Role of Heme Oxygenase in the Pathogenesis of Hepatocellular Injury in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection

February 11, 2009 updated by: Charles University, Czech Republic

Role of Heme Oxygenase in the Pathogenesis od Hepatocellular Injury in Chronic HCV Infection

In the presented project, the role of heme oxygenase 1 and 2 in the procesess associated with fibroproduction in the chronic HCV infection will be studied. Heme oxygenase expression will be evaluated by the techniques of molecular genetics and immunohistochemistry, both in the liver tissue and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These parameters will be correlated with basic virological and clinical characteristics of the chronic HCV infection. The investigators' expected results may help in understanding the mechanisms of fibroproduction in chronic HVC infection and, therefore, contribute to explain individual differences in the development of chronic HCV infection.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Unknown

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single stranded positive RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family. HCV is a major cause of chronic hepatitis and progressive liver fibrosis leading to cirrhosis. Currently, the mechanisms responsible for hepatocellular injury are not fully understood. Oxidative damage has been hypothesized to play a role in HCV-induced liver disease, with reactive oxygen species (ROS), generated from HCV-infected hepatocytes and infiltrating immune cells. Persistence of recurrent hepatocellular injury leads to wound-healing process in which oxidative stress, inflammatory response mediated by immune cells and/or cytokines, and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) contribute to cascade of fibrogenesis. HCV can infect peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with chronic HCV infection . PBMC play key roles both in innate and adaptive antigen-specific immunity and they constitute critical components of the immune response.Heme oxygenase (HO) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the heme catabolic pathway. It cleaves pro-oxidant heme into equimolar amounts of carbon monoxide (CO), free iron, and biliverdin, which is rapidly metabolized to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase.The human HO-1 gene is located at chromosome 22q12 and a variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism (VNTR) was identified in the proximal promoter region. It is suggested that these highly polymorphic (GT)n repeats could alter the transcriptional activity. In recent years, enhanced HO enzymatic activity has been reported - probably through its formation of bioactive products - to possess antioxidant, cytoprotective, and neurotransmitter activity and to play a role in anti-inflammatory functions . AIMS: AIM 1.To characterize HO expression in liver biopsies in patients with chronic hepatitis C comparing to expression in patients with other types of hepatitis (esp. autoimmune) and to normal liver tissue. To investigate the relationship between HO expression and hepatitis C virus concentration, duration of infection, level of fibrosis and inflammation, ALT, AST activities, bilirubin levels, response to the standard treatment and a level of apoptosis. AIM 2. To characterize HO expression in PBMC in patients with chronic hepatitis C before, in the week 12 and after the standard treatment (PEG-IFN+RBV). To correlate HO expression in PBMC with viral concentration in sera and a response to the standard treatment.AIM 3. To investigate HO polymorphisms in patients with chronic hepatitis C. AIM 4. To investigate UGT1A1 28 polymorphism which is responsible for benign hyperbilirubinemia. Expected results: 1. This study could elucidate a relationship between development of liver fibrosis and inflammation and HO expression. 2. This project may, for the first time, show the relationship between chronic HCV infection and regulation of HO expression in PBMC. 3.This project will answer the question whether genetic predisposition, length polymorphism in HO promoter responsible for its lower transcriptional activity, could be a risk factor for fibrosis/cirrhosis development in patients infected with hepatitis C virus. UGT1A1 28 polymorphism is connected with low prevalence of diseases in which the oxidative stress is increased. We suggest that HCV infected persons might have low prevalence of this polymorphism or this polymorphism might be connected to low efficacy of antiviral treatment in these persons.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
150

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Czech Republic
      • Prague, Czech Republic, 16202
        • Recruiting
        • Cetral Military Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Petr Urbanek, Doc., MD, CSc

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • chronic HCV infection
  • must undergo liver biopsy
  • must undergo antiviral treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

  • liver sample not obtained
  • blood samples for HCV testing not obtained in specified time points during antiviral therapy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: 1 HCV positive pts

Patients with chronic HCV infection undergoing liver biopsy followed by antiviral treatment.

peg-IFN alfa 2a 180ug s.c. QW + ribavirin 1000-1200mg p.o. daily 48weeks or peg-IFN alfa 2b 1.5 ug/kg s.c. QW + ribavirin 100-1200mg p.o. daily 48 weeks
Drug: pegylated interferon
peg-IFN alfa 2a 180ug s.c. QW or peg-IFN alfa 2b 1.5 ug/kg s.c. QW
Other Names:
  • Pegasys
  • Pegintron
Drug: Ribavarin
ribavirin 1000-1200mg p.o. daily 48weeks or ribavirin 100-1200mg p.o. daily 48 weeks
Other Names:
  • Copegus
  • Rebetol
No Intervention: 2 Other liver disease
pts. with NASH (or other liver disease) undergoing liver biopsy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
1. the relation between HO activity and basic virologic and histologic parameters in chronic HCV patients. 2. changes of HO activity within antiviral treatment 3. relation of HO gene polymorphisms to the course of disease
Time Frame: from HCV transmission in each individual patient to the time of liver biopsy and begining of antiviral treatment
from HCV transmission in each individual patient to the time of liver biopsy and begining of antiviral treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Relation of HO gene polymorphisms and UGT1A1*28 polymorphism.
Time Frame: 3 years
3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Charles University, Czech Republic

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
IGA MZ, Czech Republic

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

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Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2009

Study Completion (Anticipated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 11, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 11, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 12, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 12, 2009

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 11, 2009

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IGA MZ CR NR9412-3

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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