Bromocriptine in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Among Women of Reproductive Age

November 16, 2024 updated by: Kedir Negesso Tukeni, Jimma University

Effect of Bromocriptine in Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Women of Reproductive Age: A Hospital-Based Randomized Open Label Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition associated with left and /or right ventricular (LV) dilatation and systolic dysfunction without coronary artery disease or abnormal loading circumstances proportionate to the severity of LV impairment. It is one of the leading causes of heart failure in younger adults. About 35% of patients have genetic mutations affecting cytoskeletal, sarcomere, and nuclear envelope proteins while others are idiopathic and possibly complications of myocarditis. Recently, in patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM)-a subtype of dilated cardiomyopathy, high levels of prolactin and its degradation by-products including a cleaved 16kDa N-terminal fragment have emerged as key factors in the pathophysiology. The 16kDa prolactin induces profound endothelial damage and subsequent cardiomyocyte dysfunction and hence heart failure. Bromocriptine has been studied as a potential treatment option and placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated its beneficial role in women with Peripartal cardiomyopathy (PPCM). However, prolactin level may also increase during menstrual cycles of reproductive-age women, which candidates the use of bromocriptine in women of all reproductive ages. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the potential effect of bromocriptine in dilated cardiomyopathy among women of reproductive age.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background:

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2017, representing 32% of all global deaths. Over three quarters of the CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. In 2022, CVDs account for almost 12% of the total burden of disease ranking third behind cancer and musculoskeletal conditions(1). A systematic review conducted in Ethiopia found that the prevalence of CVD ranges from 7.2 to 24% (2,3). Recently, the pooled prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was 5% (95% CI: 3-8%) with higher prevalence in the population who visits hospitals, 8% (95% CI: 4-12%) compared to the general population, 2% (95% CI: 1-5%) (3).

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition associated with Left and or right ventricular (LV) dilatation and systolic dysfunction without coronary artery disease or abnormal loading circumstances proportionate to the severity of LV impairment (4-6). It is one of the leading causes of heart failure in younger adults, often requiring cardiac transplantation (7,8), and it is caused by various factors, including myocarditis, alcohol, drug, and metabolic disturbances (7,9). Hormonal factors including prolactin have recently been implicated to play a role in the development of DCM in women (10,11). About 35% of patients have genetic mutations affecting cytoskeletal, sarcomere, and nuclear envelope proteins while others are mainly idiopathic, including possibly complications of myocarditis (10-12). The prognosis depends on the severity and heart remodeling, with the worst outcomes in patients with low ejection fractions or severe diastolic dysfunction. DCM appears more common in men, than in women (12,13). However, a recent systematic review in Ethiopia indicates that there is no significant difference in the overall prevalence of CVD between males and females (3).

Despite many progresses made in the past decades in the development of novel pharmacological treatments for HF, proper management of HF is still challenging and there remains a substantial unmet need in heart failure. In recent years, a number of contributory mechanisms have been recognized to initiate and propagate cardiomyopathy (11-13). Prolactin has been found to be elevated in some cases of cardiomyopathy specially in the cases of peripartal cardiomyopathy (10,11), and may contribute to the development and progression of the condition. In patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), high levels of the hormone prolactin and the production of a cleaved 16kDa N-terminal fragment of prolactin have emerged as potential key factors in the pathophysiology of PPCM. The 16kDa prolactin induces profound endothelial damage and subsequent cardiomyocyte dysfunction and full-length prolactin promotes inflammation in PPCM (11-14).

Bromocriptine, a dopamine agonist that is primarily used to treat conditions such as Parkinson's disease, hyperprolactinemia, and acromegaly, has been investigated as a potential treatment option for Peripartal cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a form of DCM that occurs in the last month of pregnancy or up to five months postpartum (11,15). Clinical pilot studies showed the feasibility of bromocriptine in improving left ventricular (LV) recovery and clinical outcome (11,15-17). A recent multi-center randomized study comparing two different bromocriptine dosages (2.5 mg daily for one week vs. 5 mg daily for 2 weeks, followed by 2.5 mg daily for 6 weeks) in severe PPCM patients demonstrated an improved clinical outcome with high LV recovery rate at 6 months and with no mortality, no use of left ventricular assist device or heart transplantation (18,19).

Consequently, bromocriptine is recommended for the treatment of pregnancy-related cardiomyopathy (PPCM) due to a significant increase in prolactin levels in these group of patients. In such patients, the benefit of bromocriptine may be attributed to its ability to reduce prolactin levels. We hypothesize that, prolactin levels may also increase in women with DCM (15,19,20)of reproductive-age, and bromocriptine could also be a good candidate to use in women of all reproductive ages with DCM. Moreover, prolactin-independent cytoprotective effects of bromocriptine demonstrated in various organs including the heart may also support our hypothesis that bromocriptine may provide clinical benefit in all women with DCM (21-23).

Given the limited evidence to use of bromocriptine in DCM among women of reproductive age, further research is needed to fully understand whether or not bromocriptine improves clinical outcome compared to the standard treatment for heart failure in all or a subset of women. Therefore, this proposal aims to assess the potential benefit of bromocriptine in dilated cardiomyopathy among women of reproductive age. Thus, the study aims to provide a valuable information on the potential use of bromocriptine in women of reproductive age with DCM. If our hypothesis is confirmed, it may offer a good add-on treatment option that is also easily available for this population, and potentially improve treatment outcome and quality of life.

