Plant miRNAs In Human Plasma After Broccoli Consumption

March 4, 2026 updated by: Alberto Davalos Herrera, IMDEA Food

Detection Of Plant miRNAs After Broccoli Consumption In Human Plasma: Role Of "Cross-Kingdom" Regulation

Nutritional clinical study to evaluate the absorption and presence of exogenous miRNAs from broccoli in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and to determine their possible implication in the modulation of fecal miRNAs and gut microbiota in healthy volunteers.

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

Nutritional clinical study to evaluate the absorption and presence of exogenous miRNAs from broccoli in plasma and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and determine their possible involvement in the modulation of fecal miRNAs and gut microbiota in healthy volunteers. For this purpose, two nutritional interventions will be carried out: the first will consist of an acute intake to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of exogenous miRNAs of broccoli in human plasma, and the second will be a sustained daily intake of 200g broccoli for a duration of 2 weeks.

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.
20

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

  • Spain
    • Madrid
      • Madrid, Madrid, Spain, 28049
        • Imdea-Food

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Men and women > 18 years and < 45 years
  • Adequate cultural level and understanding of the clinical study.
  • Agree to voluntarily participate in the study and give their written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Intolerance to broccoli
  • Having to follow some type of dietary restriction that prevents the consumption of broccoli.
  • Not willing to consume the food in the required quantity and/or frequency.
  • Subjects with severe disease (hepatic, renal, cardiovascular, etc.)
  • Subjects under any type of pharmacological treatment.
  • Having taken antibiotics 1 month before the start of the study (Specific for the 2-week long study).
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • Subjects who refuse to collect stool samples or undergo the blood draws scheduled in the study.
  • Not able or willing to travel to the study site.

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: Screening
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group 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: Broccoli consumption
200g daily broccoli consumption, for 2 weeks
Dietary supplement: Broccoli consumption
Clinical-nutritional intervention involving two studies: 1) study to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of exogenous miRNAs in human plasma after acute intake of 200g of broccoli, and 2) sustained study where volunteers intake 200g of broccoli daily, for 2 weeks.

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
Number of Broccoli-derived microRNAs Detected in Plasma (RNA Sequencing)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-consumption), 1 Hour, 3 Hours, and 6 Hours Post-consumption
Plasma samples will be analyzed by small RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The outcome is the count of broccoli-derived microRNA species detected per sample using pre-specified detection criteria (e.g., minimum read threshold and alignment to reference sequences).
Baseline (pre-consumption), 1 Hour, 3 Hours, and 6 Hours Post-consumption
Change From Baseline to Day 15 in Plasma Level of Selected Broccoli-derived microRNAs (qRT-PCR)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0, pre-consumption) and Day 15
Candidate broccoli-derived microRNAs (selected based on RNA-seq results using pre-specified selection rules) will be quantified in plasma by qRT-PCR. The outcome is fold change from baseline to Day 15, calculated as 2^-ΔΔCt (unitless).
Baseline (Day 0, pre-consumption) and Day 15
Change From Baseline to Day 15 in Gut Microbiota Alpha Diversity (Shannon Index)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day -1) and Day 15
Stool samples will undergo high-throughput sequencing for microbiota profiling. Alpha diversity will be summarized using the Shannon diversity index (unitless).
Baseline (Day -1) and Day 15
Number of Broccoli-derived microRNAs Detected in Stool (RNA Sequencing)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day -1) and Day 15
Stool RNA will be profiled by small RNA sequencing. The outcome is the count of broccoli-derived microRNA species detected per sample using pre-specified detection criteria.
Baseline (Day -1) and Day 15

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 From Baseline to Day 15 in Fasting Total Cholesterol
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Fasting serum total cholesterol measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) using standard clinical chemistry methods.
Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Change From Baseline to Day 15 in Fasting Triglycerides
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Fasting serum triglycerides measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Change From Baseline to Day 15 in Fasting Plasma Glucose
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Fasting plasma glucose measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Change From Baseline to Day 15 in Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Serum AST measured in units per liter (U/L).
Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Change From Baseline to Day 15 in Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15
Serum ALT measured in units per liter (U/L).
Baseline (Day 0) and Day 15

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.
IMDEA Food

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: Alberto Davalos, IMDEA Food

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.
February 14, 2025

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.
March 14, 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.
March 14, 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).
April 29, 2025

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.
March 4, 2026

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.
March 6, 2026

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.
March 6, 2026

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.
March 4, 2026

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.
April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 21/745-E

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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