Role of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Type 1 Gaucher Disease (GD1)

February 13, 2026 updated by: University of Minnesota

Role of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Type 1 Gaucher Disease (GD1): Potential Use of Antioxidant/Anti-inflammatory Medications

The purpose of this study is to measure levels of blood and brain chemicals related to oxidative stress and inflammation in healthy volunteers and individuals with Type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) to see if these levels are altered by GD1.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

The investigators will also examine if there is a change in these blood and brain chemicals in GD1 patients after receiving oral N-acetylcysteine ("NAC"), which is available both as a prescription medication and as a dietary-supplement product, that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Any changes the investigators may find in chemical levels may improve our understanding of the disease and could eventually lead to better treatment options. This is a multi-center study of approximately 50 people with Type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) and healthy volunteers. Healthy volunteers will have 3 study visits over the course of 3 months. Procedures will include review of medical history, blood draws at each visit, and an MRI scan at the third visit. GD1 patients will have 7 study visits over the course of 9 months. Procedures include review of medical history, blood draws at each visit (multiple draws from an IV catheter at Visit 6), neurological exams, pain and fatigue questionnaires, and MRI scans (at Visits 3 and 6). In addition, GD1 patients will be given oral NAC at Visit 3, to begin taking twice a day for 90 days. All MRI scans will be done at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

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 (Actual)

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.
33

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.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Reena V. Kartha, Ph.D.
  • Phone Number: 612-626-2436
  • Email: rvkartha@umn.edu

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Minnesota
      • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55455
        • University of Minnesota
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10016
        • New York University

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 and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. All participants must be 18 years or older.
  2. All participants must understand and cooperate with requirements of the study in the opinion of the investigators and must be able to provide written informed consent.
  3. Individuals with GD1 who are medically stable for participation in the study in the opinion of the investigator.
  4. GD1 patients must be on a stable, specific ERT and/or SRT therapy at a specific dose (e.g. on a units/kg basis) for at least 2 years.
  5. GD1 patients who have had a change in therapy, i.e. a change in dose or switch from one drug to another, can be enrolled after at least 6 months have elapsed since the change and is considered stable in the opinion of the clinician providing care to the patient.
  6. Healthy subjects who will be frequency-matched for age.
  7. All participants must not have taken antioxidants coenzyme Q-10, vitamin C, or vitamin E for 3 weeks prior to the study and during the course of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Medically unstable conditions in any group as determined by the investigators.
  2. Concurrent disease; medical condition; or an extenuating circumstance that, in the opinion of the investigator, might compromise subject safety, study compliance, completion of the study, or the integrity of the data collected for the study.
  3. Women who are pregnant or lactating or of child-bearing age who are not using acceptable forms of contraception.
  4. History of asthma that is presently being treated.
  5. Patients enrolled in another interventional study.
  6. Allergy to N-acetylcysteine.
  7. Patients who cannot or are unwilling to have blood drawn.
  8. Inability to undergo MRI scanning, including but not limited to: unable to remain still in an MRI scanner for more than 30 minutes, claustrophobia, presence of paramagnetic substances or pacemakers in body, weight over 300 lbs.
  9. Unable to adhere to study protocol for whatever reason.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group 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.
Experimental: N-acetylcysteine
The first 10 GD1 subjects will take 1800mg NAC twice daily (3600mg/day) orally for approximately 90 days. An interim analysis will be performed to determine if this dose produces changes in systemic redox status and brain glutathione (GSH) levels. If no signal of a significant change is observed, the remaining 20 subjects will receive up to 3600 mg NAC orally twice a day (7200 mg/day).
Drug: N-acetylcysteine
1800mg NAC twice daily (3600mg/day) orally for approximately 90 days.
Other Names:
  • PharmaNAC

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in subjects with Gaucher disease type 1, in concentration of glutathione in brain (μmol/g)
Time Frame: At 90 days and at 180 days
The investigators will measure the concentration of glutathione (GSH) in the brains of subjects with Gaucher disease type 1 at 90 days after enrollment, which is the baseline measure. It will again be measured at 180 days after enrollment. These measures will be obtained using NMR spectroscopy (often referred to by the acronym "MRS"). The MRS study will take place over approximately 1.0 hour and will generate measurements of GSH levels from 2-3 brain regions. Scanning may be done in multiple sessions if needed, but will not exceed 1.5 total scanning hours.
At 90 days and at 180 days

