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Clinical Research on Acute Intermittent Porphyria and the Use of Carbohydrate-Rich Diet as a Treatment

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Porphyria, Acute Intermittent
Interventions
Other: Carbohydrates
Registration Number
NCT06273644
Lead Sponsor
Nordlandssykehuset HF
Brief Summary

The main aim of this clinical trial is to learn about the effect of carbohydrate-rich diet as a treatment for AIP (acute intermittent porphyria).

Aim: Investigate the diet's impact on tissue and serum glucose, plasma insulin, cytokine levels, amino acids, and gut microbiota in AIP, and their correlation with PBG (Porphobilinogen).

Aim: Assess the diet's effect on AIP symptoms and health status in AIP. Aim: Measure the effect of a high-carbohydrate diet on mitochondrial activity in AIP Aim: Map and detect potential mutations in mitochondrial genomic DNA in AIP Aim: Discover new markers in AIP through RNA sequencing and machine learning.

Participants will follow two diet plans, a 4-week intervention with 60-65 E% carbohydrates and a 4 week intervention with 40-45 E% carbohydrates.

Detailed Description

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an inherited disease that leads to the accumulation of porphobilinogen (PBG), resulting in severe abdominal pain, paralysis, fatigue, low-grade inflammation, and an increased risk of kidney failure and liver cancer. Studies at the cellular level and in mice have shown that elevated levels of glucose and insulin can affect heme synthesis, potentially reducing PBG levels. The investigators have previously demonstrated that individuals with AIP consume less carbohydrate (E% 40) than recommended. The investigators aim to conduct a crossover study involving 50 participants with AIP, where 50% will be subjected to a 4-week intervention with 60-65 E% carbohydrates, while the other half will consume 40-45 E% carbohydrates for 4 weeks. After a 4-week intervention-free period, the two groups will switch to the respective carbohydrate percentages. Symptoms, PBG levels, continuous tissue glucose, plasma/serum insulin, glucose, cytokines, amino acid levels, microbiota in the gut, body composition, and physical activity measured using accelerometers will be assessed before and after each intervention and compared. Mitochondrial activity will be assessed at the cellular level as oxidative activity. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA and RNA will also be examined since defects in oxidative energy metabolism are known to be associated with inflammation and cancer. The work will be carried out at Nordland Hospital and at the University of Oslo. The study will be coordinated and conducted by the Postdoc and partners at Nordland Hospital, the University of Oslo, the Arctic University of Tromsø, and Nord University. Clinical nutritionists will create dietary plans, and bioengineers will perform analyses. Stay abroad for postdoc, and research cooperation, with porphyria researchers at UTMB, Texas and MGH, Boston, US.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
50
Inclusion Criteria
  • Diagnosis of AIP
Exclusion Criteria
  • Not having diagnosis of AIP
  • Undergoing treatment as part of other clinical research on AIP
  • Pregnancy
  • Diabetes
  • Below 18 years of age

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
60-65 E% CarbohydratesCarbohydratesDiet plan A with 60-65 E% Carbohydrates in 4 weeks
40-45% CarbohydratesCarbohydratesDiet plan B with 40-45 E% Carbohydrates in 4 weeks
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Urine Porphobilinogen/creatinineBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

AIP biochemical disease activity. First morning Urine Porphobilinogen/creatinine.

Change from baseline before diet A to immediately after diet A, and change from baseline before diet B to immediately after diet B

Urine Porphobilinogen/creatinine concentration, percentage change of repeated measurementsDay 1 ,4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 and 29 of Diet Intervention A and of Diet Intervention B

AIP biochemical disease activity, repeated measurements Percentage change in the median of repeated measurements of Urine Porphobilinogen/creatinine concentrations between Diet A and Diet B The repeated measurements in urine analyzed in urine samples from Day 1 ,4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 and 29 of Diet A and of Diet B, and calculated median of Urine Porphobilinogen/creatinine concentration for diet A and median for diet B

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Health statusBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

A standardized questionnaire assessing health (RAND-36) with a 4-week time frame from 0 (worst functioning) to 100 (best functioning), where 2 to 5 points represent a clinically meaningful difference based on data from other chronic diseases.

