A Clinical Study to Evaluate the Effect of SIM01 in Female With NAFLD

Sponsor
GenieBiome Limited (Industry)
Overall Status
Recruiting
CT.gov ID
NCT05885373
Collaborator
(none)
40
1
1
10
4

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide. Available data indicates that probiotics may regulate the gut microbiota and improve liver function in females with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In this study, we aim to investigate if the synbiotics (prebiotics and probiotics) are efficacious subjects in liver function improvement in female subjects with Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Dietary Supplement: SIM01
N/A

Detailed Description

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide.(1) The prevalence of NAFLD is estimated to be about 20%-30% in the Western world (2) and increasing in Asia. The prevalence of NAFLD across Asia varies from 5% to 40%.(3,4) In one study with a sample of 922 subjects using proton-magnetic resonance spectroscopy and transient elastography, 252 subjects had intrahepatic triglyceride content ≥5%, and the population prevalence of NAFLD in Hong Kong Chinese was 27.3%.1 NAFLD may progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer, and is believed to be the leading etiology for cryptogenic cirrhosis.(5,6) NAFLD is also strongly associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome and is shown to be an independent cardiovascular risk factor.(7,8)

At present, there is no standard pharmacologic therapy available for NAFLD currently. Current management for NAFLD includes diet and lifestyle changes, management of underlying metabolic risk factors and pharmacological therapies. Insulin-sensitizing medication such as Pioglitazone has been shown to improve histological NASH in terms of steatosis, inflammation, ballooning, NAFLD Activity Score (NAS score) and resolution of NASH. (9) However, the long-term efficacy and safety of Pioglitazone are unknown, and not all patients respond to Pioglitazone. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble compound which prevents liver injury by blocking intrinsic apoptotic pathways and by protecting against mitochondrial toxicity. (10) It also improves histological NASH in terms of steatosis, inflammation, ballooning, NAS score, and resolution of NASH at a dose of 800 IU/day. (9) However, the long-term safety of vitamin E is also an issue, because doses of 400 IU/day or higher have been associated with increased all-cause mortality. (11) While lifestyle management is often advocated, it is difficult to maintain. (12) Thus, it is important to explore new treatment strategies.

In general, NAFLD prevalence is higher in men compared to women. However, the prevalence of NAFLD in women is increasing in women over the past 10 years, (13) especially postmenopausal women who have greater NAFLD risk and higher rates of severe hepatic fibrosis relative to premenopausal women, and older women with NAFLD experience greater mortality than men. (14) A cohort study in Japan reported that women after the age of 70 had a higher prevalence of fatty liver than men (19.4% vs 14.9%). (15) Another cohort showed that gradual age-related increases in NAFLD prevalence were also observed in women (3.9% in the 21-39 age group; 7.6% in the 40-49 age group; 14.0% in the 50-59 age group; 18.9% in 60-69 age group), but not men. (15)

NAFLD is more prevalent in overweight and obese individuals; gut microbiota also plays a role in the development of insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, necroinflammation and fibrosis. (16) On the other hand, probiotics can strengthen the intestinal wall, reducing its permeability, bacterial translocation, and endotoxemia according to animal and human studies. Recently, it has been reported that NAFLD might be linked to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which induces liver injury by gut-derived lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and TNF- α production. (17) Probiotics have several anti-inflammatory effects that can contribute to their clinical benefits in NAFLD. (18)

The use of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics has been considered a potential and promising strategy to regulate the gut microbiota. (19, 20) Some clinical studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of probiotics on liver functions in NAFLD and NASH subjects. In general, the results of the trials (21-28) showed that the use of probiotics can reduce BMI, total fat percentage, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting insulin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-6), liver stiffness et cetera.

This is a single-arm, open-label clinical trial for evaluating the efficacy of SIM01 on the reduction of liver biochemistry in 40 female subjects with NAFLD. All subjects will take 2 sachets of SIM01 daily for 3 months with monthly assessment on adverse event observation, and adherence to the study product throughout the study period. The change in CAP scores measured by the fibroscan, BMI, liver function and interleukin-6 will also be evaluated.

REFERENCES

  1. Wong VW, Chu WC, Wong GL, Chan RS, Chim AM, Ong A, Yeung DK, Yiu KK, Chu SH, Woo J, Chan FK, Chan HL. Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and advanced fibrosis in Hong Kong Chinese: a population study using proton-magnetic resonance spectroscopy and transient elastography. Gut 2012; 61: 409-15.

  2. Bellentani S, Scaglioni F, Marino M, Bedogni G: Epidemiology of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Dig Dis 2010;28:155-161. doi: 10.1159/000282080.

  3. Amarapurkar DN, Hashimoto E, Lesmana LA, Sollano JD, Chen PJ, Goh KL. How common is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the Asia-Pacific region and are there local differences? J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007; 22:788-793. PMID: 17565631.

