Aquamin® as an Adjuvant Intervention for Ulcerative Colitis
Aquamin®, a Multi-mineral Natural Product From Red Marine Algae, as an Adjuvant Intervention for Mild Ulcerative Colitis and Ulcerative Colitis in Remission
Study Overview
Status
Status
Conditions
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Study Type
Enrollment (Estimated)
Enrollment
Phase
Phase
- Phase 2
Contacts and Locations
Study Contact
Study Contact
- Name: Muhammad Nadeem Aslam
- Phone Number: 734-936-1897
- Email: mnaslam@umich.edu
Study Locations
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-
Michigan
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Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109
- The University of Michigan
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-
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Ulcerative colitis with confirmed diagnosis by histology and endoscopy AND in stable remission for 3 months or more without therapy or with maintenance therapy (except steroids and antibiotics for 3 months) OR having a mild disease.
- A negative pregnancy test
Exclusion Criteria:
- No history or diagnosis of any of the following conditions: Crohn's disease, bleeding disorders, gastrointestinal or colonic malignancy, Kidney disease, including kidney "stones" or hypercalcemia, Coagulopathy/hereditary hemorrhagic disorders/ or receiving therapeutic doses of Coumadin or heparin.
- Ingested certain medications (Calcium, Vitamin D, fiber supplements and Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - NSAIDs) within 30 days of study start.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Triple
Number of Arms
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / ArmParticipant Group / Arm |
Intervention / TreatmentIntervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: Aquamin®
To be taken for 180 days
|
4 capsules per day; 2 to be taken in the morning and 2 in the evening (containing approximately 800 mg calcium/day)
Other Names:
|
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Placebo Comparator: Placebo first then Aquamin®
Placebo: To be taken for the first 90 days.
Aquamin®: To be taken for the last 90 days (after crossover)
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4 capsules per day; 2 to be taken in the morning and 2 in the evening (containing approximately 800 mg calcium/day)
Other Names:
4 capsules per day; 2 to be taken in the morning and 2 in the evening
Other Names:
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Change in ulcerative colitis clinical features / presentation as measured by the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) score
Time Frame: Up to day 180
|
This is a self-administered questionnaire.
There are 32 quality of life questions related to bowel function.
Each response corresponds to a letter 'a' through 'g'.
Whereas 'a' indicates high frequency and 'g' indicates minimal frequency.
The total IBDQ score ranges between 32 and 224, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
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Up to day 180
|
|
Change in clinical assessment /gastroenterologist's endoscopic findings based on Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index (UCDAI)/Mayo Scoring
Time Frame: Up to day 180
|
UCDAI/Mayo Scoring consists of 4 subscales: stool frequency, rectal bleeding, findings on endoscopy and physician's global assessment.
Each subscale is scored on a scale of 0 to 3, where 0= normal condition and 3 = severe disease condition.
The total Mayo score ranges from 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating more severe disease.
|
Up to day 180
|
|
Change in Cytokine levels of the colon tissue as measured by Interleukin 8 (IL-8) levels assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
Time Frame: Up to day 180
|
Interleukin 8 levels are measured in picograms per milliliter (pg/mL)
|
Up to day 180
|
|
Change in serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as measured in a blood sample.
Time Frame: Up to day 180
|
Serum C-reactive protein ([CRP levels)] will be reported in milligram per deciliter (mg/dL)
|
Up to day 180
|
|
Change in fecal calprotectin levels measured in a stool sample
Time Frame: Up to day 180
|
Fecal calprotectin will be reported in microgram per gram (µg/g)
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Up to day 180
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Changes in serum liver function tests
Time Frame: Up to day 180
|
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALKP) assessment
|
Up to day 180
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Sponsor
Sponsor
Investigators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Muhammad Nadeem Aslam, University of Michigan
Publications and helpful links
General Publications
- Attili D, McClintock SD, Rizvi AH, Pandya S, Rehman H, Nadeem DM, Richter A, Thomas D, Dame MK, Turgeon DK, Varani J, Aslam MN. Calcium-induced differentiation in normal human colonoid cultures: Cell-cell / cell-matrix adhesion, barrier formation and tissue integrity. PLoS One. 2019 Apr 17;14(4):e0215122. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215122. eCollection 2019.
