Pharmacokinetic Study on Three Formulations of Curcumin With Different Carriers

Curcumin is a molecule soluble in fat. It has multiple health benefits. Indeed, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Curcumin could play a role in preventing diseases such as cancer, inflammatory, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Omega-3 fatty acids are also important for good health, as they have positive effects on the cardiovascular and neurological systems. However, curcumin is poorly absorbed by the body when provided in supplements. In order to improve curcumin's absorption, a natural health product that combines curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids has been developped. The goal of this project is therefore to determine the absorption of curcumin when administered in combination with omega-3 fatty acids esterified in monoacylglycerol (MAG). This combination will be compared with a curcumin extract alone or in rice oil. A pharmacokinetic study will be carried out for each of the formulations. Pharmacokinetics (PK) is defined as monitoring the blood concentrations of curcumin over a 24-hour period after taking one of the three different supplements.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: MAG fish oil + Curcumin OR Rice bran oil + Curcumin OR Curcumin extract

Detailed Description

15 men and 15 women in good health conditions will be recruited for this project. The study has a randomized double-blinded crossover design with three treatments that include an equal dosage of curcumin as follows :

• 400 mg of curcumin extract,
• 400 mg of curcumin in rice oil,
• 400 mg of curcumin extract + 1.5 g omega-3 in MAG form.

For each of the above listed products, a natural product number (NPN) was requested to Health Canada and these number are currently pending.

Each participant will consume each of the three treatments in a random order with a minimum of 7 days washout phase between both treatments. Blood samples will be collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 24h (10 blood samples per participant per treatment) after taking the single dose intake. A questionnaire will allow documenting side effects throughout the study period. The analyses will be performed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography couples to a quadrupole mass spectrometer (UPLC/MS/MS). Samples will be analyzed in a blinded manner such that the student and research assistant will be blinded from the type of treatment and the time point they are analyzing. After performing all the analyses, sample identification will be decoded and pharmacokinetic data of the curcuminoids in each of the treatments will be plotted on a plasma concentration vs time curve. The parameters below will be calculated:

