  2. Ville Koistinen
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  3. Kati Hanhineva
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Correspondence to Olli Kärkkäinen or Kati Hanhineva.

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Kärkkäinen, O., Koistinen, V. & Hanhineva, K. Inconsistent nomenclature of microbiota-associated metabolites hampers progress of the field. Nat Metab 4, 406 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00562-4

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