  4. Chitturi S, Wong VW, Farrell G. Nonalcoholic fatty liver in Asia: Firmly entrenched and rapidly gaining ground. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2011; 26:S163-S172.

  5. Caldwell SH, Oelsner DH, Iezzoni JC, Hespenheide EE, Battle EH, Driscoll CJ. Cryptogenic cirrhosis: clinical characterization and risk factors for underlying disease. Hepatology. 1999; 29:664-669. PMID: 10051466.

  6. Farrell GC, Larter CZ. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: from steatosis to cirrhosis. Hepatology. 2006; 43:S99-S112. PMID: 16447287.

  7. Hamaguchi M, Kojima T, Takeda N, Nagata C, Takeda J, Sarui H, Kawahito Y, Yoshida N, Suetsugu A, Kato T, Okuda J, Ida K, Yoshikawa T.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a novel predictor of cardiovascular disease. World J Gastroenterol. 2007; 13:1579-1584. PMID: 17461452.

  8. Wong VW, Wong GL, Yip GW, Lo AO, Limquiaco J, Chu WC, Chim AM, Yu CM, Yu J, Chan FK, Sung JJ, Chan HL. Coronary artery disease and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Gut. 2011; 60:1721-1727. doi: 10. 1136/gut.2011.242016 PMID: 21602530.

  9. Sanyal AJ, Chalasani N, Kowdley KV, McCullough A, Diehl AM, Bass NM, Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Lavine JE, Tonascia J, Unalp A, Van Natta M, Clark J, Brunt EM, Kleiner DE, Hoofnagle JH, Robuck PR; NASH CRN. Pioglitazone, vitamin E, or placebo for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. N Engl J Med. 2010;362:1675-1685.

  10. Soden JS, Devereaux MW, Haas JE, Gumpricht E, Dahl R, Gralla J, Traber MG, Sokol RJ. Subcutaneous vitamin E ameliorates liver injury in an in vivo model of steatocholestasis. Hepatology. 2007;46:485-495.

  11. Miller ER, Pastor-Barriuso R, Dalal D, Riemersma RA, Appel LJ, Guallar E. Meta-analysis: high-dosage vitamin E supplementation may increase all-cause mortality. Ann Intern Med 2005; 142: 37-46.

  12. Rodriguez-Hernandez H, Cervantes-Huerta M, RodriguezMoran M, Guerrero-Romero F. Decrease of aminotransferase levels in obese women is related to body weight reduction, irrespective of type of diet. Ann Hepatol 2011; 10: 486-92.

  13. Arshad T, Golabi P, Paik J, Mishra A, Younossi ZM. Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the female population. Hepatol Commun. 2019;3(1):74-83. [PMCID: PMC6312650]

  14. DiStefano, J. K. (2020). NAFLD and NASH in postmenopausal women: implications for diagnosis and treatment. Endocrinology, 161(10), bqaa134.

  15. Hamaguchi M, Kojima T, Ohbora A, Takeda N, Fukui M, Kato T. Aging is a risk factor of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in premenopausal women. World J Gastroenterol. 2012;18(3):237-243)

  16. Eslamparast, T., Eghtesad, S., Hekmatdoost, A., & Poustchi, H. (2013). Probiotics and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Middle East Journal of digestive diseases, 5(3), 129.

  17. Loguercio C, De Simone T, Federico A, Terracciano F, Tuccillo C, Di Chicco M, Cartenì M. Gut-liver axis: a new point of attack to treat chronic liver damage? Am J Gastroenterol. 2002;97:2144-6.

  18. Solga SF, Diehl A. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: lumen-liver interactions and possible role for probiotics. J Hepatol. 2003;38:681-7.

  19. Pandey, K.; Naik, S.R.; Vakil, B.V. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics-a review. J. Food Sci. Technol. 2015, 52, 7577-7587.

  20. Yadav, M.K.; Kumari, I.; Singh, B.; Sharma, K.K.; Tiwari, S.K.J.A.M. Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: Safe options for next-generation therapeutics. Biotechnology 2022, 106, 505-521.

  21. Kobyliak N., Abenavoli L., Mykhalchyshyn G., Kononenko L., Boccuto L., Kyriienko D., Dynnyk O. A Multi-strain Probiotic Reduces the Fatty Liver Index, Cytokines and Aminotransferase levels in NAFLD Patients: Evidence from a Randomized Clinical Trial. J. Gastrointest. Liver Dis. JGLD. 2018;27:41-49.

  22. Abhari K., Saadati S., Yari Z., Hosseini H., Hedayati M., Abhari S., Alavian S.M., Hekmatdoost A. The effects of Bacillus coagulants supplementation in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Clin. Nutr. ESPEN. 2020;39:53-60.

