The Physiologic Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on Sarcopenic Obesity (INOSO)

October 1, 2021 updated by: Sara Espinoza
Obesity is highly prevalent in older adults and is a major cause of sarcopenia and disability in older adults. Although exercise can counteract the effects of obesity and sarcopenia, many have difficulty adhering to an exercise program and the benefits of exercise are variable. Therefore, there is an urgent need to test novel pharmacologic interventions to prevent disability and loss of independence. Oxytocin is a pituitary hormone released during parturition and lactation that is also known to suppress appetite in rodents and humans; and, recent small studies have found that intranasal oxytocin reduces body weight in adults. We propose a pilot study of intranasal oxytocin as a novel approach to promote weight loss and increase muscle mass in older subjects with sarcopenic obesity.

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 pilot study will be conducted at 3 sites in 9 visits over a period of 12+ weeks. Older sedentary subjects will be screened for sarcopenic obesity using a modified consensus definition and evaluated at baseline for safety labs, glucose tolerance, body composition, cognition and physical performance, as well as systemic inflammatory markers in blood and muscle tissue.

Eligible subjects self-administer 24 IU intranasal oxytocin four times a day for 8 weeks.

The study will examine whether the intervention will promote weight loss and preserve muscle mass, thereby preserving and/or improving physical function in older subjects with sarcopenic obesity.

Generalized linear mixed effects model will be used to evaluate the effect of oxytocin on the change of each continuous measure. The effect of oxytocin will be assessed by whether the time by oxytocin interaction is significantly different from 0 with a 2-sided p-value<0.05.

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.
23

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
  • Phase 1

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

  • United States
    • Texas
      • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78207
        • Texas Diabetic Institute

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

60 years to 99 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • BMI 30-40 kg/m2
  • Sedentary (< 2 strenuous exercise/week)
  • Gait speed < 1 meter/second

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diabetes (ADA criteria)
  • Heart disease (MI or New York Heart Classification grade III-IV)
  • Poorly controlled hypertension (SBP > 170 or DBP >95 mm/Hg)
  • Anemia (Hematocrit <34%)
  • Renal Disease (Serum Creatinine >1.4, abnormal serum sodium levels, abnormal urinalysis, or physical exam findings indicative of fluid imbalance; individuals with underlying disorder of sodium/water balance, such as SIADH, diabetes insipidus, or psychogenic polydipsia)
  • Liver Disease (AST/ALT/AlkPhos > 2x upper limit of normal)
  • Use of systemic steroid, androgens, or anti-coagulants
  • Active/unstable conditions: inflammatory, thyroid, autoimmune, gastrointestinal (GI), hematologic, or neoplastic disorders
  • Individuals with underlying seizure disorder or underlying neurologic disorder that increases seizure risk
  • Cognitive impairment (MiniCog <3), unstable mental illness, substance abuse, or history of eating disorder

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
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: QUADRUPLE

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: Oxytocin nasal spray
Oxytocin (Syntocinon), intranasal, 24IU, 4x a day for 8 weeks, self administered
Drug: Oxytocin nasal spray
Self administered Oxytocin nasal spray q.i.d. for 8 weeks versus placebo (normal saline nasal spray)
Other Names:
  • Intranasal oxytocin
  • Syntocinon nasal spray
EXPERIMENTAL: Placebo nasal spray
Placebo nasal spray, 4x a day for 8 weeks, self administered
Drug: Placebo nasal spray
Self administered Placebo nasal spray q.i.d. for 8 weeks (normal saline nasal spray)
Other Names:
  • Saline nasal spray

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 Body Weight
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Intranasal oxytocin will promote weight loss and preserve muscle mass
Baseline to 8 weeks

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
Change in Fat Mass
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements of fat mass by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in Body Mass Index
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements of lean mass by DXA will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin. Change in body mass index (BMI).
8 weeks
Change in Glucose Levels Measured Using the Glucose Tolerance Test
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements of oral glucose tolerance test for 2-hour plasma glucose will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
8 weeks
Change in Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin. This battery of tests is scored on a scale with 3 SPPB calculation components:

  1. Ability to stand for 10 seconds with feet in 3 different positions, scored from 0 min to 4 maximum, with a higher score indicating better balance.(3 Balance subsets: side by side stand scored from 0-1; semi-tandem stance scored from 0-1; tandem stance scored from 0-2)
  2. Two timed trials of a 3m or 4 m walk (fastest recorded). Scoring is from 0-4, with 0 being unable to walk and 4 indicating a faster walk time.
  3. Time to rise from a chair five times is scored from 0-4, with 0 being unable to complete the activity, and 4 indicating that time to complete is less than 11.1 seconds.

Total Score is the sum of all 3 scores: Minimum = 0 Maximum = 12. Higher scores indicate better lower extremity function.

Difference between baseline and 8 week performance is reported.
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in HbA1c (Hemoglobin A1c)
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in Waist Circumference
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in Total Cholesterol
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in Triglycerides
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in Center for Epidemiologic Studies Scale (CES-D)
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks

Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin. This is measured on a 20 item scale using the following scoring using number of week days:

  1. Rarely or none of the time ( less than 1 day)
  2. Some or a little of the time (1-2 days)
  3. Occasionally or a moderate amount of time (3-4 days)
  4. Most or all of the time (5-7 days) SCORING: zero for answers =1), 1 for answers =2), 2 for answers =3) column, 3 for answers =4) The scoring of positive items is reversed. Possible range of scores is zero to 60, with the higher scores indicating the presence of more symptomatology.
Baseline to 8 weeks
Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
Time Frame: Baseline to 8 weeks
Pre- and post-measurements will be examined for individual change with intranasal oxytocin. A 30-point test, with a score of 0 or 1 assigned to each item. The minimum score is 0 and the maximum is 30. The higher the score, the less cognitive impairment.
Baseline to 8 weeks

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.
Sara Espinoza

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.
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

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: Sara Espinoza, MD, The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio

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

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 22, 2017

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 17, 2018

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 17, 2019

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).
March 22, 2017

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.
April 13, 2017

First Posted (ACTUAL)

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.
April 18, 2017

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.
October 22, 2021

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.
October 1, 2021

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.
September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • HSC20160661H

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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