Problem statement

Heart failure (HF) is a progressively deteriorating medical condition that significantly reduces both patients' life expectancy and quality of life. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the leading causes of heart failure in younger adults. Despite many progresses made in the past decades in the development of novel pharmacological treatments for HF, proper management of HF is still challenging and there remains a substantial unmet need in treating heart failure. Bromocriptine, an inhibiter of prolactin release by dopamine-D2-receptor, has been studied in the context of heart failure due to peripartal cardiomyopathy, and some studies have demonstrated its beneficial role in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) (15). As prolactin levels also increase in women of reproductive-age during menstrual cycle, bromocriptine could also be a good candidate to use in women of all reproductive ages and DCM.

Although reports show a beneficial role of bromocriptine in improving the left ventricular function in some patients with heart failure, the results may not be applicable to a wide range of populations and patients due to various sources of variation between populations (15) . Thus, it would be relevant to conduct a rigorous clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of this treatment option in diverse populations like Ethiopians in terms of etiologies of heart failure. It has been established that the same dose of a medication is associated with considerable heterogeneity in pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) efficacy and toxicity across human populations (16,17,21,23,24). This inter-individual difference in drug response can be explained by pharmacogenetic variations or other factors such as variations in patients' age and weight, co-morbidity, lifestyle, co-medication, renal and liver function, unfavorable drug-drug interactions and poor compliance of patients (17,24). The pharmacokinetics (PK) of bromocriptine in heart failure patients, the inter-individual variability in PK and clinical response and associated sources of variations have not been investigated before. Thus, this study is also designed to investigate the effectiveness of bromocriptine in terms of efficacy and safety as well as the blood levels and PK of bromocriptine among women of reproductive age with DCM in Ethiopia.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

112

Phase

  • Phase 3

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Ethiopia
    • Oromia
      • Jimma, Oromia, Ethiopia, 378
        • Recruiting
        • Jimma Medical Center
        • Contact:
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women age 18 years to 50 years and
  • ischemic or de novo dilated cardiomyopathy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with severe comorbidities which may worsen their illness
  • with hypertensive heart diseases
  • Rheumatic valvular heart diseases
  • Restrictive cardiomyopathy, constrictive cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • Congenital heart diseases
  • Acute coronary syndrome
  • Overt kidney failure (serum Creatinine ≥ 1.4mg/dl),
  • Women who had history of peripartal cardiomyopathy, are pregnant or planning pregnancy during the study period or lactating
  • Previous adverse reaction to the bromocriptine
  • Patients not willing to participate in the study

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Control group
This group of study participants are expected to receive placebo (sucrose pills to be used) plus standard Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT).
Drug: Bromocriptine mesylate plus standard GDMT
The treatment group will receive bromocriptine 2.5mg PO daily for 8 weeks together with standard GDMT which include similar patterns of BBs, ACEI/ARBs, MRAs and SGLT2 inhibitors.
Experimental: Treatment group
This group of study participants are expected to receive oral daily bromocriptine 2.5 mg for 8 weeks plus standard Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT).
Drug: Bromocriptine mesylate plus standard GDMT
The treatment group will receive bromocriptine 2.5mg PO daily for 8 weeks together with standard GDMT which include similar patterns of BBs, ACEI/ARBs, MRAs and SGLT2 inhibitors.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Left ventricular function improvement
Time Frame: at 3, 6 and 9 months
Left ventricular function change measured in terms of ejection fraction and fractional shortening.
at 3, 6 and 9 months
Improvement of cardiac biomarkers (N-terminal Pro BNP)
Time Frame: Measured at 3, 6 and 9 months
Change in cardiac biomarkers measured as N-terminal Pro BNP.
Measured at 3, 6 and 9 months
Clinical improvement assessment tests
Time Frame: At recruitment, at 3,6, 9 and 12 months
Exercise capacity improvement test with 6-minute walk test and stair climbing tests
At recruitment, at 3,6, 9 and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in hospitalization pattern
Time Frame: At 9 months and 1 year
Change in hospitalization as compared with measurements before and after intervention
At 9 months and 1 year
Functional class of heart failure Improvement
Time Frame: At 9 months and one year
Change in NYHAF class as measured clinically and compared to the baseline status.
At 9 months and one year
Improved quality of life
Time Frame: At 9 months and one year
Change in quality of life as measured by Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12) updated questionnaire, all KCCQ scores will be scaled from 0 to 100 and frequently summarized in 25-point ranges, where scores represent health status as follows: 0 to 24: very poor to poor; 25 to 49: poor to fair; 50 to 74: fair to good; and 75 to 100: good to excellent.
At 9 months and one year

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Jimma University

Collaborators

Ludwig Maximilian university of Munich

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Kedir N Tukeni, MD, Jimma University
  • Study Chair: Haas A Nikolaus, MD, Cardiologist, Ludwig Maximillian university of Munich
  • Study Chair: Estner F Heidi, MD, cardiologist, Ludwig Maximillian university of Munich

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

October 21, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 1, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 1, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

February 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 19, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 16, 2024

Last Verified

November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • JUIH/IRB/690/23

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

We will consider sharing the data after the completion of the study.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

We will share the data after the completion of the study till the study is published online.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • CSR

Study Data/Documents

  1. Individual Participant Data Set

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 Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Clinical Trials on Bromocriptine mesylate plus standard GDMT

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Cambodia

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe