Xanthohumol Metabolism and Signature

Phase 1

Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Healthy

Interventions: Drug: Xanthohumol
Drug: Placebo oral capsule

Registration Number: NCT03735420

Lead Sponsor: National University of Natural Medicine

Brief Summary: A pilot study to assess the safety and tolerability of oral xanthohumol in humans, to identify a biological signature of xanthohumol exposure, and to characterize the role of xanthohumol metabolism by intestinal microorganisms in that signature.

Detailed Description: This is a double-masked, placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial of xanthohumol, which is a constituent of hops (Humulus lupulus). Hops and its constituents have a long history of use for a variety of conditions. However, knowledge is limited regarding the measurable biological markers of human exposure, and the role of xanthohumol metabolism by microorganisms present in the gut. This information is necessary for the development of xanthohumol as a potential therapeutic intervention in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

Men and Women aged 21-50 years
Willing to take isolated xanthohumol as a dietary supplement for 8 weeks
Willing to have blood drawn semi-weekly and to fast for 10-12 hours before blood draws
Willing and able to collect semi-weekly stool samples at home
Able to speak, read, and understand English
Must be able to provide written informed consent
Non-smokers (including tobacco and Cannabis products, combusted or vaporized)

Exclusion Criteria

History of any chronic disease including, but not limited to: diabetes (type 1 or 2); uncontrolled hypertension; coronary artery disease resulting in angina; cardiovascular disease requiring percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), bypass, or past myocardial infarction or stroke; blood disease including current anemia; cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer) within the last year or still requiring chemotherapy or hormonal therapy; chronic kidney disease; liver disease including viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or alcoholic hepatitis/cirrhosis; any immunocompromising condition including human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or organ transplant requiring anti-rejection medications; chronic osteoarthritis requiring joint replacement or daily use of NSAIDs; chronic endocrine condition including but not limited to: Cushing's, Addison's, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Grave's disease, etc.
Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 20 (underweight) or greater than 30 (obese)
Consumption of more than 1 microbrew beer per day
Use of NSAIDs more than once per week for headaches, routine aches/pains, etc.
Use of any prescription drugs, including oral contraceptives (due to potential interference with mechanisms under investigation)
Use of prescription opioids for any reason within the past 3 months
Use of prescription corticosteroids for any reason within the past 3 months
Free of acute viral or bacterial infection, or recent infection within the last 14 days or still requiring prescription medication for treatment
Free of recent acute trauma occurring within the last 14 days
Currently or recently (within last 14 days) taking any dietary supplements containing xanthohumol flavonoids, or other known herbal "anti-inflammatories" including: curcumin, turmeric, fenugreek, hops, rosemary, ginger, white willow, Devil's claw, fish oil (doses>1 g/day), or quercetin. Candidates will be given the option to "wash out" for 14 days and re-contact the study team.
Currently receiving intravenous nutrition support therapy (or within the last 30 days)
Currently taking anti-coagulant or anti-platelet prescription medications (or they were taken within the last 30 days)
Currently taking antibiotic, antiparasitic, or antifungal medications orally or intravenously (or they were taken within the last 30 days)
Initiation of or changes to supplements or medications within 30 days prior to screening
Initiation of or changes to an exercise regimen within 30 days prior to screening
Initiation of or changes to a food plan within 30 days prior to screening
Current involvement or within 30 days prior to screening of a significant diet or weight loss program, such as NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, Atkin's or other low-carb diet programs, or very low-calorie liquid diet programs (such as optifast, medifast, and/or HMR)
Hospitalization (for any reason other than an elective medical procedure) within 3 months prior to screening
Gastrointestinal surgery within 3 months prior to screening
Undergoing UV therapy (e.g. treatment for skin conditions such as psoriasis).
Engaging in vigorous exercise more than 6 hours per week.
Women who are lactating, pregnant or planning pregnancy within the next four months
Typical intake of more than 2 alcohol-containing beverages per day, more than 14 per week, or more than 4 in any single day within the past 28 days
Use of recreational drugs/substances (such as but not limited to cocaine, phencyclidine (PCP), and methamphetamine) within 30 days of screening
Currently participating in another interventional research study or participated in another interventional study within 30 days of screening

