Intestinal Metabolic Reprogramming as a Key Mechanism of Gastric Bypass in Humans

NCT ID: NCT02710370

Last Updated: 2025-07-11

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

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

46 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-02-29

Study Completion Date

2028-08-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this research study is to determine how gastric bypass surgery effects metabolism in obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. One mechanism that has been investigated in animal models is change to the biology of the small intestine (Roux limb) and how glucose and other fuels are metabolized (or how the body digests and uses sugar and other fuels). This study will evaluate the role of the intestine in the beneficial metabolic effects of gastric bypass surgery. It specifically will examine whether the intestine increases its metabolism and its activity, and whether this results in an increase in fuel utilization. Thirty two (32) subjects will be recruited (18 with and 14 without Type 2 Diabetes). At the time of gastric bypass surgery, a small piece of intestine that is usually discarded will be collected. At three time points over the first year after surgery, intestinal samples will be obtained by endoscopy or insertion of a lighted flexible tube through the mouth. Blood samples will be taken at all time points, as well. All samples will undergo comprehensive metabolic analyses. Comparisons will be made between the two groups to understand the metabolic changes over time and if there are differences between the two groups.

Detailed Description

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Several studies have concluded that Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGBS) is the best current treatment option for obesity-related Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The mechanisms underlying RYGBS-induced improvement in glycemic control remain unclear. Many investigators have advocated that this effect does not depend upon body weight loss, based on clinical observations that improvement in glucose homeostasis occurs early in the postoperative period, often prior to hospital discharge. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the metabolic effects of RYGBS will help to engineer ways to improve RYGB or to produce these effects without surgery.

This study will examine the concept of intestinal metabolic reprogramming as one of the key mechanisms of action for diabetes improvement following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGBS) in humans. It is hypothesized that the reconfigured intestine is characterized by an increase in energetically expensive processes, such as structural remodeling, cytoskeletal reorganization, and cellular proliferation. To accommodate the increased bioenergetics demands, the intestinal epithelium increases its metabolic activity and reprograms its fuel utilization. Specifically, glucose, cholesterol and amino acid metabolism are all dramatically altered to increase anabolic pathways and generate building blocks for cellular growth and maintenance.

It has not previously been possible to test this hypothesis in humans as: A) the adaptive processes of the intestine in patients undergoing RYGBS have not been thoroughly characterized, B) it is not known whether the intestinal reprogramming appears early enough to explain the prompt improvement in glucose metabolism observed after RYGBS in humans, and C) the variability of the degree of intestinal metabolic adaptation, which could account for the variability in remission of T2DM, has not been studied. This study will perform a longitudinal, comprehensive metabolic analysis of the Roux limb in human subjects with and without T2DM undergoing RYGBS and determine the time course of the adaptive metabolic changes.

Eighteen (18) subjects with and fourteen (14) subjects without T2DM (total 32 subjects), who have been scheduled to undergo RYGBS as standard of care, will be recruited. For each enrolled subject, data collection will include an intestinal tissue sample (Roux limb tissue sampling from discarded tissue) at the time of RYGBS, from the mucosa of the jejunum, within 40 cm from the gastrojejunal anastomosis. Postoperatively, tissue sampling from the same area will be performed by an Upper GI endoscopy, at 1 month (±15 days), 6 months (±1 month) and 12 months (±2 months) after RYGBS. Tissue samples will be processed for histo-morphological examination and for RNA, protein and metabolomics analyses. A blood sample will be obtained at all time points and analyzed for metabolic biomarkers. Data analysis will include description and comparison of the morphological, gene protein and metabolite signatures of the intestinal (Roux limb) tissue and the blood biomarkers from each time point. Additionally, these outcome measures will be compared between the two groups (T2DM and Non-T2DM). Finally, a correlation of the intestinal adaptive changes with metabolic status, some eating behaviors, adverse symptomatology, and quality of life will be undertaken.

Conditions

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Obesity Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 Endocrine System Diseases Glucose Metabolism Disorders Metabolic Diseases

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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Controls

Patients who meet criteria for gastric bypass surgery, and do not have a documented history of Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes.

