Clinical Trial of Two Study Drinks in Detoxification of Environmental Toxicants and Carcinogens

The goal of this research is to determine if consuming one of two study drinks will help enhance the detoxification of multiple environmental toxicants and cancer causing agents, particularly in subjects who are null for glutathione-S-transferase M1 (GSTM1), glutathione-S-transferase T1 (GSTT1), or both. If our research supports this idea, this drink could be an inexpensive dietary component, which could promote good health.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Freeze Dried Watercress Preparation; Dietary supplement: Placebo Preparation

Detailed Description

Volatile organic carcinogens and toxicants are ubiquitous environmental and endogenous compounds to which virtually all humans are exposed. All of these compounds are detoxified by metabolic processes that ultimately result in conjugation with glutathione and excretion of mercapturic acids in urine. Glutathione conjugation can be upregulated by isothiocyanates through the Nrf2 pathway and related routes of metabolism. This study will examine if watercress consumption, resulting in exposure to milligram amounts of 2-phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) per day, will enhance the detoxification of benzene, acrolein and other related volatile toxicants and carcinogens. One of the two drinks contains PEITC released from freeze dried watercress while the other drink contains maltodextrin.

Benzene causes acute myeloid leukemia/acute non-lymphocytic leukemia in humans, and a positive association has been observed between benzene exposure and acute lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Acrolein is highly toxic and causes nasal tumors in rats. Benzene is classified as "carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and acrolein as "probably carcinogenic to humans." Mercapturic acids of the volatile toxicants and carcinogens propylene oxide, crotonaldehyde, methyl vinyl ketone, methacrolein, and acrylonitrile will also be quantified.

The study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind, phase II clinical trial with a crossover study design. Participants will be assigned to active (freeze dried watercress) or placebo (maltodextrin) study product for 14 days, then undergo a 4-week wash-out period, and will then be crossed over to the other product for another 14 days. During the treatment phase, subjects will consume the watercress beverage or placebo, three times per day. The target dose will be 40 mg/day of PEITC. Subjects may be titrated down if they report being unable to tolerate the full dose. Urine, oral swabs, and saliva will be collected.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 300
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55405
      • University of Minnesota

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult Male or female. Participants can be smokers or non-smokers
• In good physical health
• In stable and good mental health
• Not using any medications that may affect the Nrf2 pathway
• Women who are not pregnant or nursing or planning to become pregnant
• Participants have provided written informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Significant immune system disorders, respiratory diseases, kidney or liver diseases or any other medical disorders that may affect biomarker data as determined by the licensed medical professional
• Vital signs outside of the allotted range
• Not willing to abstain from eating cruciferous vegetables during the course of the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Freeze Dried Watercress Preparation	Dietary supplement: Freeze Dried Watercress Preparation; Freeze dried watercress containing gluconasturtiin, which when added to provided water with flavor powder, will result in a total target dose of up to 40 mg/day of 2-phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). Preparation consumed at breakfast, lunch and dinner 3x daily for 2 weeks.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Preparation	Dietary supplement: Placebo Preparation; Maltodextrin added to provided water with flavor powder. Preparation consumed at breakfast, lunch and dinner 3x daily for 2 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Carcinogen Detoxification of Metabolites in Urine.	Carcinogen detoxification metabolites in urine. Biomarkers to be analyzed: 2-cyanoethyl mercapturic acid (CEMA), 3-hydroxypropyl mercapturic acid (HPMA1), 2-hydroxypropyl mercapturic acid (HPMA2), phenyl mercapturic acid (SPMA), 3-hydroxy-1-methylpropyl mercapturic acid (HMPMA1), 3-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl mercapturic acid (HMPMA2), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylpropyl mercapturic acid (HMPMA3),	2 Months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Stephen Hecht, PhD, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota; Principal Investigator: Dorothy Hatsukami, PhD, University of Minnesota

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 18, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 19, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): November 13, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 5, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): June 6, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 21, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 7, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 2018NTLS144 (Other Identifier: University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No