Oxalate-Driven Host Responses in Kidney Stone Disease

This study is looking to understand the role of oxalate on kidney stone development and immunity. This study will enroll healthy participants and participants with calcium oxalate kidney stones (CaOx KS). Participants will be in this study for about 3 weeks, consume controlled diets, and provide blood and urine specimens.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Kidney Stones
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Low Oxalate Diet; Dietary supplement: High Oxalate Diet

Detailed Description

The purpose of this longitudinal study is to examine the effects of dietary oxalate on nanocrystalluria and the immune system. Oxalate is a small molecule found in plants and plant-derived food. It has been shown that meals containing high amounts of oxalate can increase urinary oxalate excretion, which is a risk factor for calcium oxalate kidney stones (CaOx KS). Small increases in oxalate can stimulate urinary crystals to form which can elicit an immune response. This study consists of having healthy subjects and patients with CaOx KS consume both low and oxalate enriched diets to evaluate the effect of oxalate on urinary crystals and immune responses. Participants will receive a low or high oxalate diet for 4 days prior to having a wash-out period for 6 days. Participants will then crossover to the opposite oxalate diet for four more days.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 88
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Tanecia Mitchell, PhD; Phone Number: (205) 996-2292; Email: taneciamitchell@uabmc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35294
      • Recruiting
      • University of Alabama at Birmingham
      • Contact: Tanecia Mitchell, PhD; Phone Number: 205-996-2292; Email: taneciamitchell@uabmc.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Tanecia Mitchell, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men and women between the ages of 18 and 60 years old.
• Able to provide informed consent.
• BMI between 20-30 kg/m2.
• Non-tobacco users or not pregnant/breastfeeding/nursing.
• Normal fasting blood comprehensive metabolic panel, complete blood count, C-reactive protein, and urinalysis. Must accurately collect two 24-hour urine collections within 20% of the appropriate ratio of creatinine (mg)/body weight (kg) for respective gender.
• Healthy subjects: No history of CaOx KS or other medical conditions.
• Patients with CaOx KS: Recent stone composition > 50% CaOx; no uric acid, struvite, or carbonate apatite stone content. Must be first-time or recurrent CaOx stone former (last stone event ≤ 3 years).
• Willing to not consume supplements (i.e. vitamins, Ca (citrate or carbonate) and other minerals, herbal supplements, nutritional aids, and probiotics) for 2 weeks before the study and during the study.
• Willing to abstain from vigorous exercise during the study as this may compromise immune function.
• Willing to consume diets provided only by the UAB CCTS Bionutrition Core. No food allergies or intolerance to any of the foods on the study menus.
• Willing to accurately collect 24-hour urine samples, and to have blood drawn throughout the study.
• If on medications for KS prevention (e.g. thiazides, citrate supplementation excluding calcium citrate), patients must be on a stable dose regimen for at least 8 weeks prior to and during screening, with no changes in dosing anticipated during the study. Patients should not take allopurinol for 2 weeks prior to screening since allopurinol has antioxidant properties.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Failure to meet the inclusion criteria or physician refusal.
• Inability to sign and read the informed consent.
• Any medical, psychiatric, or social conditions that would prohibit participants from abiding by the study requirements.
• BMI ˃30 kg/m2 and <20 kg/m2
• Tobacco users or pregnant or breastfeeding/nursing women.
• Abnormal fasting blood comprehensive metabolic panel, complete blood count, C-reactive protein, and urinalysis. Inaccurate 24-hour urine collections.
• Healthy subjects: Currently taking or have recently taken medications within the last 3 months (i.e. antibiotics) or dietary supplements. History of KS or any medical condition that could influence absorption or excretion of oxalate.
• Active illness including COVID-19, flu, common cold, fever, diarrhea, urinary tract infections, or other infections 14 days before the study and throughout the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Healthy Participants; Healthy participants will randomly receive either high (250mg) or low (40mg) oxalate diet for for four days, a ten day "washout" period on a self-selected diet, and finally the opposite diet from the first for the last four days.	Dietary supplement: Low Oxalate Diet; Participants will consume a diet that is controlled in its daily contents of oxalate and calcium, and in its content of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Participants will be asked not to take any dietary supplements, exercise strenuously, or consume food or drink that is not provided to them.; Dietary supplement: High Oxalate Diet; Participants will consume a diet that is controlled in its daily contents of oxalate and calcium, and in its content of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Participants will be asked not to take any dietary supplements, exercise strenuously, or consume food or drink that is not provided to them.
Experimental: Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stone; Calcium oxalate kidney stone participants will randomly receive either high (250mg) or low (40mg) oxalate diet for for four days, a ten day "washout" period on a self-selected diet, and finally the opposite diet from the first for the last four days.	Dietary supplement: Low Oxalate Diet; Participants will consume a diet that is controlled in its daily contents of oxalate and calcium, and in its content of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Participants will be asked not to take any dietary supplements, exercise strenuously, or consume food or drink that is not provided to them.; Dietary supplement: High Oxalate Diet; Participants will consume a diet that is controlled in its daily contents of oxalate and calcium, and in its content of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Participants will be asked not to take any dietary supplements, exercise strenuously, or consume food or drink that is not provided to them.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Urinary Oxalate	Twenty-four hour urinary oxalate will be reported as mg/day.	Days 3-4 and 13-14
Change in Nanocystalluria	Nanocrystalluria will be reported as particles/ml.	Days 3-4 and 13-14
Monocyte Cellular Bioenergetics and Mitochondrial Function	Cellular bioenergetics and mitochondrial function will be reported as oxygen consumption rate (pmol/min/10,000 cells).	Day 1
Monocyte Cellular Bioenergetics and Mitochondrial Function	Cellular bioenergetics and mitochondrial function will be reported as oxygen consumption rate (pmol/min/10,000 cells).	Day 4
Monocyte Cellular Bioenergetics and Mitochondrial Function	Cellular bioenergetics and mitochondrial function will be reported as oxygen consumption rate (pmol/min/10,000 cells).	Day 11
Monocyte Cellular Bioenergetics and Mitochondrial Function	Cellular bioenergetics and mitochondrial function will be reported as oxygen consumption rate (pmol/min/10,000 cells).	Day 14
Monocyte Subtypes	Monocyte subtypes will be determined using flow cytometry (mean fluorescence intensity).	Day 1
Monocyte Subtypes	Monocyte subtypes will be determined using flow cytometry (mean fluorescence intensity).	Day 4
Monocyte Subtypes	Monocyte subtypes will be determined using flow cytometry (mean fluorescence intensity).	Day 11
Monocyte Subtypes	Monocyte subtypes will be determined using flow cytometry (mean fluorescence intensity).	Day 14
Monocyte Transcriptomics	Monocyte transcriptomics will be reported as gene expression (mRNA levels)	Day 1
Monocyte Transcriptomics	Monocyte transcriptomics will be reported as gene expression (mRNA levels)	Day 4
Monocyte Transcriptomics	Monocyte transcriptomics will be reported as gene expression (mRNA levels)	Day 11
Monocyte Transcriptomics	Monocyte transcriptomics will be reported as gene expression (mRNA levels)	Day 14

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Collaborators: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Tanecia Mitchell, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 19, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 6, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 8, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): June 14, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 1, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 31, 2023
• Last Verified: May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Kidney stones; Dietary oxalate
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Kidney Diseases; Urologic Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Urolithiasis; Urinary Calculi; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases; Male Urogenital Diseases; Calculi; Kidney Calculi; Nephrolithiasis
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB-300009093

Drug and device information, study documents

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