Effect of Probiotic and Smectite Gel on NAFLD

August 4, 2018 updated by: Nazarii Kobyliak

Effect of Alive Probiotics Supplementation With Absorbent Smectite Gel in NAFLD

Smectite is a natural silicate clay belonging to the dioctahedral smectite class and has the ability directly to absorb bacterial toxins, bacteria, viruses and bile salts. Diosmectite also has a protective effect against intestinal inflammation hence suppressing production of cytokines such as IL-8 and TNFα. Investigators suggested that all these pharmacological properties may be beneficial for the treatment of NAFLD. Based on preclinical data, in rats with MSG induced obesity supplementation of alive probiotics with smectite gel (Symbiter-Forte) due to his absorbent activity lead to significant reduction of chronic systemic inflammatory markers, lower total NAS (NAFLD activity score) score, with more pronounced reduction of lobular inflammation as compared to administration of probiotic alone. In respect to preclinical data, in this double-blind single center randomized clinical trial (RCT) the efficacy of alive probiotics supplementation with smectite gel (Symbiter-Forte) vs. placebo in type-2 diabetes patient with NAFLD detected on ultrasonography will be studied

Study Overview

Detailed Description

In this single-center double-blind, placebo controlled, parallel group study, 50 T2D patients from the Kyiv City Clinical Endocrinology Center - Ukraine, were selected. They were randomly assigned to receive "Symbiter Forte" or placebo for 8 weeks, administered as a sachet formulation in double-blind treatment. Randomization was done by the study statistician based on a computer-generated list. The groups were homogeneous according to age, sex and diagnostic criteria. The assignment of groups was blind to participants, research staff and outcome assessors moreover, to maintain blind parallel study the statistician was not aware of the allocation of participants to intervention.

The "Symbiter Forte" was supplied by Scientific and Production Company "O.D. Prolisok". It contains combination of smectite gel (250 mg), supplemented with biomass of 14 alive probiotic strains: Lactobacillus + Lactococcus (6×1010 CFU/g), Bifidobacterium (1×1010/g), Propionibacterium (3×1010/g), Acetobacter (1×106/g) genera. Over 8 weeks of interventional period, the patients received 1 sachet (10 grams) of probiotic-smectite and placebo per day. All sachets were identical with similar organoleptic characteristics (e.g., taste and appearance).

The pre-randomization period was designed to minimize the effects of dietary changes on metabolic markers. For this purpose, 2 weeks before the study started, after the informed consent was signed, patients were instructed in one-on-one sessions with a dietitian to follow a therapeutic lifestyle-change diet as classified by the NCEP. In addition, participants were instructed to continue with stable anti-hyperglycemic treatment and received standardized mild physical training for 1 hour per day.

Patients who underwent the study were instructed to take the trial medication as prescribed. Throughout the study, weekly phone follow-up visits were provided for assessment of compliance, adherence to the protocol, as well as the recording of adverse events. The effectiveness of therapy was compared and evaluated separately in the two groups.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

50

Phase

  • Not Applicable

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

20 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • adult participants (ages 18-75, BMI ≥25 kg/m2) diagnosed with NAFLD according to the recommendations of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) and American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD);
  • the diagnosis of fatty liver was based on the results of abdominal ultrasonography. Of 4 known criteria (hepato-renal echo contrast, liver brightness, deep attenuation, and vascular blurring), the participants were required to have hepato-renal contrast and liver brightness to be given a diagnosis of NAFLD.
  • type 2 diabetes treated with diet and exercise alone or metformin, SUs and insulin at stable dose at least 4 weeks prior to the commencement of the study;
  • AST and ALT ≤3x upper limit of normal.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • alcohol abuse (>20 g/day (2 standard drinks) in women or > 30 g/d (3 drinks) in men over a two-year period);
  • chronic viral hepatitis (associated with HBV, HCV, HDV infection);
  • drug-induced liver disease, Wilson's disease, hereditary deficiency of antitrypsin-1 and idiopathic hemochromatosis;
  • history of decompensated liver disease including ascites, encephalopathy or variceal bleeding;
  • regular use of a probiotic or prebiotic supplement within 3 months prior to enrollment;
  • antibiotic use within 3 months prior to enrollment;
  • uncontrolled cardiovascular or respiratory disease, active malignancy, or chronic infections;
  • use of agents such as vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids or medications with evidence for effects on NAFLD (pioglitazone, GLP-1 analogues, dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitors, ursodeoxycholic acid);
  • presence of active infection, pregnancy or lactation.

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: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: probiotic-smectite
Over 8 weeks of interventional period, the patient received 1 sachet (10 grams) of gel per day.
"Symbiter Forte" which contains combination of smectite gel (250 mg), and biomass of 14 alive probiotic strains: Lactobacillus + Lactococcus (6×1010 CFU/g), Bifidobacterium (1×1010/g), Propionibacterium (3×1010/g), Acetobacter (1×106/g)
Placebo Comparator: placebo
Over 8 weeks of interventional period, the patient received 1 sachet (10 grams) of gel per day.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
fatty liver index (FLI)
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
FLI = [e 0.953*loge (triglycerides) + 0.139*BMI + 0.718*loge (ggt) + 0.053*waist circumference - 15.745) / (1 + e 0.953*loge (triglycerides) + 0.139*BMI + 0.718*loge (ggt) + 0.053*waist circumference - 15.745)] × 100
8 weeks compared to baseline
liver stiffness (LS)
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
liver stiffness (LS) was measured by Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) and expressed in kPa
8 weeks compared to baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
ALT
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
ALT in IU/L
8 weeks compared to baseline
AST
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
AST in IU/L
8 weeks compared to baseline
γ-GT
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
γ-GT in IU/L
8 weeks compared to baseline
Total Cholesterol (TC)
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
TC in mmol/l
8 weeks compared to baseline
Tryglicerides (TG)
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
TG in mmol/l
8 weeks compared to baseline
LDL-Cholesterol (LDL-C)
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
LDL-C in mmol/l
8 weeks compared to baseline
VLDL-Cholesterol (VLDL-C)
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
VLDL-C in mmol/l
8 weeks compared to baseline
HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C)
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
HDL-C in mmol/l
8 weeks compared to baseline
cytokines levels
Time Frame: 8 weeks compared to baseline
TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, INF-γ in pg/ml
8 weeks compared to baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

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

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)

September 15, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 15, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

April 20, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 29, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

August 3, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 7, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 4, 2018

Last Verified

August 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

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

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

Clinical Trials on Liver Diseases

Clinical Trials on Placebo

3
Subscribe