Cell Signaling and Resistance to Oxidative Stress: Effects of Aging and Exercise

August 21, 2020 updated by: Tinna Traustadottir, Northern Arizona University
Advanced age is the main risk factor for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and cancer. One reason may be due to decreased resistance to oxidative stress as antioxidant defenses and cell protection is reduced with aging. This has been shown in animal studies and also that the impairment can be somewhat restored with exercise. This will be the first study to test this in humans by comparing young and older inactive adults before and after an exercise intervention, a practical and cost-effective intervention that can have tremendous public health impact by lowering risk for disease and medical-related costs.

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

Advanced age substantially increases the risk for a host of diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. A major factor that appears to underlie this increased risk with age is reduced capacity to resist oxidative injury or oxidative stress. Therefore, maintaining or increasing the capacity to resist oxidative stress appears critical to the prevention of age-related disease and promotion of successful aging. One potential reason for the lower resistance to oxidative stress with age is a gradual shift in the redox state toward a more oxidized cellular environment potentially disrupting cell-signaling. Nuclear erythroid-2-p45-related factor-2 (Nrf2) is the master regulator of antioxidant defenses. Nrf2 drives expression of a host of genes involved in cellular detoxification and antioxidant defenses. There is strong evidence from animal studies that Nrf2 signaling is reduced with aging and can be at least partially restored with moderate exercise training, however the gap in current knowledge is whether these data do in fact translate to humans. This study will test the following hypotheses in young and older men and women: i) aging is associated with impaired Nrf2 signaling in response to acute exercise and ii) moderate exercise training will improve Nrf2 signaling in older, inactive individuals, and this will increase their resistance to oxidative stress. These hypotheses will be tested by comparing 25 young (18-28y) and 25 older (≥60y) inactive individuals before and after an 8-week exercise intervention (n=15 per age group) and in comparison to non-exercising age-matched control groups (n=10 per age group). Nrf2 signaling will be measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to acute exercise and will include gene expression (NRF2, NQO1, HO1, GCLC), protein abundance (NRF2, KEAP1, NQO1, HO1, GCLC) and Nrf2-ARE binding capacity. Resistance to oxidative stress will be measured by plasma F2-isoprostane response to forearm ischemia/reperfusion. The results will increase understanding of the mechanisms of diminished stress resilience with aging and the plasticity of these pathways. This will determine whether targeting Nrf2 signaling will be effective for prevention or treatment of these age-related changes which has an enormous public health impact due to the potential of lowering disease risk and medical costs. An additional significance of this project is creating opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to become involved in research, an important purpose of the Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program and a mission of Northern Arizona University.

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.
46

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

  • United States
    • Arizona
      • Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, 86011
        • Northern Arizona 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

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Men and women, 18-28 years or 60 years and older
  • Competent to independently give informed consent
  • Successful completion of screening
  • No regular exercise for the past 6-months (by self-report)
  • A score below 3.0 on the Historical Lifetime Physical Activity Questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Estrogen supplementation within the previous 6 months
  • Use of anti-oxidant supplements, in excess of standard multi-vitamins (1 tablet/day)
  • Current smoker
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) ≤33 kg/m2 (Class I Obesity)
  • Any chronic illness that could affect outcome measures, including diabetes, liver or renal disease, or cancer (other than skin cancer)
  • History of a myocardial infarction within the last 6 months, clinically significant aortic stenosis, use of cardiac defibrillator, or uncontrolled angina
  • Clinically significant arrhythmia on a resting EKG or significant EKG changes during the baseline maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) test
  • Any other condition that would contraindicate maximal exercise testing, including elevated blood pressure at rest (systolic BP >150 or diastolic BP >90 mm Hg on at least 2 measurements, at least 10 minutes apart) or musculoskeletal problems

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: Randomized
  • 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.
Experimental: Exercise Intervention
8-weeks exercise intervention: 3-days per week for 45-55 minutes per session
Behavioral: Exercise Intervention
24 sessions of aerobic exercise
No Intervention: Control
8-weeks control: asked not to change anything or start exercising.

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
Cell signaling
Time Frame: 8 weeks
Nuclear Nrf2 protein content in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to acute exercise
8 weeks
Resistance to oxidative stress
Time Frame: 8 weeks
F2-isoprostane response to forearm ischemia-reperfusion
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
Cell signaling
Time Frame: 8 weeks
GCLC protein abundance in PBMCs in response to acute exercise
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.
Northern Arizona University

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: Tinna Traustadóttir, PhD, Northern Arizona University

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.
June 1, 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.
May 30, 2020

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.
June 30, 2020

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).
January 11, 2018

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.
January 26, 2018

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.
February 5, 2018

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.
August 26, 2020

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.
August 21, 2020

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.
August 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • R15AG055077 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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

No

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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