Prospective Clinical Study of the Role of the Immune Response, in Relation to Diet, in Patients Affected by Either Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection or Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

January 14, 2014 updated by: Prof. Clara Balsano, University of Roma La Sapienza

Prospective Clinical Study on the Role of the Immune Response, in Relation to Diet, in Patients With Either Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection or Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Director Prof. V. Barnaba, Head of Internal Medicine; Principal Investigator, Prof. C. Balsano

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are characterized by a spectrum of pathological conditions ranging from an early stage of inflammation and fibrosis up to more advanced disease conditions, such as hepatocellular carcinoma. The prevalence of NAFLD is between 10 and 25% of the population, with large differences in age and ethnic groups, while it is well known that HCV infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries.

For both diseases the progression of liver damage is in close correlation with the lifestyle of patients (eg., nutrition, physical activity, ingestion of alcohol, etc.). In fact, it was shown that feeding imbalances may have implications in altering the normal immune functions of the subjects, suggesting that the metabolic and the immune systems are closely related to each other. Although it is well known the negative role of obesity on the progression of NAFLD and HCV liver diseases, the pathogenic mechanism underlying the alterations related to the immune response is not yet fully understood. Insulin resistance, altered lipid metabolism, lipid peroxidation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial alterations are pathogenic mechanisms that induce liver damage and its progression, both in NAFLD and in HCV infection.

Recent studies suggest that the evolution of viral infections and chronic inflammation in NAFLD are deeply influenced by CD4+ T helper cells expressing IL-17 , defined as T helper 17 (Th17) cells. Broadening the knowledge on the role of diet in the course of NAFLD and HCV infection in the activation of Th17 cells and in the alteration of some of their functions, will allow to shed light on the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the progression of immune-mediated diseases. Moreover, this investigation will allow to understand whether Th17 cells may have a role in the diminished response to therapy in patients who have high cholesterol levels.

If the results will confirm our hypothesis, this study will provide useful informations for the clinical management of patients with both steatosis and chronic HCV infection. The data obtained can also be used for the development of new therapeutic strategies directed to modulate the antiviral immune response.

All patients will undergo clinical and instrumental assessment depending on the type of pathology. Patients will be required to follow a normocaloric low cholesterol diet for a period of 30 days.

The prospective clinical study does not present any form of additional risk for the patients and will be conducted in accordance with the principles established by the Declaration of Helsinki and with the standards of Good Clinical Practice (GCP). The study does not require any additional costs.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

60

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

  • Italy
      • Rome, Italy, 00161
        • Recruiting
        • Departemnt of Internal Medicine, La Sapienza University
        • Contact:

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

40 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • chronic HCV infection or NAFLD

Exclusion Criteria:

  • any pharmacological treatment at least 6 months before entering the study, liver cirrhosis, co-infection by hepatitis B virus, or human immunodeficiency virus infections, autoimmune diseases, and other relevant associated-diseases such as decompensated diabetes, kidney diseases, pulmonary diseases, tumors.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Diet
Behavioral: normocaloric low cholesterol diet

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Evaluation of the immune Th17 mediated cell response modulation in subjects with chronic HCV infection vs NAFLD subjects administered with a 30-day low cholesterol diet
Time Frame: Th17 immune response and other liver indices were assessed at baseline and after 30 days of diet. Participants were weekly, up to 4 weeks, followed to assess their adherence.
Evaluation of the immune Th17 mediated cell response was assessed at baseline and after 30 days by diet administration
Th17 immune response and other liver indices were assessed at baseline and after 30 days of diet. Participants were weekly, up to 4 weeks, followed to assess their adherence.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Roma La Sapienza

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Clara Balsano, MD, University of Roma La Sapienza

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

July 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 13, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 14, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

January 16, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

January 16, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 14, 2014

Last Verified

January 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 717/12

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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