• Area under the curve (AUC) 0-24h (bioavailability);
• Area under the curve (AUC) 0-6h (absorption);
• Maximum concentration (Cmax);
• Time to reach the maximum concentration (Tmax);
• Half-life (if available).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Melanie Plourde, PhD; Phone Number: 45664 819-780-2220; Email: melanie.plourde2@usherbrooke.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, J1H 4C4
      • Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement
      • Contact: Melanie Plourde, PhD; Phone Number: 45664 819-780-2220; Email: melanie.plourde2@usherbrooke.ca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men or women between 18 and 50 years old (inclusive).
• Body mass index between 18,5 and 34,9 at the selection visit (inclusive).
• Normal to moderately high lipidemia (total cholesterol ≤ 240 mg / dl; LDL ≤ 160 mg / dl; Triglyceride ≤ 199 mg / dl).
• Women of child bearing potential must accept to use an effective contraceptive method for the duration of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Allergy to fish or seafood.
• Special diet like a vegetarian or vegan diet.
• Tobacco.
• History of current or past alcohol and / or drug abuse.
• Current or past performance athlete.
• Malnutrition (assessed by albumin, hemoglobin and blood lipid levels).
• People consuming omega 3 fatty acid or curcumin supplements for more than 6 months.
• Medication affecting fat absorption (ie, Orlistat, Alli, etc.).
• Medication which interferes with the metabolization of the medication (ie, anticoagulants like coumadin or warfarin, aspirin is not an exclusion criterion (Watson et al, 2009))
• Medication which affects lipid metabolism (ie, all types of drugs to lower cholesterol or triglycerides).
• Medication which curcumin interacts with : angiotensin II blockers (losartan, valsartan), β-blockers (talinolol, celiprolol), calcium channels blockers (nifedipine), 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitors (rosuvastatin), antineoplastic agents (docetaxel, etoposide, tamoxifen, everolimus, sirolimus), antibiotics (norfloxacin), antidepressant (midazolam), sulfonamides (sulfasalazine), antidiabetics (gliclazide).
• Pregnant women or nursing women.
• Menopause or pre-menopause with amenorrhea > 6 months.
• Systemic disease: vasculitis, Lupus Erythrocyte Disseminated (SLE), sarcoidosis, cancer (except if in remission for more than 10 years and without cerebral involvement), uncompensated hypothyroidism, vitamin B12 deficiency not supplemented and / or complicated, diabetes, severe renal insufficiency.
• Abnormal liver, kidney or thyroid function; these conditions will not exclude a patient if he / she has been stabilized on treatment for at least 3 months and there has been no recent change in his / her medication.
• Cardiac event or recent major surgery (<6 months).
• History of thrombosis or haemorrhagic diathesis.
• Malabsorption disease such as pancreatitis, Crohn's disease or has had bariatric surgery.
• Neurodegenerative disease (Parkinson disease).
• Genetic disorder (Down syndrome).
• Known psychiatric history: schizophrenia, psychotic disorders, major affective disorder (bipolar disorder and major depression <5 years), panic disorder, Compulsive Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
• Neurological disorder (Epilepsy, cerebral trauma with loss of consciousness, subarachnoid hemorrhage).
• Person who has donated blood or had significant blood loss in the 30 days prior to the start of the study.
• Not available to perform the 3 treatments.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: MAG fish oil + Curcumin; The participant will arrive fasted at he research center. After installing a catheter and drawing 5 mL of blood, the participants will be given one of the active comparator or the treatment. The choice of the treatment/comparator will be random. In this arm, the participant will receive 1 dose of 1,5 g MAG fish oil + 400 mg curcumin. The participant will consume this unique dose with a standardized breakfast. There will thereafter be blood sample collection over 24 h to evaluate the level of curcumin in the plasma and a side effect questionnaire will be administered to monitor side effects.	Dietary supplement: MAG fish oil + Curcumin OR Rice bran oil + Curcumin OR Curcumin extract; The intervention is a randomized double blind cross over design testing the pharmacokinetics of 1) curcumin combined with MAG fish oil as a carrier, 2) curcumin combined with rice bran oil as a carrier, and 3) curcumin extract. Treatments are randomly assigned on days 1, 8 and 15 of the clinical study. Blood samples will be collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 24h after taking the supplement. Each participant will perform all three treatments, with a minimum of 7 days between treatments. A questionnaire will document the side effects felt by participants.
Active Comparator: Rice bran oil + Curcumin; The participant will arrive fasted at he research center. After installing a catheter and drawing 5 mL of blood, the participants will be given one of the active comparator or the treatment. The choice of the treatment/comparator will be random. In this arm, the participant will receive 1 dose of rice bran oil + 400 mg curcumin. The participant will consume this unique dose with a standardized breakfast. There will thereafter be blood sample collection over 24 h to evaluate the level of curcumin in the plasma and a side effect questionnaire will be administered to monitor side effects.	Dietary supplement: MAG fish oil + Curcumin OR Rice bran oil + Curcumin OR Curcumin extract; The intervention is a randomized double blind cross over design testing the pharmacokinetics of 1) curcumin combined with MAG fish oil as a carrier, 2) curcumin combined with rice bran oil as a carrier, and 3) curcumin extract. Treatments are randomly assigned on days 1, 8 and 15 of the clinical study. Blood samples will be collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 24h after taking the supplement. Each participant will perform all three treatments, with a minimum of 7 days between treatments. A questionnaire will document the side effects felt by participants.
Active Comparator: Curcumin extract; The participant will arrive fasted at he research center. After installing a catheter and drawing 5 mL of blood, the participants will be given one of the active comparator or the treatment. The choice of the treatment/comparator will be random. In this arm, the participant will receive 1 dose of 400 mg curcumin. The participant will consume this unique dose with a standardized breakfast. There will thereafter be blood sample collection over 24 h to evaluate the level of curcumin in the plasma and a side effect questionnaire will be administered to monitor side effects.	Dietary supplement: MAG fish oil + Curcumin OR Rice bran oil + Curcumin OR Curcumin extract; The intervention is a randomized double blind cross over design testing the pharmacokinetics of 1) curcumin combined with MAG fish oil as a carrier, 2) curcumin combined with rice bran oil as a carrier, and 3) curcumin extract. Treatments are randomly assigned on days 1, 8 and 15 of the clinical study. Blood samples will be collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 24h after taking the supplement. Each participant will perform all three treatments, with a minimum of 7 days between treatments. A questionnaire will document the side effects felt by participants.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Determine the bioavailability of curcumin in combination with fish oil, rice oil or alone: Calculating the area under the curve (AUC) 0-48h as the first parameter of the PK	Plasma curcumin levels will be measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), each sample being performed randomly blindly. After UPLC analyzes, area under the curve (AUC) 0-48 hours will be calculated, as the first parameter of the PK. Statistical analyzes will then be performed on this PK parameter.	Treatments are randomly assigned on days 1, 8 and 15 of the clinical study. UPLC analyzes will be measured on plasma from blood samples collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 24 hours post-treatment.
Determine the bioavailability of curcumin in combination with fish oil, rice oil or alone: Calculating the AUC 0-6h (absorption study) as the second parameter of the PK	Plasma curcumin levels will be measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), each sample being performed randomly blindly. After UPLC analyzes, AUC 0-6 hours (absorption study) will be calculated, as the second parameter of the PK. Statistical analyzes will then be performed on this PK parameter.	Treatments are randomly assigned on days 1, 8 and 15 of the clinical study. UPLC analyzes will be measured on plasma from blood samples collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 24 hours post-treatment.
Determine the bioavailability of curcumin in combination with fish oil, rice oil or alone: Calculating the maximum concentration as the third parameter of the PK	Plasma curcumin levels will be measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), each sample being performed randomly blindly. After UPLC analyzes, maximum concentration will be calculated, as the third parameter of the PK. Statistical analyzes will then be performed on this PK parameter.	Treatments are randomly assigned on days 1, 8 and 15 of the clinical study. UPLC analyzes will be measured on plasma from blood samples collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 24 hours post-treatment.
Determine the bioavailability of curcumin in combination with fish oil, rice oil or alone: Calculating the time when the maximum concentration is reached, as the fourth parameter of the PK	Plasma curcumin levels will be measured by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), each sample being performed randomly blindly. After UPLC analyzes, time when the maximum concentration is reached will be calculated, as the fourth parameter of the PK. Statistical analyzes will then be performed on this PK parameter.	Treatments are randomly assigned on days 1, 8 and 15 of the clinical study. UPLC analyzes will be measured on plasma from blood samples collected at time 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 24 hours post-treatment.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université de Sherbrooke
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Melanie Plourde, PhD, Université de Sherbrooke

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): June 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): October 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Anticipated): March 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 8, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): May 11, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 11, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 8, 2020
• Last Verified: May 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Enzyme Inhibitors; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antirheumatic Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Curcumin
• Other Study ID Numbers: MaxSimil + curcumin

Drug and device information, study documents

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