  23. Manzhalii E., Virchenko O., Falalyeyeva T., Beregova T., Stremmel W. Treatment efficacy of a probiotic preparation for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: A pilot trial. J. Dig. Dis. 2017;18:698-703.

  24. Chong C.Y.L., Orr D., Plank L.D., Vatanen T., O'Sullivan J.M., Murphy R. Randomised Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Inulin with Metronidazole in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Nutrients. 2020;12:937.

  25. Behrouz V., Aryaeian N., Zahedi M.J., Jazayeri S. Effects of probiotic and prebiotic supplementation on metabolic parameters, liver aminotransferases, and systemic inflammation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A randomized clinical trial. J. Food Sci. 2020;85:3611-3617.

  26. Bakhshimoghaddam F., Shateri K., Sina M., Hashemian M., Alizadeh M. Daily Consumption of Synbiotic Yogurt Decreases Liver Steatosis in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. J. Nutr. 2018;148:1276-1284.

  27. Ahn S.B., Jun D.W., Kang B.K., Lim J.H., Lim S., Chung M.J. Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study of a Multispecies Probiotic Mixture in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Sci. Rep. 2019;9:5688.

  28. Chen Y, Feng R, Yang X, Dai J, Huang M, Ji X, Li Y, Okekunle AP, Gao G, Onwuka JU, Pang X, Wang C, Li C, Li Y, Sun C. Yogurt improves insulin resistance and liver fat in obese women with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2019;109:1611-1619.

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
40 participants
Allocation:
N/A
Intervention Model:
Single Group Assignment
Intervention Model Description:
All study subjects will receive the same study products.All study subjects will receive the same study products.
Masking:
None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose:
Other
Official Title:
A Single-arm, Open-label Clinical Study to Evaluate the Effect of SIM01 in Female Subjects With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Actual Study Start Date :
Mar 1, 2023
Anticipated Primary Completion Date :
Oct 31, 2023
Anticipated Study Completion Date :
Dec 31, 2023

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: SIM01

2 sachets daily for 3 months

Dietary Supplement: SIM01
SIM01 consists of a blend of food-grade Bifidobacterium and streptococcus as active probiotics
Other Names:
  • G-NiiB Immunity formula
  • Outcome Measures

    Primary Outcome Measures

    1. Change in CAP score by fibroscan after taking SIM01 for 3 months [3 months]

      The change of CAP score measured by fibroscan

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    1. Change in liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST)) across the study period. [3 months]

      The change in the level of liver enzymes.

    2. Change in fasting lipid and HbA1c across the study period. [3 months]

      The change in the level of lipid profiles

    3. Change of body mass index (BMI) across the study period. [3 months]

      The change of body weight and body height

    4. Change of body waist circumference across the study period. [3 months]

      The change of waist circumference

    5. Change in interleukin-6 (IL-6) across the study period. [3 months]

      The change in the one of the immunity marker

    Eligibility Criteria

    Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study:
    55 Years and Older
    Sexes Eligible for Study:
    Female
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
    No
    Inclusion Criteria:
    • Female subjects with NAFLD with CAP ≥ 270 by fibroscan

    • Age ≥ 55

    • Subjects with or without diabetes or components of metabolic syndrome and having stable medication 3 months prior to enrolment

    • Written informed consent can be obtained

    Exclusion Criteria:
    • Known history of any secondary causes of NAFLD including alcoholic liver disease, drug-induced liver injury, autoimmune hepatitis, viral hepatitis, cholestatic liver disease and metabolic/genetic liver disease

    • Known diabetes with poor control (HbA1c > 8.5%) within 3 months

    • Significant alcohol consumption (over 10g per day: a half pint or half bottle of beer or a standard-size of a wine glass)

    • Consumption of systemic corticosteroids or methotrexate in the last 6 months

    • Concomitant probiotics or prebiotics one month prior to enrolment

    • Any condition or allergy history for probiotics

    • Subjects who are using antibiotics, insulin and Glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP1) such as dulaglutide, semaglutide

    • Malignancy

    Contacts and Locations

    Locations

    Site City State Country Postal Code
    1 GenieBiome Limited Hong Kong Hong Kong

    Sponsors and Collaborators

    • GenieBiome Limited

    Investigators

    • Study Director: Jessica Ching, PhD, GenieBiome Limited

    Study Documents (Full-Text)

    None provided.

    More Information

    Publications

    None provided.
    Responsible Party:
    GenieBiome Limited
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT05885373
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • GB-NAFLD
    First Posted:
    Jun 1, 2023
    Last Update Posted:
    Jun 1, 2023
    Last Verified:
    May 1, 2023
    Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
    No
    Plan to Share IPD:
    No
    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
    No
    Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
    No
    Keywords provided by GenieBiome Limited
    Additional relevant MeSH terms:

    Study Results

    No Results Posted as of Jun 1, 2023