Biostimulants Application to Lettuce

NCT ID: NCT06656871

Last Updated: 2024-10-24

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

NA

Total Enrollment

55 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-06-10

Study Completion Date

2023-09-10

Brief Summary

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Biostimulants application to vegetables is a useful agronomic approach to reduce the use of pesticides and to improve crop yield and quality by a naturally functionalizing process. The aim of the study is to verify the effects of a nutritional intervention with lettuce Biostimulated by application of seaweed extracts derived from Ecklonia maxima (SwE) in a healthy population in order to assess influence on specific essential minerals like calcium, potassium iron, magnesium, phosphorous (Primary outcome) and metabolisms like glucose, lipid, iron homeostasis (Secondary outcome).

Detailed Description

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The present project aims to investigate the benefits of biostimulants lettuce in a cohort of healthy individuals. Biostimulants are organic and inorganic compounds or microorganisms that when applied to plants can enhance plants' growth, yield, and tolerance to stress. Seaweed extract treatment seems to enhance mineral concentration in crops. Participants will be fed with biostimulated lettuce or a tablet of iron daily in order to study the influence on hematological parameters.

A cohort of healthy subjects will be divided into a control group, receiving control lettuce, lettuce SwE group, receiving biostimulated lettuce and iron tablet group receiving iron bisglycinate (30 mg) supplement in tablet for a total of 4 weeks. Blood samples will be collected in specific tubes before (baseline) and after the nutritional intervention (T2). The group will eat 100 grams of Lettuce (control group) and 100 grams of SwE Biostimulated lettuce (intervention group lettuce) for 4 weeks (100 grams/daily) or a tablet of iron (intervention group iron tablet) and collect blood samples (serum and plasma) baseline, before starting the nutritional intervention and after 4 weeks (T2).

Each subject will be subjected to two venous blood samples taken at the beginning of the observation and at the end. The samples obtained will be transported in certified containers for the safe transport of biological samples, and, subsequently, processed by the experimenters at the laboratories of the Molecular Biology section of the University of Palermo. Serum and plasma will be obtained from each blood sample. All information thus obtained will be recorded in a database in which each person will be identified with a numerical code, in order to comply with current privacy regulations. Body weight, Barefoot standing height, Body mass index, Body composition will be measured in the different groups of study. Samples will be analyzed and compared for glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, Ferritin, Iron, transferrin, Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Phosphate, Potassium.

Statistical analysis plan:

Student t tests will be used to compare the baseline characteristics of the groups. Changes between baseline and follow-up will be analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Sidak post test. A P \< 0.05 will be considered to be statistically significant by using appropriate software.

Conditions

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Nutrition, Healthy Glucose Metabolism Disorders Lipid Metabolism Disorders Dietary Deficiency

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Control group

The control group received lettuce (control lettuce 100 grams/day) that was without any biostimulation with Ecklonia Maxima algae but with the same characteristic of SwE lettuce (soil, water, harvesting time) for 4 weeks.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Biostimulated SwE lettuce intervention group

The SwE lettuce intervention group received lettuce biostimulated with Ecklonia Maxima algae (SwE lettuce, 100 grams/day) for 4 weeks

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Biostimulated lettuce supplementation

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

the intervention group SwE lettuce group received lettuce biostimulated with Ecklonia Maxima algae (SwE lettuce, 100 grams/day) daily for 4 weeks

Iron tablet intervention group

The iron tablet intervention group received iron supplementation (30 mg, 1 tablet/day of iron) for 4 weeks

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

iron supplementation

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

The iron tablet group received iron supplementation (30 mg, 1 tablet/day of iron) for 4 weeks

Interventions

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iron supplementation

The iron tablet group received iron supplementation (30 mg, 1 tablet/day of iron) for 4 weeks

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Biostimulated lettuce supplementation

the intervention group SwE lettuce group received lettuce biostimulated with Ecklonia Maxima algae (SwE lettuce, 100 grams/day) daily for 4 weeks

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age 20 - 70 years
* Italian Ethnicity
* Body mass index between 18.5 and 28.5 kg/m2
* Clinically Healthy

Exclusion Criteria

* Chronic disease
* Use of drugs
* Pregnancy
* Exogenous hormones
* Breastfeeding
* Use of supplements
* sensitivity to lettuce
Minimum Eligible Age

20 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

70 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Palermo

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Sara Baldassano

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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NABbio, STEBICEF department

Palermo, , Italy

Site Status

Countries

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Italy

References

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ttps://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/6/1361 Description: Plant-Derived Biostimulants Differentially Modulate Primary and Secondary Metabolites and Improvethe Yield Potential of Red and Green Lettuce Cultivars

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Di Gaudio F, Vasto S, Sabatino L, Ferrantelli V, Macaluso A, Caldarella R, Di Rosa L, Caldara GF, Proia P, Baldassano S. Consumption of lettuce with seaweed extract biostimulant application improved iron homeostasis in a randomized interventional trial of healthy individuals. Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 6;15(1):7799. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91380-7.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 40050333 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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SwE4WEEKS23

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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