Association of serum N,N,N-trimethyl-5-aminovaleric acid, trimethylamine N-oxide, and trimethyllysine levels with gestational diabetes mellitus

To investigate the association of serum N,N,N-trimethyl-5-aminovaleric acid (TMAVA), trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and trimethyllysine (TML) levels with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Seventy pregnant women from the Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital (March 2021 to October 2023) were enrolled in this study. Forty GDM patients with GDM were included in the GDM group (GDM), and 30 healthy controls were included (Con). Participants were further categorized into adverse and good outcome groups based on pregnancy outcomes. Serum TMAVA, TMAO, and TML levels were quantified using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS). Correlations between biomarker levels and clinical indicators were assessed using Pearson and Spearman analyses. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to evaluate risk factors and predictive value. Serum TMAVA, TMAO, and TML levels were significantly higher in the GDM group. TMAVA levels were positively correlated with fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), creatinine (Cr), TMAO, and TML. TMAO and TML positively correlated with FPG, 2-h postprandial glucose (2h PG), FINS, Cr, and uric acid (UA) levels, while TMAO negatively correlated with triglyceride (TG). Combined TMAVA, TMAO, and TML predicted GDM with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.940 (95% CI: 0.883–0.997). Elevated TMAVA levels were associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in GDM, with an AUC of 0.757 (95% CI: 0.612–0.902). Elevated serum levels of TMAVA, TMAO, and TML were significantly associated with the occurrence of GDM and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The combined detection of these three biomarkers demonstrated superior accuracy in predicting GDM. Among them, TMAVA demonstrated the highest predictive efficiency for adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with GDM. These findings provide new biomarkers for early screening and risk assessment of GDM, offering promising applications in clinical practice.