Air Pollution, Epigenetics and Cardiovascular Health: A Human Intervention Trial

NCT ID: NCT01864824

Last Updated: 2017-05-11

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1
• Total Enrollment: 10 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2013-06-30
• Study Completion Date: 2014-07-31

Brief Summary

In this study, the pills formulated are being used to try to ameliorate the effect of air pollution on epigenetic changes, specifically DNA methylation, potentially linked with particulate matter air pollution inhalation and cardiovascular health effects. The way in which this is achieved is that the vitamins, which act as methyl donors, add a methyl group to the DNA to reverse the loss observed on exposure to air pollution.

Specifically for this study, the methyl donor supplement has been made by Jamieson Laboratories, and consists of 50mg Vitamin B6 and 1 mg Vitamin B12, (both within Health Canada approved limits) and 2.5 mg folic acid. The non-vitamin ingredients are those commonly used in pill formation. However, the folic acid concentration is 2.5mg, which is above the 1.0mg limit set by Health Canada for a natural health product. This concentration, however, has been used in previous academic studies safely and effectively, and was also formulated by Jamieson Laboratories. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00106886; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN14017017. HOPE2 study).

Detailed Description

Air pollution is a pervasive environmental threat estimated to cause ~800,000 deaths every year worldwide, mostly due to cardiovascular disease. This proposal addresses a fundamental mechanistic and pharmacologic question about effects of air pollution, which can most effectively be addressed through controlled human exposure experiments: does exposure have epigenetic effects that may have downstream subclinical or clinical consequences, and can adverse effects be safely reduced pharmacologically? Consistent evidence from in- vitro and human studies have shown that exposure to air particulate matter pollution (PM, i.e., fine particles) induces hypomethylation of the DNA, an epigenetic process that can underlie the activation of inflammatory genes and is postulated to link inhalation of PM into the lungs with cardiovascular inflammation and adverse responses. Our goal is to determine whether a pharmacological intervention with methyl-donors (i.e., folic acid, Vitamins B6 & B12, betaine, methionine, and choline) can avert this DNA methylation loss and mitigate the cardiovascular effects induced by PM exposure. The investigators will use experiments of human controlled exposure to PM - which reproduce conditions of exposure similar to those found in real life in urban environments - to conduct a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. The investigators will test whether pharmacological intervention with methyl-donors attenuates the effects of PM exposure on DNA methylation (Aim 1), mRNA expression & plasma cytokines (Aim 2), and blood pressure, arterial vasoconstriction, endothelial function, and autonomic control of the heart (Aim 3). The investigators' study is poised to be the first human investigation to translate a wealth of animal data showing that methyl-donors can be used to modulate epigenetic states and avert environmental effects. The investigators have a unique opportunity to achieve this goal because we have access to one of the few facilities worldwide for human controlled-exposure studies, as well as to state-of-the-art resources for epigenetics investigations. The investigators will examine DNA methylation and mRNA expression in T-helper cells from human individuals, a cell type with key roles in determining adverse hypertensive and endothelial responses, as shown in several animal models. The investigators will test the effects of methyl-donors on a battery of cardiovascular endpoints that are highly sensitive to PM exposure. The investigators will explore the use of advanced statistical methods for mediation analyses to understand the relationships among PM, DNA methylation, RNA expression, plasma cytokines, and cardiovascular endpoints. The study will be conducted by an investigative team that has conducted seminal work in all of the research areas on which this proposal is built upon, including environmental epigenetics, cardiovascular effects of PM, and human controlled exposure studies.

Conditions

Heart Rate; Heart Rate Variability; Inflammation

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

methyl donor

Methyl donor is made up of:

2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12 The design will include a 2 week placebo run-in followed by a baseline blank study (2-hrs exposure to medical air) to provide benchmarks for all assessed variables. Participants will then receive a 4-week placebo treatment before the first PM2.5 exposure study. A 4-week methyl-donor treatment (Dose: 2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12 once a day) will precede the 2nd PM2.5 exposure.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

methyl donor

Intervention Type: DRUG

The design will include a 2 week placebo run-in followed by a baseline blank study (2-hrs exposure to medical air) to provide benchmarks for all assessed variables. Participants will then receive a 4-week placebo treatment before the first PM2.5 exposure study. A 4-week methyl-donor treatment (Dose: 2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12 once a day) will precede the 2nd PM2.5 exposure.

placebo

placebo: The design will include a 2 week placebo run-in followed by a baseline blank study (2-hrs exposure to medical air) to provide benchmarks for all assessed variables. Participants will then receive a 4-week placebo treatment before the first PM2.5 exposure study. A 4-week methyl-donor treatment (Dose: 2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12 once a day) will precede the 2nd PM2.5 exposure.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Interventions

methyl donor

The design will include a 2 week placebo run-in followed by a baseline blank study (2-hrs exposure to medical air) to provide benchmarks for all assessed variables. Participants will then receive a 4-week placebo treatment before the first PM2.5 exposure study. A 4-week methyl-donor treatment (Dose: 2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12 once a day) will precede the 2nd PM2.5 exposure.

