Intravenous N-acetylcysteine for the Treatment of Gaucher's Disease and Parkinson's Disease

NCT ID: NCT01427517

Last Updated: 2019-11-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1
• Total Enrollment: 9 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2011-07-31
• Study Completion Date: 2012-12-31

Brief Summary

The investigators are interested in determining if the investigators are able to detect changes in brain chemistry using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), those with Gaucher's disease (GD), and those without neurological disorders (healthy controls) when they are given the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). This study will combine information from a medical history, a physical examination and disease rating scales with results obtained using MRS brain scans and pharmacokinetic studies from blood samples. This research will require 1 visit that will require about 4 to 5 hours of time. During this study, participants will provide their medical history, be examined and undergo a rating scale for about one hour; the brain scan and pharmacokinetic studies will require 1.5-2 hours of time; in total the study will take about 4-5 hours.

Detailed Description

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Further, levels of glutathione (GSH), a prevalent endogenous antioxidant, are decreased in the postmortem substantia nigra (SN) of individuals with PD, indicating increased oxidative stress, although this has yet not been confirmed in vivo. Increases in intracellular oxidative stress have also been observed in primary fibroblast cultures obtained from patients with GD, where enzyme replacement therapy resulted in increases in total GSH. The hypothesis that oxidative stress plays a key role in the neurodegeneration associated with PD suggests that antioxidants may be useful in altering disease progression.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a well-known antioxidant that is thought to act both as a free radical scavenger and as a cysteine donor for the synthesis of GSH. NAC may be beneficial in the treatment of PD and GD. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods may be able to determine if there are effects from NAC on central nervous system GSH levels. In addition, use of red blood cell (RBC) measurements of GSH, if correlated with brain concentrations, could serve as an easily measured biomarker to help characterize and monitor response to therapy. The investigators therefore propose to conduct a study of the effect of a single, intravenous dose of NAC on central (brain) measures of GSH and peripheral (RBC) measures of GSH in people with PD and healthy controls, through the use of simultaneous MRS techniques and pharmacokinetic studies. The investigators hypothesis and specific aims are as follows:

Hypothesis: RBC and brain GSH concentrations will increase following oral NAC administration in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), Gaucher's disease (GD), and control participants.

Specific Aims:

1. Quantitate baseline plasma and red blood cell GSH concentrations in those with PD and GD and controls; and characterize NAC and GSH pharmacokinetics after a single intravenous NAC administration.

2. Quantitate brain GSH levels (as ascertained through MRS) in those with PD and GD and controls at baseline and after a single intravenous NAC administration simultaneously with Aim 1.

3. Construct a pharmacokinetic model to evaluate the relationship between peripheral (plasma and RBC) and central (brain) GSH measurements.

Conditions

Parkinson's Disease; Gaucher's Disease

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

NAC in PD

single intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine in PD patients

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

N-acetylcysteine

Intervention Type: DRUG

Single, intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine

NAC in GD

single intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine in GD patients

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

N-acetylcysteine

Intervention Type: DRUG

Single, intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine

NAC in controls

single intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine in control subjects

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

N-acetylcysteine

Intervention Type: DRUG

Single, intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine

Interventions

N-acetylcysteine

Single, intravenous administration of N-acetylcysteine

Intervention Type: DRUG

Other Intervention Names

NAC

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. All participants must be 18 years or older.

2. All enrollees must understand and cooperate with requirements of the study in the opinion of the investigators and must be able to provide written informed consent.

3. Individuals with medically stable Parkinson's disease (in the opinion of the investigator).

4. All participants must not have taken antioxidants coenzyme Q-10, vitamin C, or vitamin E for 3 weeks prior to the study.

5. Absence of dementia in all subjects, as determined by pre-scanning cognitive assessment.

6. Control subjects who are able to undergo MRS

Exclusion Criteria

1. Inability to undergo MRI scanning without sedation

2. Medically unstable conditions in any group as determined by the investigators

3. Pregnant or lactating or those women of child-bearing age that are not using acceptable forms of contraception

4. Diagnosis of asthma that is presently being treated with ANY medication, or past history of asthma/bronchospasm resulting in an emergency room visit, hospitalization or treatment

5. Unable to adhere to study protocol for whatever reason

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network

NETWORK

Sponsor Role: collaborator

National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Minnesota

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Paul Tuite, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Minnesota

Locations

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Countries

United States

References

Holmay MJ, Terpstra M, Coles LD, Mishra U, Ahlskog M, Oz G, Cloyd JC, Tuite PJ. N-Acetylcysteine boosts brain and blood glutathione in Gaucher and Parkinson diseases. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2013 Jul-Aug;36(4):103-6. doi: 10.1097/WNF.0b013e31829ae713.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 23860343 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

U54NS065768

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

FWA00000312-2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id