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Immune Restoration by Lipoic Acid in AIDS

NCT ID: NCT00033176

Last Updated: 2006-08-18

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Total Enrollment

33 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2002-02-28

Study Completion Date

2004-08-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to determine the immunomodulatory and antiviral effects of the glutathione-restoring dithiol, alpha lipoic acid (ALA) in HIV-infected persons unresponsive to highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART).

Detailed Description

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AIDS is characterized by infection with HIV which leads to collapse of the immune system. Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has contributed significantly to lowering morbidity and mortality from AIDS, antiretroviral drugs do not fully restore the immune system and patients often fail multi-drug treatment. Hence, there is a need for alternative/complementary medicine (CAM) that can restore an immune system ravaged by HIV/AIDS. To address this need, investigators have formed a multidisciplinary collaboration to evaluate and demonstrate utility of natural immune-based modulators in ethnically diverse patients with HIV/AIDS. The long-term goal of this proposal is to develop a CAM therapy to facilitate immune reconstitution and HIV eradication following cessation of antiretroviral treatment or concurrent with continued antiretroviral treatment. It is based on the premise of a widespread deficiency of glutathione (GSH), vital to lymphocyte function, in patients with HIV/AIDS. The proposed project will study the immunomodulatory and antiretroviral effects of a dietary antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), which is known to efficiently boost systemic GSH.

In this study, HIV-infected adults unresponsive to HAART (i.e. those with persistent CD4+ count \> 50 cells/mm3, viral load\> 10,000 copies/cc) will be randomized into a treatment or a control arm. The treatment group will be given 300 mg ALA thrice daily for 6 months and the control group will receive inert placebo. Studies performed at baseline and at 2,4, and 6 months will include estimation of CD4+ count, HIV RNA, T-cell reactivity in vitro and whole blood GSH level. Significance of changes from baseline parameters will be analyzed by t-tests. The proposed research will show whether GSH augmentation by ALA increases CD4+ cell number and T cell function and reduces viral load in subjects unresponsive to antiretroviral therapy.

Conditions

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Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome HIV Infections

Keywords

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complementary therapies Immune restoration HIV infection AIDS HAART non-responsiveness glutathione restoration lipoic acid dithiol

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Interventions

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Alpha Lipoic Acid

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* HIV-positive status
* HAART non-responsiveness as defined by 1) previous experience with at least 2 different protease inhibitors plus nucleoside analogs; 2) viral load of \>10,000 copies/cc and CD4+ cell count \>50 x 1000 cells/liter at time of enrollment

Exclusion Criteria

* Diabetic patients
* Pregnant women
* Asthmatic patients
* Severely thiamine-deficient persons (e.g. alcoholics and those with polyneuritis)
* History of supplementing on excessive amounts of N-acetylcysteine, glutathione or other antioxidant supplements, during the 2 months prior to study entry.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role lead

Principal Investigators

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Raxit J. Jariwalla, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

California Institute for Medical Research

Abha Kumar, MD

Role:

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Jay Lalezari, MD

Role:

Quest Clinical Research

Locations

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Quest Clinical Research

San Francisco, California, United States

Site Status

Eye Clinic, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

San Jose, California, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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R21AT000246-01A2

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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