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Xanthohumol	Xanthohumol	Participants will receive 24 mg of 98% pure xanthohumol in a rice protein vehicle by mouth once daily with the first daily meal.
Placebo oral capsule	Placebo oral capsule	Participants will receive vehicle (rice protein) by mouth once daily with the first daily meal.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Incidence of Intervention-attributable Adverse Events [Safety and Tolerability]	Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Self-reported adverse events will be graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Reported as: New onset "FDA serious" adverse events (Grade 1); New onset "moderate" adverse events (Grade 2). The measures were assessed at Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks; weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 reported.
Change in Plasma Inflammatory Markers	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-12p70), will be measured simultaneously with a flow cytometry-based multiplex assay. The measures were assessed at Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks; weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 reported

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Alanine aminotransferase is an enzyme that is often measured in blood as an indication of liver toxicity. Reported as mean change from baseline.
Bile Acids	Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Bile acid concentrations in blood and feces, will be measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and expressed as mean change over time from baseline.
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks	Glomerular filtration rate is estimated based on blood creatinine concentration per standard nephrology practice. Reported as mean change from baseline.
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Aspartate aminotransferase is an enzyme that is often measured in blood as an indication of liver toxicity. Reported as mean change from baseline.
Mean Corpuscular Volume	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Enumeration of mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Results are reported as mean change from baseline at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Change in Levels of Metabolic Byproducts of Xanthohumol: Plasma and Urine	Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Xanthohumol and xanthohumol metabolites in blood, urine and stool, will be measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Metabolites include 6-prenylnaringenin (6-PN), 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN), dihydroxanthohumol (DXN), desmethyldihydroxanthohumol (DDXN), isoxanthohumol (IXN), and xanthohumol (XN). The measures were assessed at Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks; baseline, weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 reported for urine and plasma.
Gut Inflammation	Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Fecal calprotectin, a protein associated with gut inflammation and irritable gut syndrome, will be measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and expressed as mean change over time from baseline.
Change in Levels of Metabolic Byproducts of Xanthohumol: Stool	Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Xanthohumol and xanthohumol metabolites in blood, urine and stool, will be measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Metabolites include 6-prenylnaringenin (6-PN), 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN), dihydroxanthohumol (DXN), desmethyldihydroxanthohumol (DDXN), isoxanthohumol (IXN), and xanthohumol (XN). The measures were assessed at Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks; baseline, weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 reported for urine and plasma. As stool metabolites have not yet been analyzed, data will be released upon assessment.
Complete Blood Count Abnormals	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Enumeration of the various subtypes of blood cells (i.e., red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets), plus indices including mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and hematocrit. Reported as: % abnormal (i.e., number of participants with an abnormal value compared to the number of participants in the group) and % new abnormals if abnormal counts were noted. Abnormality is assessed according to standards for age and sex measurements under Quest Diagnostics criteria.
Total Red Blood Cell Count	Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Enumeration of total red blood cell count. Reported as mean change from baseline.
Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT)	Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks	Gamma-glutamyl transferase is an enzyme that is often measured in blood as an indication of liver toxicity. Reported as mean change from baseline.
Hematocrit	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Enumeration of hematocrit. Results are reported as mean change from baseline at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Blood Urea Nitrogen to Creatinine Ratio	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) : creatinine (Cr) is a ratio of serum concentrations of two compounds associated with renal function. Reported as mean change from baseline.
Total White Blood Cell Count	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Enumeration of total white blood cell count. Results are reported as mean change from baseline at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Platelet Count	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Enumeration of platelet count. Results are reported as mean change from baseline at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin	2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks.	Enumeration of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH). Results are reported as mean change from baseline at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8.