Stimulating Fat Tissue Storage With Niacin to Reduce Fat Accumulation in the Liver.

NCT ID: NCT06843148

Last Updated: 2025-07-18

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

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

36 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-09-30

Study Completion Date

2030-07-31

Brief Summary

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Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) (aka non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), commonly occurring in individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes can lead to liver inflammation/ fibrosis. MASLD results from fat being disproportionately deposited in the liver.

The goal of this mechanistic study is to investigate metabolic response in patients aged 50 to 80 years with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, after niacin (vitamin B3) treatment.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does Niacin lower the fat deposition in the liver?
* Does Niacin raise White Adipose Tissue storage of dietary fatty acids?

Researchers will compare Niacin to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to compare the metabolic response.

Duration of study per participant: Up to 28 weeks

Detailed Description

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It will be a randomized crossover study with two 12-week treatment phases (niacin vs. placebo) with a 4-week washout period between the two treatment phases.

The two 12-week treatment phases will be performed in random order. The treatment will be administered once daily, at the end of the largest meal. There will be a 3-week dose escalation: from 250mg (the first week) to 750mg from week 3 onward.

The outcomes will be assessed at the end of each of these two treatment phases in all participants with metabolic visit A and B (i.e., a total of 4 metabolic visits).

Each metabolic visit will last 9 hours: it will be a test meal with perfusion of stable tracers, blood sampling, PET acquisitions using radiopharmaceuticals (18FTHA and 11C-palmitate) and MRI acquisitions.

The two visits A and B will be performed without and with acute administration of niacin with the test meal, respectively, to determine acute niacin-induced reduction in hepatic fatty acid flux.

The two visits will be performed at four to seven-day interval, in random order during the last week of each of the treatment phase.

Conditions

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Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) Liver Fibrosis/NASH Non-Alcoholic Steato-Hepatitis (NASH)

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Placebo group

It will be a 12-week treatment phase. The placebo treatment will be administered once daily, at the end of the largest meal.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo Oral Tablet

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo will be orally taken once daily with the largest meal. There will be a 3-week escalation period from 250 mg to 750 mg:

* Week 1: 250mg
* Week 2: 500mg
* Week 3 to Week 12: 750mg (3 x 250mg caplets)

Niacin group

It will be a 12-week treatment phase. The treatment will be administered once daily, at the end of the largest meal.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Niacin (250mg)

Intervention Type DRUG

Niacin will be orally taken once daily with the largest meal. There will be a 3-week escalation period from 250 mg to 750 mg:

* Week 1: 250mg
* Week 2: 500mg
* Week 3 to Week 12: 750mg (3 x 250mg caplets)

Interventions

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Niacin (250mg)

Niacin will be orally taken once daily with the largest meal. There will be a 3-week escalation period from 250 mg to 750 mg:

* Week 1: 250mg
* Week 2: 500mg
* Week 3 to Week 12: 750mg (3 x 250mg caplets)

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo Oral Tablet

Placebo will be orally taken once daily with the largest meal. There will be a 3-week escalation period from 250 mg to 750 mg:

* Week 1: 250mg
* Week 2: 500mg
* Week 3 to Week 12: 750mg (3 x 250mg caplets)

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

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Nicotinic Acid Vitamin B3

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* aged 50 to 80 years;
* diagnosed with MASLD, defined as the presence of liver steatosis + abdominal obesity (as defined by the International Diabetes Federation country/ethnic group-specific criteria;
* all women will be post-menopausal.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Presence of advanced fibrosis (i.e., ≥ F3 based on liver stiffness \> 10kPa) using vibration-controlled transient elastography (FibroScan), serum ALT \> 3 times the normal upper limit, or signs of portal hypertension \[106-109\].
2. Other hepatic disease.
3. Previous diagnosis of diabetes.
4. Overt cardiovascular or renal disease, cancer (other than non-melanoma skin cancer), or other uncontrolled medical conditions.
5. Any contraindication to MRI.
6. Previous intolerance or allergy to nicotinic acid.
7. Having participated to a research study with exposure to radiation in the last two years before the start of the study.
8. Being allergic to eggs
9. Smoking (\>1 cigarette/day) and/or consumption of \>2 alcoholic beverages per day.
Minimum Eligible Age

50 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec- Université Laval

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Université de Sherbrooke

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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André Carpentier

Tenure professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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André Carpentier, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Université de Sherbrooke

Locations

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Centre de recherche du CHUS

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

Site Status

Countries

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Canada

Central Contacts

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Frédérique Frisch

Role: CONTACT

1-819-346-1110 ext. 12394

Facility Contacts

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Frédérique Frisch

Role: primary

1-819-346-1110 ext. 12394

Other Identifiers

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2025-5648

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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