Dissecting the IMpact of 11-OXygenated and Classic Androgens on Skeletal Muscle Insulin Sensitivity (DIMOXIS) (DIMOXIS)

July 24, 2023 updated by: Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland

Androgen excess is the cardinal biochemical feature of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Serum testosterone correlates with insulin resistance in PCOS, however, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the association between androgens and the risk of type 2 diabetes.

11-oxygenated steroids are the predominant androgens in PCOS and correlate closely with markers of insulin resistance. The bioactive 11-oxygenated androgen 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) binds and activates the androgen receptor with equal affinity to testosterone, yet nothing is known about its impact on metabolism or glucose homeostasis

Crucially, there are no data linking androgen excess with muscle glucose metabolism and the differential contribution of 11-oxygenated androgens to diabetes risk through these processes remains unknown.

The investigators hypothesise the following:

  1. Oral androgen exposure in women with PCOS results in distinct changes in tissue-specific insulin sensitivity and muscle energy biogenesis
  2. 11-oxygenated androgen exposure exerts differential changes on the above parameters in comparison to classic androgen exposure

The study has the following aims:

  1. To examine the impact of oral androgen exposure on skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal in women with PCOS.
  2. To delineate the impact of androgen exposure on muscle mitochondrial function ex vivo in women with PCOS
  3. To compare the differential impact of 11-oxygenated androgen compared to classic androgens on glucose disposal and muscle mitochondrial function

The two arms will run in parallel and all participants will undergo identical investigations before and after 7 days of either DHEA or 11KA4.

Investigations will include baseline arthrometric measurements muscle biopsy, two-step hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp, breath sampling.

This interventional metabolic phenotyping study will probe the role of classic and 11-oxygenated androgens in metabolic dysfunction in PCOS using gold-standard in vivo metabolic phenotyping techniques. Delineating the distinct contribution of 11-oxygenated androgens, through effects on skeletal muscle biology, to the risk of T2DM is an important step in the process of determining risk of type 2 diabetes in this vulnerable cohort.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

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 Contact

Study Locations

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 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women with a confirmed diagnosis polycystic ovary syndrome with androgen excess on clinical or biochemical grounds
  • BMI 20.0-39.9kg/m2
  • Age range 18-40 years
  • Ability to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A confirmed diagnosis of diabetes
  • Current or recent (<3-months) use of weight loss medications
  • Current or recent use of oral contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy (within 3-months)
  • Blood haemoglobin <12.0g/dL
  • History of alcoholism or a greater than recommended alcohol intake (recommendations > 21 units on average per week for men and > 14 units on average per week for women)
  • Haemorrhagic disorders or Treatment with anticoagulant agents
  • Any medical condition in the opinion of the investigator that might impact upon safety or validity of the results
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding at the time of planned recruitment
  • A diagnosis of PCOS according to Rotterdam criteria where the patient does not have clinical or biochemical evidence of androgen excess
  • History of significant renal (eGFR<30) or hepatic impairment (AST or ALT >two-fold above ULN; pre-existing bilirubinaemia >1.2 ULN)
  • Any other significant disease or disorder that, in the opinion of the Investigator, may either put the participant at risk because of participation in the study, or may influence the result of the study, or the participant's ability to participate in the study.
  • Current intake of drugs known to impact upon steroid or metabolic function or intake of such drugs during the six months preceding the planned recruitment

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: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: DHEA
Adult females with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and evidence of clinical or biochemical androgen excess will be recruited and randomised.
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) at a dose of 150mg once daily for 7 days.
Experimental: 11KA4
Adult females with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and evidence of clinical or biochemical androgen excess will be recruited and randomised.
11ketoandrostenedione (11KA4) at a doses of 150mg once daily for 7 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Relative change in glucose disposal from baseline with 11KA4 administration compared to that seen with DHEA
Time Frame: 7 Days
Utilizing hyperglycaemic-euglycaemic clamp (μmol/min/kg)
7 Days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Relative change in glucose oxidation from baseline with 11KA4 administration compared to that seen with DHEA
Time Frame: 7 Days
Measured by 13C-breath testing (mg/kg/min)
7 Days
Relative change in endogenous glucose production from baseline with 11KA4 administration compared to that seen with DHEA (μmol/min/kg)
Time Frame: 7 Days
Utilizing hyperglycaemic-euglycaemic clamp (μmol/min/kg)
7 Days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Michael W Michael, RCSI Education & Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont Dublin 9 Ireland Ireland

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)

August 19, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 20, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 21, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

March 2, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 25, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 24, 2023

Last Verified

June 1, 2023

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

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.

Subscribe