Supplementation of Oral Reduced Glutathione in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Trial

Official title: Supplementation of Oral Reduced Glutathione in Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis for Growth Failure

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

Many individuals with cystic fibrosis experience growth failure. The reasons are not clear, but inflammation of the gut in these patients seems to be one important reason. Glutathione is important to normal function of the intestine and lungs. Glutathione functions to decrease inflammation and to thin mucus. However, in cystic fibrosis, glutathione gets trapped inside of cells, so it cannot travel to the surface of the cells and perform its proper function. Moreover, glutathione has been shown to improve nutritional status in patients with AIDS and cancer.

Investigators hypothesize that supplementation of oral glutathione to pediatric individuals with cystic fibrosis could improve growth failure.

Clinical Trial Description

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is known principally for its pulmonary consequences. However, for most individuals with CF, the earliest manifestations are not pulmonary, but gastro-intestinal. Many children experience growth failure. Chronic gut inflammation also develops. Research has also established that lung function scores are significantly correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight percentile in CF. Therefore, interventions to improve the gastro-intestinal dimension of CF in early childhood have the potential to ameliorate the course of the disease over the life span of the patient. Both Cochrane Database reviews and a recent review commissioned by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation found only fair evidence for current nutritional guidelines.Therefore, there is a pressing need for a treatment for CF growth failure that is more effective and less invasive than current treatments.

The discovery that CF is associated with significantly diminished efflux of reduced glutathione (GSH) from most cells in the body offers a new perspective on the pathophysiology of this disease. GSH plays several important roles; among the most important are the following: 1) primary water-soluble antioxidant; 2) mucolytic capable of cleaving disulfide bonds; and 3) regulator of immune system function. The relationship between redox ratio (GSH:GSSG) and total glutathione (GSH+GSSG) and the initiation of inflammation is well established in the research literature.

GSH is also an important component of the epithelial lining fluid of the intestines, helping to keep intestinal mucus thin, serving to defend the intestinal system against reactive oxygen species, and keeping inflammation in check under normal circumstances. GSH is an FDA-approved treatment for AIDS-related cachexia. The growing recognition of GSH system dysfunction in CF, coupled with an established research literature on the role of GSH in gastro-intestinal function and weight gain in non-CF contexts, suggest a new intervention for growth failure in early childhood in CF patients. Specifically, investigators hypothesized that oral glutathione could effectively treat CF growth failure in pediatric patients. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cystic Fibrosis
• Fibrosis

• NCT number: NCT02029521
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Brigham Young University
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 2011
• Completion date: July 2012