Effects of the Multispecies Probiotic Ecologic Barrier in IBS Patients With Upper GI Symptoms and Anxiety, Depression, or Stress

June 15, 2026 updated by: Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vietnam

The Effects of the Multispecies Probiotic Mixture Ecologic Barrier for Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Upper Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Having Anxiety, Depression, and Stress Symptoms

The aim of this clinical trial is to find out whether Ecologic Barrier is effective in supporting the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in adults. The main questions that this trial aims to answer are:

  • Does Ecologic Barrier help improve IBS severity when added to standard IBS treatment?
  • Does Ecologic Barrier help improve symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress in patients with IBS?
  • Does Ecologic Barrier help improve upper gastrointestinal symptoms when added to standard IBS treatment?
  • What adverse events may occur when using Ecologic Barrier? The researchers will compare a group receiving standard symptom-based treatment with another group receiving standard treatment plus Ecologic Barrier.

Participants will:

  • Receive IBS treatment for 2 months, with Ecologic Barrier added during either the first month or the second month, depending on random assignment.
  • Attend a follow-up visit after 1 month of treatment.
  • Take part in interviews about IBS severity, symptom improvement, adverse events, and symptoms of depression and anxiety at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks.

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.

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.
  • 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 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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Vietnam
    • Hanoi
      • Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam, 10000
        • Recruiting
        • Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
        • Contact:
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Hang V Dao, PhD

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:

  • Indication for upper endoscopy and colonoscopy;
  • Diagnosed with IBS-D according to Rome IV criteria;
  • Presence of at least one upper gastrointestinal symptom, including: retrosternal burning, reflux, epigastric pain, epigastric burning, postprandial discomfort, early satiety, abdominal bloating, belching, sour regurgitation, nausea/vomiting;
  • Manifestations of anxiety, depression, or stress, with at least one of the three DASS-21 subscale scores exceeding the normal threshold (depression score >9 and/or anxiety score >7 and/or stress score >14).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Positive for Helicobacter pylori by rapid urease test during endoscopy or by 13C-urea breath test;
  • Currently using anxiolytic or antidepressant medication;
  • Currently or previously used antibiotics within the past month;
  • Currently or previously used symptomatic treatment, probiotics, or proton pump inhibitors (PPI) within the past two weeks;
  • History of gastrointestinal surgery;
  • Endoscopic findings of organic lesions: ulcer, acute inflammation, colonic polyp >5 mm, or colonic polyp <5 mm with suspected neoplasia;
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.

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: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

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: Ecologic Barrier First-Month Sequence
This group included IBS-D patients who were prescribed a standard 2-month treatment regimen and received the study product as an add-on therapy during the first month.
Dietary supplement: Ecologic Barrier
Ecologic Barrier will be added to the standard treatment regimen during the first month of treatment.
Dietary supplement: Ecologic Barrier
Ecologic Barrier will be added to the standard treatment regimen during the second month of treatment.
Experimental: Ecologic Barrier Second-Month Sequence
This group included IBS-D patients who were prescribed a standard 2-month treatment regimen and received the study product as an add-on therapy during the second month.
Dietary supplement: Ecologic Barrier
Ecologic Barrier will be added to the standard treatment regimen during the first month of treatment.
Dietary supplement: Ecologic Barrier
Ecologic Barrier will be added to the standard treatment regimen during the second month of treatment.

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 from baseline in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS) score at multiple time points
Time Frame: Baseline (0 weeks), 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks
The IBS-SSS score assesses the severity of IBS symptoms based on abdominal pain intensity, abdominal pain frequency, abdominal distension, dissatisfaction with bowel habits, and interference with daily life
Baseline (0 weeks), 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks
Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Global Assessment of Improvement (IBS-GAI) score
Time Frame: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks
The IBS-GAI is a self-administered questionnaire used to assess the overall change in IBS symptoms compared to the baseline. Patients answer a question such as "Compared to the way you felt before beginning the trial, have your IBS symptoms changed?" on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (substantially worse) to 7 (substantially improved). Higher scores indicate greater improvement
2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks
Percentage of patients achieving Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Adequate Relief (IBS-AR)
Time Frame: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks
The IBS-AR is a single, dichotomous question asked to assess if patients obtained adequate relief of their IBS symptoms. Responses are categorical (Yes or No). The outcome is reported as the percentage of participants responding "Yes" at each evaluated time point.
2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks

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 in Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) subscale scores
Time Frame: Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks and 8 weeks
The DASS-21 is a 21-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure three related negative emotional states: depression, anxiety, and stress (7 items per subscale). Each item is scored from 0 (did not apply to me at all) to 3 (applied to me very much). For each subscale (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress), the scores of its 7 items are summed and multiplied by 2. Each individual subscale yields a final score range of 0 to 42. Higher scores in each subscale indicate greater severity of the respective symptoms.
Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks and 8 weeks
Change from baseline in gastrointestinal symptom severity score
Time Frame: Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks, and 8 weeks
Gastrointestinal symptom severity is assessed using a 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The scale ranges from 0 to 10, where a score of 0 represents "normal" (no symptoms), 1-3 represents "mild", 4-6 represents "moderate", and 7-10 represents "severe" symptoms. The final outcome is reported as the change in the total severity score from baseline to each subsequent follow-up period. Higher scores indicate greater severity of gastrointestinal symptoms
Baseline (0 weeks), 4 weeks, and 8 weeks
Incidence rate of specific treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs)
Time Frame: 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks
The incidence rate of specific treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) is actively assessed at each follow-up. The pre-specified checklist of symptoms includes: abdominal bloating, abdominal distension, bowel habit disorders, headache, dizziness, nausea, heartburn/retrosternal burning, sleep disorders, and other unlisted events. For each reported symptom, the onset time and duration will be documented
2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks

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.
Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vietnam

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.
June 1, 2024

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.
June 30, 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.
June 30, 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).
May 7, 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.
June 15, 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.
June 18, 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.
June 18, 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.
June 15, 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.
June 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.
  • EB2406

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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