HOMA scoreBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

HOMA score (Homeostatic Model Assessment) including estimated beta cell function, HOMA%B (%B), insulin sensitivity, HOMA%S (%S), and insulin resistance HOMA-IR (IR), calculated from insulin, glucose and C-peptide in plasma, using an Excel spreadsheet from the University of Oxford.

Mitochondrial oxygen consumption rateBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

SeaHorse, mononuclear cells in peripheral blood

Plasma insulin, glucose, c-peptideBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Concentration levels measured in plasma

Body composition, metabolic ageBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Tanita Body Composition Analyzer

HbA1cBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Concentration levels measured in blood

Number of Hospitalizations,sick leaves, and doctor visits due to AIPBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Using questionnaire counting Number of hospitalizations, sick leaves, and doctor visits due to AIP

* In the 4 weeks before Diet A, measured at baseline immediately before Diet A

* In the 4 weeks of Diet A, measured immediately after Diet A.

* In the 4 weeks before Diet B, measured at baseline immediately before Diet B

* in the 4 weeks of Diet B, measured immediately after Diet B

Plasma Glucose levelBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Plasma glucose concentration

Interstitial fluid glucose levelDay 15 and 29 of diet A and day 15 and 29 of diet B

Glucose measured in the interstitial fluid (ISF) Measuring is performed continuously by ISF glucose sensor FreeStyle Libre 3 in the 4 weeks of Diet A and in the 4 weeks of Diet B. Outcome is percentage change in the mean of repeated measurements between Diet A and Diet B.

Each tissue glucose sensor lasts 14 days, and hence the outcome measure will be assessed each 14 days, and read in the LibreView program. The sensor is placed on the back of the participants upper arm

Number of hypoglycemic eventsDay 15 and 29 of diet A and day 15 and 29 of diet B

Tissue glucose measured continuously by tissue glucose sensor FreeStyle Libre 3 (Abbott) in the 4 weeks during diet A and in the 4 weeks of diet B.

Counting number of hypoglycemic events during the 4 weeks of diet A and comparing to counted number of hypoglycemic events during the 4 weeks of diet B.

Each tissue glucose sensor lasts 14 days, and hence the outcome measure will be assessed each 14 days, and read in the LibreView program. Assessing is performed day 15 and day 29 of diet A and day 15 and 29 of diet B.

Blood pressureBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

20 min measurement

Mitochondrial function-related genesAt baseline immediately before each participants first diet intervention

Paxgen tubes, qPCR, Mitochondrial genome sequencing

Amino acid profileBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Levels of amino acids measured

Cytokines in plasmaBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Cytokines, chemokines and growth factors measured using Multiplex assay from BioRad Lab, Bio-Plex 27-plex kit: Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-1RA (IL-1 receptor antagonist), IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, chemokine (C-X-C) motif 8 (CXCL8), IL-9, IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL5), chemokine ligand 11 (CCL11), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interferon (IFN)-γ, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Intestinal microbiota compositionBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

Sequencing of fecal samples, Gut Health Panel from Bio-Me, covering 100 different bacterias

Physical activityImmediately after one week of Diet A, and immediately after one week of Diet B

Accelerometer (AX3 Axivity Newcastle, UK), attached to the thigh and worn for 7 consecutive days in the first week of diet A and in the first week of diet B.

Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is detected in 5-second intervals. Measuring time (min/day) spent in MVPA during the first week of diet A and during the first week of diet B.

ALAS1mRNABaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

TaqMan gene expression assay

Urine-ALA/creatinine & urine-porphyrinsBaseline before diet A and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet A, baseline before diet B and immediately after the 4 weeks of diet B

level measurement of concentration in urine

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Nordland Hospital Trust

🇳🇴

Bodø, Nordland, Norway

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