Effect of Tributyrin Supplementation on Glycemic Control, Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

March 26, 2026 updated by: Eman Mohamed El Mokadem, Ain Shams University

This study evaluates the effectiveness and safety of tributyrin supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Type 2 diabetes is commonly associated with poor blood sugar control, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and an increased risk of heart disease.

Tributyrin is a dietary supplement that acts as a precursor to butyrate, a compound known for its anti-inflammatory and metabolic benefits. It may help improve blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, and lower cardiovascular risk.

In this randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial, participants will receive either tributyrin in addition to their standard diabetes treatment or standard therapy alone. The study will assess whether tributyrin improves glycemic control, inflammation, oxidative stress, lipid profile, and overall cardiovascular risk while maintaining safety and tolerability.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and progressive beta-cell dysfunction. It is strongly associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

Short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, have been shown to exert beneficial metabolic effects, including improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and modulating oxidative stress. However, the clinical use of butyrate is limited by its poor bioavailability. Tributyrin, a triglyceride form of butyrate, serves as a prodrug that enhances absorption and provides sustained systemic release of butyrate.

Emerging evidence suggests that tributyrin may improve glycemic control, reduce inflammatory cytokines such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), enhance lipid metabolism, and improve endothelial function. Despite these promising findings, there is a lack of well-designed clinical trials evaluating its role in patients with T2DM, particularly those at elevated cardiovascular risk.

This study is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial conducted in adult patients with T2DM attending a diabetic outpatient clinic. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either oral tributyrin (500 mg twice daily) in addition to standard therapy or standard therapy alone for 12 weeks. Blinding will be maintained using identical capsules.

The primary objective is to evaluate the effect of tributyrin on glycemic control, assessed by fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Secondary objectives include assessment of inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α), oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacity), lipid profile (LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides), and estimated cardiovascular risk.

Safety outcomes will include monitoring of liver and renal function and the incidence of adverse events. Participants will be followed at regular intervals to assess treatment adherence, tolerability, and clinical response.

This study aims to determine whether tributyrin can serve as a safe and effective adjunctive therapy to improve metabolic control and reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.

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 (Estimated)

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.
60

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 3

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

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
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Diagnosed with Type 2 DM for ≥ 1 year

    • ASCVD 10-year risk ≥ 7.5%
    • Stable antidiabetic and cardiovascular medication regimen for ≥ 3 months
    • Able to provide informed consent and comply with study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Established cardiovascular disease (history of MI, stroke, or revascularization)

    • Chronic gastrointestinal disorders affecting absorption
    • Severe hepatic or renal impairment
    • Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists or SGLT2 inhibitors
    • Pregnancy or lactation
    • Known hypersensitivity to tributyrin or butyrate

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: Supportive Care
  • 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: Tributyrin
500 mg oral tributyrin twice daily for 12 weeks
Drug: tributyrin
500 mg oral tributyrin twice daily for 12 weeks
Other: Placebo
Standard therapy alone
Other: Placebo
Standard therapy alone

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
Glycemic parameters
Time Frame: week 12
Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c
week 12

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
lipid profile
Time Frame: week 12
LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides
week 12
Inflammatory markers
Time Frame: week 12
CRP, IL-6, TNF-α
week 12
oxidative stress markers
Time Frame: week 12
MDA, total antioxidant capacity
week 12

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.
Ain Shams 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 (Estimated)

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.
March 26, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 26, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 26, 2026

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).
March 26, 2026

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 26, 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 31, 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 31, 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 26, 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.
March 1, 2026

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.
  • HM000216

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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