- McClintock SD, Attili D, Dame MK, Richter A, Silvestri SS, Berner MM, Bohm MS, Karpoff K, McCarthy CL, Spence JR, Varani J, Aslam MN. Differentiation of human colon tissue in culture: Effects of calcium on trans-epithelial electrical resistance and tissue cohesive properties. PLoS One. 2020 Mar 5;15(3):e0222058. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222058. eCollection 2020.
- Aslam MN, McClintock SD, Attili D, Pandya S, Rehman H, Nadeem DM, Jawad-Makki MAH, Rizvi AH, Berner MM, Dame MK, Turgeon DK, Varani J. Ulcerative Colitis-Derived Colonoid Culture: A Multi-Mineral-Approach to Improve Barrier Protein Expression. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Nov 23;8:577221. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.577221. eCollection 2020.
- Aslam MN, Bassis CM, Bergin IL, Knuver K, Zick SM, Sen A, Turgeon DK, Varani J. A Calcium-Rich Multimineral Intervention to Modulate Colonic Microbial Communities and Metabolomic Profiles in Humans: Results from a 90-Day Trial. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2020 Jan;13(1):101-116. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-19-0325. Epub 2019 Nov 26.
- Aslam MN, McClintock SD, Jawad-Makki MAH, Knuver K, Ahmad HM, Basrur V, Bergin IL, Zick SM, Sen A, Turgeon DK, Varani J. A Multi-Mineral Intervention to Modulate Colonic Mucosal Protein Profile: Results from a 90-Day Trial in Human Subjects. Nutrients. 2021 Mar 14;13(3):939. doi: 10.3390/nu13030939.
- Varani J, McClintock SD, Aslam MN. Cell-Matrix Interactions Contribute to Barrier Function in Human Colon Organoids. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Mar 10;9:838975. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.838975. eCollection 2022.
- Varani J, McClintock SD, Aslam MN. Organoid culture to study epithelial cell differentiation and barrier formation in the colon: bridging the gap between monolayer cell culture and human subject research. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 2021 Feb;57(2):174-190. doi: 10.1007/s11626-020-00534-6. Epub 2021 Jan 5.
- Aslam MN, Turgeon DK, Appelman HD, Stidham R, McClintock S, Allen R, Moraga G, Harber I, Jencks KJ, McNeely MM, Sen A, Jepsen KJ, Varani J. A multi-mineral intervention to improve disease-related and mechanistic biomarkers in ulcerative colitis patients: Results from a randomized trial. PLoS One. 2025 Dec 8;20(12):e0337408. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0337408. eCollection 2025.
- Aslam MN, Turgeon DK, McClintock S, Allen R, Sen A, Varani J. A multi-mineral intervention is associated with improved intestinal permeability in patients with ulcerative colitis: results from a pilot trial. Front Med (Lausanne). 2026 Jun 22;13:1805900. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2026.1805900. eCollection 2026.
- Aslam MN, McClintock SD, Moraga G, Nadeem DM, Harber I, Varani J. Proteomic profile of human colon organoids: effects of a multi-mineral intervention alone and in the presence of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory treatments. Front Gastroenterol (Lausanne). 2025 Jul 2;4:1592669. doi: 10.3389/fgstr.2025.1592669. eCollection 2025.
- Aslam MN, Heffernan SM, Varani J. Editorial: The role of minerals and trace elements in chronic diseases. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Nov 21;11:1333011. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1333011. eCollection 2023. No abstract available.
- Varani J, McClintock SD, Nadeem DM, Harber I, Zeidan D, Aslam MN. A multi-mineral intervention to counter pro-inflammatory activity and to improve the barrier in human colon organoids. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Jul 5;11:1132905. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1132905. eCollection 2023.
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
Study Start
Primary Completion (Estimated)
Primary Completion
Study Completion (Estimated)
Study Completion
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Actual)
First Posted
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Posted
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
Other Study ID Numbers
- HUM00156676
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
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