Trimethylamine (TMA) is a metabolite overtly present in patients suffering from trimethylaminuria (TMAU), a rare genetic disorder characterized by a strong "fishy" body odor. To date, no approved pharmacological treatment to sequester excess TMA on the skin of patients exists. Here, transmembrane pH gradient poly(isoprene)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) (PI-b-PEG) polymersomes are investigated for the topical removal of TMA. PI-b-PEG amphiphiles of varying chain length are synthesized and evaluated for their ability to form vesicular structures in aqueous media. The optimization of the PI/PEG ratio of transmembrane pH gradient polymersomes allows for the rapid and efficient capture of TMA both in solution and after incorporation into a topical hydrogel matrix at the pH of the skin. A subsequent double blind olfactory study reveals a significant decrease in perceived odor intensity after application of the polymersome-based formulation on artificial skin substrates that has been incubated in TMA-containing medium. This simple and novel approach has the potential to ease the burden of people suffering from TMAU.

中文翻译：

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用于治疗鱼臭综合症的工程聚合物体：第一项随机双盲嗅觉研究。

三甲胺 (TMA) 是一种明显存在于三甲胺尿症 (TMAU) 患者体内的代谢物，三甲胺尿症是一种罕见的遗传性疾病，其特征是强烈的“鱼腥味”体味。迄今为止，尚无批准的药物治疗方法可以将过量的 TMA 隔离在患者皮肤上。在这里，研究了跨膜 pH 梯度聚（异戊二烯）-嵌段-聚（乙二醇）（PI-b-PEG）聚合物囊泡的局部去除 TMA。合成了不同链长的 PI-b-PEG 两亲物，并评估了它们在水介质中形成囊泡结构的能力。跨膜 pH 梯度聚合物囊泡的 PI/PEG 比例的优化可以在溶液中以及在皮肤 pH 值下掺入局部水凝胶基质后快速有效地捕获 TMA。随后的双盲嗅觉研究表明，在含有 TMA 的介质中孵育的人造皮肤基材上应用基于聚合物囊泡的配方后，感知到的气味强度显着降低。这种简单而新颖的方法有可能减轻 TMAU 患者的负担。