No interventions assigned to this group

Participants with Type 2 Diabetes

Patients who meet criteria for gastric bypass surgery, and have a documented history of Type 2 Diabetes.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients who elect to undergo gastric bypass surgery
* Standard bariatric surgery criteria (A BMI 35 to 40 kg/m2, with an obesity comorbid condition, OR BMI 40 kg/m2 or \>).

Exclusion Criteria

* Prior bariatric or foregut surgery
* Documented history of Type 1 Diabetes
* Poor overall general health
* Impaired mental status
* Drug and/or alcohol addiction
* Currently smoking
* Pregnant or plans to become pregnant
* Portal hypertension and/or cirrhosis
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Harvard University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

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

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Pittsburgh

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Anita P. Courcoulas

Director, Minimally Invasive Bariatric & General Surgery

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Anita Courcoulas, MD, MPH

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pittsburgh

Locations

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Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Saeidi N, Meoli L, Nestoridi E, Gupta NK, Kvas S, Kucharczyk J, Bonab AA, Fischman AJ, Yarmush ML, Stylopoulos N. Reprogramming of intestinal glucose metabolism and glycemic control in rats after gastric bypass. Science. 2013 Jul 26;341(6144):406-10. doi: 10.1126/science.1235103.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23888041 (View on PubMed)

Laferrere B. Do we really know why diabetes remits after gastric bypass surgery? Endocrine. 2011 Oct;40(2):162-7. doi: 10.1007/s12020-011-9514-x. Epub 2011 Aug 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21853297 (View on PubMed)

Courcoulas AP, Christian NJ, Belle SH, Berk PD, Flum DR, Garcia L, Horlick M, Kalarchian MA, King WC, Mitchell JE, Patterson EJ, Pender JR, Pomp A, Pories WJ, Thirlby RC, Yanovski SZ, Wolfe BM; Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) Consortium. Weight change and health outcomes at 3 years after bariatric surgery among individuals with severe obesity. JAMA. 2013 Dec 11;310(22):2416-25. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.280928.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24189773 (View on PubMed)

Stylopoulos N, Hoppin AG, Kaplan LM. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass enhances energy expenditure and extends lifespan in diet-induced obese rats. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Oct;17(10):1839-47. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.207. Epub 2009 Jun 25.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19556976 (View on PubMed)

Arterburn DE, Courcoulas AP. Bariatric surgery for obesity and metabolic conditions in adults. BMJ. 2014 Aug 27;349:g3961. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g3961.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25164369 (View on PubMed)

Nestoridi E, Kvas S, Kucharczyk J, Stylopoulos N. Resting energy expenditure and energetic cost of feeding are augmented after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in obese mice. Endocrinology. 2012 May;153(5):2234-44. doi: 10.1210/en.2011-2041. Epub 2012 Mar 13.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22416083 (View on PubMed)

Stefater-Richards MA, Panciotti C, Feldman HA, Gourash WF, Shirley E, Hutchinson JN, Golick L, Park SW, Courcoulas AP, Stylopoulos N. Gut adaptation after gastric bypass in humans reveals metabolically significant shift in fuel metabolism. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Jan;31(1):49-61. doi: 10.1002/oby.23585.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36541157 (View on PubMed)

Stefater-Richards MA, Panciotti C, Esteva V, Lerner M, Petty CR, Gourash WF, Courcoulas AP. Gastric bypass elicits persistent gut adaptation and unique diabetes remission-related metabolic gene regulation. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2024 Nov;32(11):2135-2148. doi: 10.1002/oby.24135. Epub 2024 Oct 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39410706 (View on PubMed)

Courcoulas AP, Stefater MA, Shirley E, Gourash WF, Stylopoulos N. The Feasibility of Examining the Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Intestinal Metabolism: Prospective, Longitudinal Mechanistic Clinical Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2019 Jan 24;8(1):e12459. doi: 10.2196/12459.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30679147 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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R01DK108642

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

STUDY19060074

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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