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo

Placebo

Intervention Type: DRUG

Other Intervention Names

Vitamin B6; Vitamin B12; Folic Acid; Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy volunteer
• Age 18-60 years old
• Non-smoker
• must be able to fast 8 hours prior to exposure visits and for a further 4 hours during the exposure

Exclusion Criteria

• Subjects must not be regularly taking multivitamins, vitamins C & E, folate, medications, fish oil or aspirin, oral or inhaled steroids, for 4 weeks before and during the trial.
• Lipid abnormalities
• Asthma or respiratory disease
• Hypertension (Bp> 140/90) or taking any blood pressure drug
• Known cardiac disease
• abnormal homocysteine or glucose levels

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Toronto

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Unity Health Toronto

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Andrea Baccarelli

MD, PHD, MPH

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Andrea Baccarelli, MD PHD MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

HSPH

Frances Silverman, PHD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Unity Health Toronto

Diane R. Gold, MD

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

HSPH

Locations

Gage Occupational and Environmental Health St. Michael's Hospital/University of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Countries

Canada

References

Adar SD, Gold DR, Coull BA, Schwartz J, Stone PH, Suh H. Focused exposures to airborne traffic particles and heart rate variability in the elderly. Epidemiology. 2007 Jan;18(1):95-103. doi: 10.1097/01.ede.0000249409.81050.46.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17149139 (View on PubMed)

Zhong J, Trevisi L, Urch B, Lin X, Speck M, Coull BA, Liss G, Thompson A, Wu S, Wilson A, Koutrakis P, Silverman F, Gold DR, Baccarelli AA. B-vitamin Supplementation Mitigates Effects of Fine Particles on Cardiac Autonomic Dysfunction and Inflammation: A Pilot Human Intervention Trial. Sci Rep. 2017 Apr 3;7:45322. doi: 10.1038/srep45322.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 28367952 (View on PubMed)

Zhong J, Karlsson O, Wang G, Li J, Guo Y, Lin X, Zemplenyi M, Sanchez-Guerra M, Trevisi L, Urch B, Speck M, Liang L, Coull BA, Koutrakis P, Silverman F, Gold DR, Wu T, Baccarelli AA. B vitamins attenuate the epigenetic effects of ambient fine particles in a pilot human intervention trial. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Mar 28;114(13):3503-3508. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1618545114. Epub 2017 Mar 13.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 28289216 (View on PubMed)

Zhong J, Urch B, Speck M, Coull BA, Koutrakis P, Thorne PS, Scott J, Liu L, Brook RD, Behbod B, Gibson H, Silverman F, Mittleman MA, Baccarelli AA, Gold DR. Endotoxin and beta-1,3-d-Glucan in Concentrated Ambient Particles Induce Rapid Increase in Blood Pressure in Controlled Human Exposures. Hypertension. 2015 Sep;66(3):509-16. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.05342. Epub 2015 Jun 29.

Reference Type: RESULT

PMID: 26123683 (View on PubMed)

Brook RD, Rajagopalan S, Pope CA 3rd, Brook JR, Bhatnagar A, Diez-Roux AV, Holguin F, Hong Y, Luepker RV, Mittleman MA, Peters A, Siscovick D, Smith SC Jr, Whitsel L, Kaufman JD; American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease, and Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism. Particulate matter air pollution and cardiovascular disease: An update to the scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2010 Jun 1;121(21):2331-78. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0b013e3181dbece1. Epub 2010 May 10.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 20458016 (View on PubMed)

O'Toole TE, Conklin DJ, Bhatnagar A. Environmental risk factors for heart disease. Rev Environ Health. 2008 Jul-Sep;23(3):167-202. doi: 10.1515/reveh.2008.23.3.167.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 19119685 (View on PubMed)

Zanobetti A, Canner MJ, Stone PH, Schwartz J, Sher D, Eagan-Bengston E, Gates KA, Hartley LH, Suh H, Gold DR. Ambient pollution and blood pressure in cardiac rehabilitation patients. Circulation. 2004 Oct 12;110(15):2184-9. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000143831.33243.D8. Epub 2004 Oct 4.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 15466639 (View on PubMed)

Brook RD, Rajagopalan S. Particulate matter, air pollution, and blood pressure. J Am Soc Hypertens. 2009 Sep-Oct;3(5):332-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jash.2009.08.005.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 20409976 (View on PubMed)

Brook RD, Bard RL, Burnett RT, Shin HH, Vette A, Croghan C, Phillips M, Rodes C, Thornburg J, Williams R. Differences in blood pressure and vascular responses associated with ambient fine particulate matter exposures measured at the personal versus community level. Occup Environ Med. 2011 Mar;68(3):224-30. doi: 10.1136/oem.2009.053991. Epub 2010 Oct 8.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 20935292 (View on PubMed)

Liu L, Ruddy T, Dalipaj M, Poon R, Szyszkowicz M, You H, Dales RE, Wheeler AJ. Effects of indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure to particulate air pollution on cardiovascular physiology and systemic mediators in seniors. J Occup Environ Med. 2009 Sep;51(9):1088-98. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181b35144.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 19701101 (View on PubMed)

O'Neill MS, Veves A, Zanobetti A, Sarnat JA, Gold DR, Economides PA, Horton ES, Schwartz J. Diabetes enhances vulnerability to particulate air pollution-associated impairment in vascular reactivity and endothelial function. Circulation. 2005 Jun 7;111(22):2913-20. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.104.517110. Epub 2005 May 31.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 15927967 (View on PubMed)

Baccarelli A, Cassano PA, Litonjua A, Park SK, Suh H, Sparrow D, Vokonas P, Schwartz J. Cardiac autonomic dysfunction: effects from particulate air pollution and protection by dietary methyl nutrients and metabolic polymorphisms. Circulation. 2008 Apr 8;117(14):1802-9. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.726067. Epub 2008 Mar 31.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 18378616 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

1R21ES021895-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

View Link