Pomegranate Dietary Supplements in AUD and ALD

June 30, 2026 updated by: Vatsalya Vatsalya, University of Louisville

Supplementation of Pomegranate Dietary Supplements and Characterization of Urolithin Metabotypes in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and Alcohol-associated Liver Disease (ALD)

The goal of this project is to determine an individual's ability to generate active gut microbial metabolites called urolithins upon consumption of pomegranate dietary supplements. Recent publications have reported that urolithins are the major active metabolites responsible for the beneficial effects of eating pomegranates, berries, or walnuts. However, the production of urolithins from the parent compound ellagic acid (EA) is dependent upon the presence of certain bacteria in the human gut. In this trial, we propose to investigate variations in gut microbiota and their capacity to metabolize pomegranate dietary supplements (PDS) into active urolithins. We will measure the levels of urolithins in blood as well as inflammatory cytokines in plasma samples upon consumption of PDS.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

A large body of anecdotal evidence suggests beneficial effects for many botanical dietary supplements (BDS) on human health. The U.S. alone spent ~$7.5 billion on BDS in 2016, suggesting significant interest in the consumption of such products. Since ancient times, pomegranate has been known as a 'healing food', with numerous health benefits, including prevention of health risk factors for high blood pressure, arthritis, high cholesterol, oxidative stress, and hyperglycemia (1-4). Despite reported benefits from consumption of pomegranate dietary supplements (PDS), the overall outcomes of clinical trials were not uniform, and the results were inconclusive (5-7). However, gut microbial metabolites derived from polyphenolics of pomegranate have been shown to promote many beneficial activities, including anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities (8- 12). Thus, the inter-individual variation in human gut microbiota compositions and their metabolic capacities may hamper the predicted PDS-mediated benefits. We postulate that harboring the specific gut microbiota responsible for metabolizing PDS into beneficial metabolites is critical to manifesting the complete benefits of PDS consumption. Recently, we reported one such microbial metabolite, 'urolithin A' (UroA), derived from ellagic acid-rich diets (e.g., pomegranate), significantly enhanced gut barrier function in addition to blocking unwarranted inflammation in colitis models (13) and protected from alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in mouse models (unpublished data). UroA is produced only in 40-50% of humans, who harbor the appropriate microbiota capable of converting consumed ellagic acid-rich diets (such as pomegranates, berries, and walnuts). UroA levels varied significantly among populations, to micromolar levels in some individuals. The direct correlations between UroA levels and human health/disease conditions are not yet available.

This project aims to determine an individual's ability to generate active gut microbial metabolites called urolithins upon consumption of pomegranate dietary supplements. We, and others, reported that urolithins are the major active metabolites that are responsible for the beneficial activities that are rendered from eating pomegranates, berries, or walnuts. However, the production of urolithins from the parent compound ellagic acid (EA) is dependent upon the presence of certain bacteria in the human gut. In this trial, we propose to investigate variations in gut microbiota and their capacity to metabolize pomegranate dietary supplements (PDS) into active urolithins. We will measure the levels of urolithins in blood as well as inflammatory cytokines in plasma samples upon consumption of PDS.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

144

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

  • United States
    • Kentucky
      • Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40202
        • University of Louisville
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Craig J McClain, M.D.
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Vatsalya Vatsalya, M.D.
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Ventakrishna R Jala, Ph.D.
        • 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
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Young adults and up with open population specifics, qualifying for each cohort requirements

Description

Healthy Group:

Inclusion: Healthy individuals, Exclusion: AUD, ALD, AC, and inflammatory conditions,

Alcohol Use Disorder Group:

Inclusion: AUD diagnosis Exclusion: alcohol-associated systemic conditions

Alcohol-associated liver disease Group:

Inclusion: early-stage ALD comorbid with AUD Exclusion: Only AUD or AUD with AC

Alcohol-associated cirrhosis Inclusion: AC with AUD Exclusion: AUD, and early stage ALD, as well as determined by the study cohort criteria

