Synbiotic Treatment in Crohn's Disease Patients

February 10, 2009 updated by: University of Dundee
The purpose of this study is to determine whether administration of a synbiotic, comprised on inulin and a bifidobacterial probiotic will colonise the gut wall and down-regulate TNF-alpha and other pro-inflammatory cytokines in the mucosa of Crohn's patients with active disease to reduce mucosal inflammation and induce remission.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Crohn's disease is one of the two main forms of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. The Th1-mediated inflammatory response in Crohn's disease is characterised by increased IL-18 and INF-gamma and especially TNF-alpha, which are formed by lamina propria mononuclear cells. The aim of this investigation is to determine whether a synbiotic comprised of inulin and a bifidobacterial probiotic, that we have previously shown to down-regulate TNF-alpha and other proinflammatory cytokines in the gut mucosa in ulcerative colitis patients with active disease, can colonise the bowel wall, reduce mucosal inflammation and induce remission in Crohn's disease patients with active disease, in a randomised controlled trial. Crohn's disease is associated with high mortality and incurs significant social, commercial and NHS costs. Many patients are refractile to standard treatments, which often have undesirable side effects. An inexpensive, effective and non-toxic treatment based on the synbiotic concept would contribute greatly to relieving the clinical and financial burdens of the disease.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

50

Phase

  • 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

    • Angus
      • Dundee, Angus, United Kingdom, DD1 9SY
        • Dundee University, Dept of Pathology and Neuroscience
    • Tayside
      • Dundee, Tayside, United Kingdom, DD1 9SY
        • Ninewells Hospital and Medical School

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 79 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Crohn's disease of large bowel (+/- small bowel disease)
  • 18-79 years old
  • stable doses of medications
  • CDAI >150, <450

Exclusion Criteria:

  • short gut syndrome
  • pregnancy
  • lactation
  • antibiotic therapy in last 3 months
  • probiotic therapy in last 1 month
  • <18, >79 years old
  • CDAI <150 or >450
  • indeterminate colitis, ulcerative colitis
  • alterations to medications in last 3 months

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: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Reduction in mucosal TNF-alpha

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Number of patients in remission as assessed by CDAI.
Significant differences in mucosal regeneration between pre-synbiotic and post-synbiotic therapy groups and pre-control and post-control therapy groups.
Differences in TNF-alpha, IL-18 and INF-gamma between the post-synbiotic and post-control groups.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: George MacFarlane, BSc PhD, University of Dundee

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

June 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2008

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 20, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 20, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

March 21, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 11, 2009

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2009

Last Verified

February 1, 2009

More Information

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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