Manipulating the Gut Microbiome Study

NCT ID: NCT03181828

Last Updated: 2021-12-15

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

TERMINATED

Clinical Phase

PHASE1/PHASE2

Total Enrollment

4 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2017-03-24

Study Completion Date

2018-06-05

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The objective is to determine if acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) can prevent hydrolysis of urea by inhibiting the bacterial urease of gut flora of both healthy control adults as well as adults with urea cycle disorders

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This project will study the efficacy and safety of the pharmacologic blockade of urease in the nitrogen salvage pathway of intestinal microbes in subjects with partial urea cycle disorders. Additional trapping of ammonia as excretable urea may result in improved nitrogen excretion and reduced ammonia levels.

Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are a group of disorders resulting from a complete or partial deficiency of one of the 6 enzymes or 2 transporters that comprise the urea cycle, the essential biochemical pathway which converts toxic ammonia into urea. These disorders have as a common feature, a reduced or complete inability to convert ammonia into urea, thereby resulting in high ammonia levels, or hyperammonemia. If untreated, hyperammonemia may result acutely in lethargy and coma, and chronically in intellectual disability. Current treatment for hyperammonemia is suboptimal, thus the search for new treatments is critical.

The urease inhibitor, acetohydroxamic acid (AHA, Lithostat®, Mission Pharmacal), is an FDA-approved product for another indication- the treatment of struvite nephrolithiasis in chronic urinary tract infections in both adults and children.

It is known that many urea-splitting bacteria also exist in the gut, and that in healthy individuals, approximately 15-30% of blood urea is degraded via gut bacteria into ammonia3, which returns to the liver via the portal vein, only to be recycled into urea. This percentage of degraded urea may even be greater in patients with urea cycle disorders, who are on a low protein-diet4 and whose gastrointestinal contents thus likely have lower nitrogen content, promoting bacterial recycling of nitrogen from available urea. Additionally, urea hydrolysis has been shown to be greatest in infants5, precisely the age at which hyperammonemic episodes are the most frequent in UCD patients.

We intend to study if AHA can inhibit gut bacteria degradation of urea, thereby reducing the quantity of ammonia returning to the liver. We intend to investigate this by studying subjects on two occasions at least 3 days apart:

On the first occasion, subjects will receive an intravenous dose of 13C-urea. Following the intravenous bolus of 13C-urea, over the subsequent 4 hours, we will collect several sequential measurements of blood and urine biomarkers from an IV catheter placed in the other arm. The intent is to obtain baseline 13CO2 kinetics in the subject.

On the second occasion, subjects will first receive an oral dose of AHA approximately 1 hour prior to the intravenous 13C-urea dose. Similar sequential measurements of blood and urine biomarkers will be performed. The intent is to observe a reduction in 13CO2 when AHA is administered.

We intend to initially study a cohort of unaffected adult subjects. If successful, we will study adults with partial urea cycle disorders.

This study will be conducted in the Clinical Research Center (CRC) of the Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTSI) of Children's National Medical Center (CNMC).

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Urea Cycle Disorder

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

CPSI deficiency OTC Deficiency AS Deficiency AL Deficiency

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

This pilot randomized crossover study will first evaluate the impact of AHA versus non-AHA primarily on intestinal flora cleavage of an infused bolus of 13C-Urea and secondarily on other biomarkers in healthy adults before applying the same crossover design to UCD subjects.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Acetohydroxamic Acid Oral Tablet then No Intervention

Participants receive a single oral dose of 60 mg/kg acetohydroxamic acid (rounded to the nearest 250 mg) in the fasted state on the morning of the study. After completion of the 4-h study, participants then enter a wash-out period of 3 days. Participants then completed an identical 4-h study in the fasted state without acetohydroxamic acid.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acetohydroxamic Acid Oral Tablet

Intervention Type DRUG

A single oral dose of 60 mg/kg acetohydroxamic acid rounded to the nearest 250 mg tablet.

No treatment

Intervention Type OTHER

No treatment

No Intervention then Acetohydroxamic Acid Oral Tablet

Participants completed a 4-h study in the fasted state without acetohydroxamic acid. 3 days later, participants then completed an identical 4-h study in the fasted state, after having received a single oral dose of 60 mg/kg acetohydroxamic acid (rounded to the nearest 250 mg).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Acetohydroxamic Acid Oral Tablet

Intervention Type DRUG

A single oral dose of 60 mg/kg acetohydroxamic acid rounded to the nearest 250 mg tablet.

No treatment

Intervention Type OTHER

No treatment

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Acetohydroxamic Acid Oral Tablet

A single oral dose of 60 mg/kg acetohydroxamic acid rounded to the nearest 250 mg tablet.

Intervention Type DRUG

No treatment

No treatment

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Lithostat

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* For Group 1 (healthy adults):
* Ages 18-60 years
* Compliant with receiving medications orally and intravenously
* Compliant with providing blood and urine samples

For Group 2 (adult UCD patients):

* Ages 18-60 years
* Compliant with receiving medications orally and intravenously
* Compliant with providing blood and urine samples
* Established diagnosis of CPSD, OTCD, ASSD or ASLD as follows:

* Diagnosis of CPS I deficiency, defined as decreased (less than 20 % of control) CPS I enzyme activity in liver or an identified pathogenic mutation
* Diagnosis of OTC deficiency, defined as the identification of a pathogenic mutation, linkage analysis in an affected family, less than 20% of control of OTC activity in the liver, or elevated urinary orotate (greater than 20 uM/mM) in a random sample or following allopurinol loading with absence of argininosuccinic acid
* Diagnosis of AS deficiency (Citrullinemia), defined as a greater than or equal to 10-fold elevation of citrulline in plasma, decreased AS enzyme activity in cultured skin fibroblasts or other appropriate tissue, or identification of a pathogenic mutation in the AS gene
* Diagnosis of AL deficiency (Argininosuccinic Aciduria, ASA), defined as the presence of argininosuccinic acid in the blood or urine, decreased AL enzyme activity in cultured skin fibroblasts or other appropriate tissue, or identification of a pathogenic mutation in the AL gene

Exclusion Criteria

* For both Group 1 and Group 2:
* Current or prior Helicobacter pylori infection
* Chronic gastrointestinal illness (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease)
* Chronic renal failure
* Taking probiotic medications within a week of study start date
* Currently pregnant or lactating. Documentation of a negative pregnancy test within a week prior to testing is required, unless pre-menarchal or menopausal, experiencing menses that week, or other circumstances which preclude pregnancy (e.g. hysterectomy).
* Presence of acute infection at the time of inclusion
* Participation in any other clinical interventional trial or received experimental medication within the last 30 days
* Any clinical or laboratory abnormality or medical condition that, at the discretion of the investigator, may put the subject at an additional risk by participating in this study
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Nicholas Ah Mew

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Nicholas Ah Mew

MD

Responsibility Role SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Nicholas Ah Mew, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Children's National Research Institute

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Children's National Medical Center

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Provided Documents

Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.

Document Type: Study Protocol, Statistical Analysis Plan, and Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

#7230

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

NCT02670889

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: nct_alias