Trimethylamine-N-oxide affects cell type-specific pathways and networks in mouse aorta to promote atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability.

Background: Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) has been significantly linked to atherosclerosis via several mechanisms, but its direct effect on the atherosclerosis-prone vasculature remains unclear. The objective of this study was to characterize the cell type-dependent and independent effects of TMAO on key vascular cell types involved in atherosclerosis progression .

Methods: We performed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) on aortic athero-prone regions of female mice fed control Chow, high-cholesterol (HC), or HC+TMAO diets for three months to identify which aortic cell types, differentially expressed genes, and biological pathways are affected by TMAO.