Aldosterone, the Mineralocorticoid Receptor, and Cardiovascular Disease in Obesity

September 17, 2025 updated by: Anand Vaidya, Brigham and Women's Hospital
This study will evaluate whether the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist eplerenone, when compared to chlorthalidone plus potassium chloride, can improve cardiac MRI-derived myocardial perfusion reserve and fibrosis, independent of blood pressure, and proportionately to the severity of autonomous aldosterone production.

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

Obesity is a dominant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The public health relevance of this relationship is underscored by the fact that 40% (93 million) of adult Americans are obese.

Activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) is a major mechanism implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated CVD. MR activation causes vascular stiffness, inflammation, and fibrosis, and MR antagonists improve clinical outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, especially in obesity. However, even in the absence of heart failure, multiple mechanisms of CVD in obesity are mediated by excessive activation of the MR. These mechanisms include: autonomous aldosterone production, increased cortisol action, high sympathetic nervous system activity, increased leptin, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Autonomous aldosterone production is a highly prevalent and poorly recognized disorder that causes CVD independent of blood pressure (BP). Autonomous aldosterone production manifests across a wide severity spectrum, ranging from mild/subclinical (rarely recognized) to overt (primary aldosteronism). The investigators' work has characterized autonomous aldosterone production as a phenotype of non-physiologic, non-suppressible, and renin-independent aldosterone production that is highly prevalent in the general population of the U.S.A..

Autonomous aldosterone production and MR activation are especially enriched in obesity, particularly among obese/overweight individuals with hypertension and/or metabolic syndrome. Current treatment guidelines do not recommend the early use of MR antagonists in obesity or hypertension, thereby delaying or omitting a targeted therapy that may specifically mitigate the mechanism of CVD in this high-risk population.

The investigators have validated cardiac MRI methods to measure coronary microvascular function and myocardial fibrosis, both strong surrogates for CVD that correlate with aldosterone production and that improve with MR antagonist therapy.

Prospective studies to investigate the early mechanistic contribution of aldosterone-MR activation in the pathogenesis of CVD in obesity, and whether MR antagonists can prevent this, are lacking. Mechanistic studies, using innovative and robust intermediate phenotypes of clinical CVD outcomes in a cost-effective manner, could have a major public health impact by implicating a targeted medical therapy (MR antagonists) to prevent CVD in high-risk obesity (overweight/obese individuals with hypertension and/or metabolic syndrome).

HYPOTHESIS: MR antagonists in high-risk obesity improve cardiac MRI-derived myocardial perfusion reserve and fibrosis, independent of BP, and proportionately to the severity of autonomous aldosterone production.

STUDY DESIGN: This mechanistic study will investigate whether MR antagonist therapy in high-risk overweight or obese participants can be a targeted strategy to prevent CVD.

80 participants with overweight/obesity, untreated hypertension, and/or at least one other feature of the metabolic syndrome, will be enrolled. Participants will undergo a deep-phenotyping protocol to characterize aldosterone and cortisol physiology before randomization to eplerenone (25-100 mg/d) or chlorthalidone (6.25-25 mg/d + KCl 20 mEq/d) for one year. BP will be maintained in a target range to ensure outcomes are independent of BP control. Cardiac MRI-derived outcomes will be measured at baseline and after one year.

AIM 1: To investigate whether eplerenone therapy in high-risk obese/overweight participants, when compared to chlorthalidone + KCl, can improve coronary microvascular function independent of BP, as measured via stress cardiac MRI-derived myocardial perfusion reserve (a strong predictor for incident cardiovascular events and death that has been shown to improve with MR antagonist therapy).

AIM 2: To investigate whether eplerenone therapy in high-risk obese/overweight participants, when compared to chlorthalidone + KCl, can decrease myocardial fibrosis independent of BP, as measured via extracellular volume fraction on T1 mapping cardiac MRI (an established surrogate for myocardial fibrosis and inflammation that is also strongly associated with autonomous aldosterone production and mortality).

Exploratory Aims: To investigate whether the severity of autonomous aldosterone production is associated with cardiac MRI-derived outcomes and predicts the response to eplerenone therapy; and, to investigate whether eplerenone therapy can improve measures of cardiac fat content, arterial stiffness (via pulse-wave velocity), and inflammation (via inflammatory markers and adipocytokines), when compared to chlorthalidone + KCl.

IMPACT: Obesity/overweight status is enriched with autonomous aldosterone production and MR activation, mechanisms known to cause CVD. This study will investigate targeted mechanisms for the prevention of MR-mediated CVD in high-risk obesity using innovative physiologic phenotyping and surrogate imaging outcomes. This study will establish a mechanistic foundation for future outcome studies in obesity with incident CVD events.

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.
79

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 4

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

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Brigham and Women's Hospital

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 to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. BMI ≥ 30 with at least one of the following, or BMI ≥ 25 with at least two of the following:

    1. Untreated Hypertension: Stage I (BP 120-139/80-89 mmHg) or stage II (BP 140-159/90-99 mmHg).
    2. Treated Hypertension: On one anti-hypertensive medication with BP<140/90 mmHg and willing to undergo a 2-week washout of the medication before initiating eplerenone or chlorthalidone + KCl
    3. Dysglycemia: Impaired fasting plasma glucose (100-125 mg/dL) or glycated A1c 5.7-6.4%
    4. Dyslipidemia: Fasting triglyceride level > 150 mg/dL and HDL< 40 mg/dL in men or <50 mg/dL in women.
  2. Age between 18 and 70 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73m2)
  • Serum potassium > 5.2 mEq/L
  • Known diagnosis or treatment for type 1 or type 2 diabetes
  • Known history of CVD (myocardial infarction, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or stroke)
  • EKG with ischemic ST-segment or T-wave changes or Q waves in more than one territorial lead or a left bundle branch block
  • Pregnancy (verified with a pregnancy test) or breast-feeding

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: 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: Eplerenone
Participants will receive eplerenone, ranging from 25-100mg daily for one year.
Drug: Eplerenone
mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist and potassium-sparing diuretic
Other Names:
  • Inspra
Active Comparator: Chlorthalidone with potassium chloride
Participants will receive chlorthalidone (6.25-25mg daily for one year) along with potassium chloride (up to 20 mEq daily for one year)
Drug: Chlorthalidone with potassium chloride
potassium-wasting diuretic with potassium chloride
Other Names:
  • hygroton

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 stress myocardial perfusion reserve on cardiac MRI
Time Frame: one year
Change in myocardial perfusion
one year

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 extracellular volume fraction on cardiac MRI
Time Frame: one year
change in myocardial fibrosis
one year

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.
Brigham and Women's Hospital

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: Anand Vaidya, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

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.
December 1, 2020

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.
September 17, 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.
September 17, 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 17, 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 18, 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 19, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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 22, 2025

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 17, 2025

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, 2025

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.
  • 2020P002311

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

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

Yes

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.

Clinical Trials on Hypertension

Clinical Trials on Eplerenone

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings