MedPath

Effect of Fasting and Refeeding on T-cell Fate

Completed
Conditions
Inflammation
Asthma
Registration Number
NCT02719899
Lead Sponsor
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Brief Summary

Background:

Researchers want to better understand the body s immune response to calorie restriction. To do this, they are asking healthy volunteers to fast for 24 hours. Researchers will test immune response before and after fasting.

Objectives:

To explore the benefits of calorie restriction on immune health.

Eligibility:

Healthy volunteers ages 21 to 37 with a body mass index between 22 and 29.

Design:

Participants will be screened with medical history, physical exam, and blood tests.

Participants will visit NIH after an overnight fast. Their baseline immune response will be taken. They will give blood and urine samples. Then they will be given breakfast. This visit will take about 2 hours.

Participants will fast (not eat or drink anything except water) for the next 24 hours. They will return to NIH the next morning. Their immune response will be taken. They will give blood and urine samples. Then they will be given breakfast. Their immune response will be taken 3 hours later. They will give a blood sample. This visit will take about 4 hours.

Detailed Description

Intermittent caloric restricted or fasting has numerous health effects including the reduction in numerous cardiovascular and pulmonary disease risk factors. The cellular programs activated by caloric restriction are similarly regulated in preclinical and clinical studies in response to a 24-hour fast. We have found that a beneficial effect of a 24-hour fasting blunts the activation of a component of the innate immune system, termed the NLRP3 inflammasome. This inflammasome, as a mediator of sterile inflammation, is associated with the development of diabetes, asthma and atherosclerosis. At the same time, we found that refeeding after the 24-hour fast significantly increased NLRP3 protein levels. As NLRP3 is increased in obesity, the nutrient intervention (24 hour fast and then refeeding) we studied may be useful to evaluate nutrient-overload effects on the immune system. Pertaining to this it has recently been found in a preclinical study that NLRP3 can also orchestrate differentiation of na(SqrRoot) ve T cells into T(H)2 cells. Interestingly both the NLRP3 inflammasome and T(H)2 cell activation contribute to asthma. In this context we hypothesize that the assessment of the effect on refeeding on T(H)2 cell differentiation (polarity) may allow us to dissect out the mechanisms underpinning nutrient overload induced T(H)2 cell activation. To evaluate this blood samples to test T-cell biology will be collected in subjects, at baseline, after a fixed caloric meal and in response to a 24-hour fast (water intake will not be restricted). The objective of this pilot study is to identify if nutrient-load regulates T-Cell differentiation capacity and to test whether this pathway could be investigated as a therapeutic target to blunt/negate the inflammation associated with nutrient-excess associated diseases including asthma.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
28
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
The primary outcome will be the change in TH2 cell cytokine (IL-4, IL-5 and/or IL-13) secretion in response to T-cell differentiation comparing the fasted to the refeeding response.24 hours

The comparisons will be performed using paired two-tailed Student t-tests. Significance will be tested at the 0.05 alpha level in this pilot study

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Evaluate whether these effects are associated with activation of the Sirt3 and its canonical mitochondrial adaptive programs.Visit 3, 3hrs post-meal

Analysis of difference in additional T-cell polarity signatures. Analysis ofcytokine and other protein levels in serum comparing the fed versus fasted states. Analysis of serum metabolites that may be modulating T-cell polarity.

To identify if nutrient-load regulates T-Cell differentiation capacity and to test whether this pathway could be investigated as atherapeutic target to blunt/negate the inflammation associated with nutrient-excess associated diseases includin...Visit 3, 3hrs post-meal

Blood samples to test T-cell biology will be collected in subjects, at baseline, after a fixed caloric meal and in response to a 24-hour fast (water intake will not be restricted). Analysis of T-cell interleukin expression and regulation and mitochondrial functioning in primary T-cells. Analysis of mitochondrial biology in these immune-modulatory effects.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

🇺🇸

Bethesda, Maryland, United States

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