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
In healthy volunteers, determination of level of glutathione in brain (μmol/g)
Time Frame: 90 Days After Enrollment
The investigators will measure the glutathione (GSH) level in the brains of healthy volunteers at 90 days after enrollment. This measure will be obtained using MRS. The MRS study will take place over approximately 1.0 hour and will generate measurements of GSH levels from 2-3 brain regions. Scanning may be done in multiple sessions if needed, but will not exceed 1.5 total scanning hours.
90 Days After Enrollment
Change in subjects with Gaucher disease type 1, in concentration of glutathione in blood (μmol/g)
Time Frame: Baseline, 45 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, and 270 days
Investigators will measure the glutathione concentration in the blood of subjects with Gaucher disease type 1, at baseline (enrollment), 45 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, and 270 days. Blood samples will be drawn and analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry ("LC-MS").
Baseline, 45 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, and 270 days
Change in healthy volunteers, in concentration of glutathione in blood (μmol/g)
Time Frame: Baseline, 45 days, and 90 days
Investigators will measure the concentration of glutathione in the blood of healthy volunteers at baseline, at 45 days, and at 90 days. Blood samples will be drawn and analyzed using LC-MS.
Baseline, 45 days, and 90 days
Change in subjects with Gaucher disease type 1, in concentration of myo-inositol in brain (μmol/g)
Time Frame: At 90 days and at 180 days
The investigators will measure the concentration of myo-inositol in brains of subjects with Gaucher disease type 1 at 90 days after enrollment, which is the baseline measure. It will again be measured at 180 days after enrollment. These measures will be obtained using MRS. The MRS study will take place over approximately 1.0 hour and will generate measurements of myo-inositol levels from 2-3 brain regions. Scanning may be done in multiple sessions if needed, but will not exceed 1.5 total scanning hours. These measures will be performed concurrently during the MRS scans being performed to measure GSH levels.
At 90 days and at 180 days
In healthy volunteers, determine the concentration of myo-inositol in brain (μmol/g)
Time Frame: 90 Days After Enrollment
The investigators will measure the concentration of myo-inositol in brains of healthy volunteers at 90 days after enrollment. This measure will be obtained using MRS. The MRS study will take place over approximately 1.0 hour and will generate measurements of myo-inositol levels from 2-3 brain regions. Scanning may be done in multiple sessions if needed, but will not exceed 1.5 total scanning hours. This measure will be performed concurrently during the MRS scan being performed to measure GSH level.
90 Days After Enrollment
Change in subjects with Gaucher disease type 1, in concentration of TNF-alpha in plasma (pg/mL)
Time Frame: Baseline, 45 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, and 270 days
The investigators will measure the concentration of TNF-alpha in blood of subjects with Gaucher disease type 1 at baseline (enrollment), 45 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, and 270 days. Blood samples will be drawn and analyzed using immunoassay for TNF-alpha.
Baseline, 45 days, 90 days, 120 days, 150 days, 180 days, and 270 days
Change in healthy volunteers, in concentration of TNF-alpha in plasma (pg/mL)
Time Frame: Baseline, 45 days, and 90 days
The investigators will measure the concentration of TNF-alpha in blood of healthy volunteers at baseline (enrollment), at 45 days, and at 90 days. Blood samples will be drawn and analyzed using immunoassay for TNF-alpha.
Baseline, 45 days, and 90 days
Change in subjects with Gaucher disease type 1, in concentration of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in blood (µg/ml)
Time Frame: 120 days, 150 days, and 180 days
Investigators will measure NAC levels in the blood of subjects with Gaucher disease type 1, at 120 days after enrollment, 150 days, and 180 days. Blood samples will be drawn and analyzed using LC-MS.
120 days, 150 days, and 180 days

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.
University of Minnesota

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.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Lysosomal Disease Network

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Reena V. Kartha, PharmD, University of Minnesota

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

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

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.
September 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
December 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

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 31, 2025

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).
August 21, 2015

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.
October 20, 2015

First Posted (Estimated)

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.
October 22, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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 18, 2026

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 13, 2026

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, 2026

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.
  • 160003
  • U54NS065768 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual data is input to the NIH-funded Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network's Data Management & Coordinating Center ("DMCC"). Eventually this data will become part of the database of Genotypes and Phenotypes ("dbGaP"), which is part of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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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