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
healthy volunteers
Adults ≥18, Drink no alcohol or drink < 50 grams of alcohol per day on average if female and < 80 grams per day on average if male; 3 capsules of the PDS (pomegranate dietary supplement - Nutricost Pomegranate Extract) - dose of 400 mg
Dietary supplement: Pomegranate Dietary Ssupplement
Nutricost Pomegranate Extract 15,000mg Equivalent from 1,000mg of 15:1 Extract Per Servings, 120 Capsules for 40 Servings Per Bottle - Vegan, GMO Free and Gluten Free;
Other Names:
  • Nutricost Pomegranate Extract
Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) subjects
Adults ≥18; Must consume >20 standardized alcoholic beverages a week for the last 3 months for men, >14 standard alcoholic beverages a week for women; 3 capsules of the PDS (pomegranate dietary supplement - Nutricost Pomegranate Extract) - dose of 400 mg
Dietary supplement: Pomegranate Dietary Ssupplement
Nutricost Pomegranate Extract 15,000mg Equivalent from 1,000mg of 15:1 Extract Per Servings, 120 Capsules for 40 Servings Per Bottle - Vegan, GMO Free and Gluten Free;
Other Names:
  • Nutricost Pomegranate Extract
Alcoho-associated Cirrhosis (AC) patients
Adults ≥18; A history of alcohol consumption averaging at least 80 grams per day in men or 50 grams per day for women for at least 10 years; 3 capsules of the PDS (pomegranate dietary supplement - Nutricost Pomegranate Extract) - dose of 400 mg
Dietary supplement: Pomegranate Dietary Ssupplement
Nutricost Pomegranate Extract 15,000mg Equivalent from 1,000mg of 15:1 Extract Per Servings, 120 Capsules for 40 Servings Per Bottle - Vegan, GMO Free and Gluten Free;
Other Names:
  • Nutricost Pomegranate Extract
Early-Stage Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease
Adults ≥18; AUD qualifying criteria, plus ALT>40. 3 capsules of the PDS (pomegranate dietary supplement - Nutricost Pomegranate Extract) - dose of 400 mg
Dietary supplement: Pomegranate Dietary Ssupplement
Nutricost Pomegranate Extract 15,000mg Equivalent from 1,000mg of 15:1 Extract Per Servings, 120 Capsules for 40 Servings Per Bottle - Vegan, GMO Free and Gluten Free;
Other Names:
  • Nutricost Pomegranate Extract

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To characterize the metabolite and cytokine profiles to inform future trials designed for enhancing cut barrier function
Time Frame: 2034 yr.
1. To evaluate the impact of pomegranate dietary supplements (PDS) on gut microbiome composition and epithelial barrier function in healthy, alcohol use disorder (AUD), early-stage ALD (eALD), and alcohol-associated liver cirrhosis (AC) subjects by characterizing the metabolite and cytokine profiles to inform future trials designed for enhancing cut barrier function in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD).
2034 yr.
If inter-individual variation in gut microbiome is responsible for the production of beneficial metabolites
Time Frame: 2034 yr.
2. To determine if inter-individual variation in gut microbiome is responsible for the production of beneficial metabolites in healthy, AUD, eALD, and AC patients by correlating urolithin levels to inflammatory mediators in both healthy and diseased conditions.
2034 yr.
3. To determine if more correlative studies between produced metabolites, inflammatory mediators, and disease conditions could provide informed decisions during disease progression.
Time Frame: 2034 yr.
Develop identifiers for the pathology and treatment development of the study cohorts.
2034 yr.
4. To evaluate the omics of the subject and the microbiomes in their saliva, urine, and stool.
Time Frame: 2034 yr.
4. To evaluate the omics of the subject and the microbiomes in their saliva, urine, and stool. This will help determine what response changes are genetic changes (both bacterial and human) in saliva; and omics, and genetic changes in stool and urine (both human and bacterial) could illustrate their role in profiling these potential modifiable risk factors for AUD/ALD. The data could be correlated with the blood sample-derived cytokine, gut dysfunction, and candidate biomarkers of liver (K18s) and AUD severity (neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, GABA, serotonin, etc.)
2034 yr.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Louisville

Collaborators

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Craig J McClain, MD, University of Louisville
  • Study Director: Vatsalya Vatsalya, MD, University of Louisville
  • Principal Investigator: Venkatakrishna R Jala, PhD, University of Louisville

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 (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2031

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2032

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 24, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 24, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 30, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 21.0999
  • 2P50AA024337 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Study data can be obtained by contacting the NIH NDA system

IPD Sharing Time Frame

2034 Onwards

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Contact the Investigators for approval to upload the NDA issuance data.

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.

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