Investigation on the Role of Gut-liver Axis for Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis Through Bariatric Surgery

September 25, 2022 updated by: National Taiwan University Hospital

Investigation on Novel Route of Gut Microbiota Products for Bariatric Surgery to Improve Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis and Development on Therapeutic Implications

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an aggressive form of NAFLD with remarkable inflammatory features which may cause advanced fibrosis and liver cancer. So far there is no FDA-approved drug for treating NASH. A 10% weight loss by life style modification is a standard recommendation to treat NASH which achieves only 10-20% success rate in clinical practice. Thus, the development of therapeutics to prevent and treat NASH is certainly an unmet need. For now, the mechanism of how simple steatosis progresses to NASH remains unclear and accumulating evidences suggest the role of gut microbiota may be essential. Studies have also noted the bariatric surgery effectively improve diabetes and NASH with significant alterations in the composition and function of gut microbiome. In this study, the investigators aim to investigate the role of gut microbiota in the pathophysiology of NASH by comparing NAFLD severity, gut microbiome, metabolomics, immune profiles among patients before and after the bariatric surgery. With these efforts, the investigators wish to decipher the mechanism of how bariatric surgery may improve NASH through changing the gut microbiota and find out microbe-associated molecular signatures between NASH and NAFLD through this study.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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 anticipate to recruit 140 morbidly obese patients who will receive bariatric surgery including 100 patients receiving sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and 40 receiving gastric bypass surgery (GB). Liver biopsy will be performed during the operation to confirm the histological scores of NAFLD severity. The investigators expect to have 50% NASH and 50% NAFL patients from these morbidly obese patients based on previous domestic data. (i.e. 50 patients receiving SG to have NASH and 50 patients receiving SG to have NAFL; 20 patients receiving GB to have NASH and 20 patients receiving GB to have NAFL.) In this study, the investigators have two study objectives which are as follows.

  1. The first objective is to discover potential mechanisms among gut-liver axis for preventing or promoting NAFL to NASH by comparing (1) fecal microbiome composition and metabolomics, (2) peripheral blood biochemistry, metabolomics, immune cell phenotypes, and cytokines (3) portal vein biochemistry, metabolomics, immune cell phenotypes, and cytokines (4) Liver metabolomics and RNA-seq (5) gut permeability test (lactulose/mannitol challenge) (6) host genetic susceptibility for NAFLD (PNPLA3 and TM6SF2) between the tissue-proved NASH and NAFL patients in this study with a cross-sectional comparison.
  2. The second objective is to longitudinally investigate the potential mechanisms of bariatric surgery for improving NASH via a gut-microbiota dependent pathway. Clinical and experimental data before (baseline) and after (1st, 3rd, 6th months) bariatric surgery will be collected which include (1) non-invasive evaluation of NAFLD severity (Fibroscan, MRI-PDFF (proton density fat fraction) and MRE), (2) blood biochemistry, metabolomics, immune cell phenotypes, and cytokines (3) fecal microbiome and metabolomics (4) gut permeability test (5) liver biopsy histology (if available)

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.
Observational

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.
140

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.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 100
        • Recruiting
        • National Taiwan University Hospital
        • Contact:

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

20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Morbidly obese patients who planned to receive bariatric surgery

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Age >20，morbidly obese patients who will receive bariatric surgery.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Average daily alcohol intake >20 grams,
  • Hepatitis B carriers, Hepatitis C carriers,
  • people with liver disease caused by other causes
  • liver cirrhosis,
  • diseases related to abnormal blood coagulation,
  • inflammatory bowel disease,
  • routine use of steroids or immunity Inhibitors and other immunomodulatory drugs
  • ursodeoxycholic and other drugs that affect bile acid metabolism
  • those who have used antibiotics or probiotics within one month

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
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.
Obese patients tissue proved NASH
age >20，morbid obesity who will receive bariatric surgery, tissue proved NASH
Obese patients tissue proved NAFL
age >20，morbid obesity who will receive bariatric surgery, tissue proved NAFL
NASH (before bariatric surgery)
age >20，morbid obesity receiving bariatric surgery and was proved NASH histologically. Data collected before bariatric surgery.
Procedure: Bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery
Other Names:
  • Liver biopsy
  • Portal vein sampling
NASH (after bariatric surgery)
age >20，morbid obesity receiving bariatric surgery and was proved NASH histologically. Data collected after bariatric surgery.
Procedure: Bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery
Other Names:
  • Liver biopsy
  • Portal vein sampling

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 of NAFLD severity score (histology) from baseline to the 6th month
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Liver biopsy will be performed before and after surgery (if available) to acquire histology evaluation
Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Change of NAFLD severity measured by Fibroscan from baseline to the 6th month
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Fibroscan (CAP and kPa)
Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Change of NAFLD severity measured by MRI proton density fat fraction from baseline to the
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
MRI proton density fat fraction (%)
Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Change of NAFLD severity measured by magnetic resonance elastography from baseline to the
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
magnetic resonance elastography (kPa)
Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery

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 of gut microbiome profiles
Time Frame: Baseline, 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month after surgery
fecal 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing and shotgun metagenome sequencing
Baseline, 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month after surgery
Change of body fluid metabolomic profiles
Time Frame: Baseline, 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month after surgery
Metabolites in blood fluids measured by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry
Baseline, 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month after surgery
Change of Immune profiles
Time Frame: Baseline, 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month after surgery
Immune cell phenotype patterns in body fluids measured by flow cytometry
Baseline, 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month after surgery
Change of gut permeability test
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Lactulose/Mannitol challenge test
Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery
Change of gene expression profiles of liver tissue
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery (if available)
gene expression measured by RNA-seq
Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery (if available)
Change of metabolomic profiles of liver tissue
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery (if available)
Metabolites in liver tissue measured by liquid chromatography mass
Baseline and 6 months after bariatric surgery (if available)

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.
National Taiwan University Hospital

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.
Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan

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: Ming-Shiang Wu, MD, PhD, National Taiwan University Hospital

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.
May 16, 2019

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.
April 1, 2024

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.
September 1, 2024

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).
July 22, 2020

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.
August 2, 2020

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.
August 6, 2020

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.
September 27, 2022

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.
September 25, 2022

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, 2021

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.
  • 201903037RIND

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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