Levocarnitine for Dry Eye in Sjogren's Syndrome

Sjogren's Syndrome Clinical Trial

Official title:

A Randomized Placebo-controlled, Double Blind Pilot Crossover Trial of Levocarnitine for the Treatment of Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca in Sjogren's Syndrome

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03953703
• Other study ID #: irb200020
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: November 17, 2021
• Est. completion date: March 1, 2025

Study information

• Verified date: March 2024
• Source: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Contact: Jonathan M WIlliams, PhD
• Phone: 6158759200
• Email: jon.williams[@]vumc.org
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study evaluates the effectiveness of levocarnitine in the treatment of dry eye in adults with Sjogren's syndrome. This will be a crossover study design with all participants receiving both levocarnitine and placebo.

Description:

A phenome wide association study (PheWAS) was conducted for variants in the SLC22A5 gene encoding the OCTN2 protein. OCTN2 is a cell membrane protein that transports carnitine into the cell. The carnitine supplement levocarnitine, FDA approved for human use and with a favorable safety profile, was identified for repurposing. SLC22A5/OCTN2 are a class of sodium ion dependent, high affinity transmembrane proteins expressed in the heart, liver, muscle, and kidney among other tissues. The screen identified "sicca syndrome" (OR 4.56; P = 5.6E-04) as well as various other eye diseases as the most significantly associated phenotypes. Sicca syndrome is defined as dryness of the exocrine glands, particularly the eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca) and mouth (xerostomia). This condition is most often caused by Sjogren's syndrome (SjS), a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal and salivary glands.

Interestingly, carnitine is present in considerable quantities in the tears of normal, healthy eyes, and studies have shown a decrease in the tear carnitine levels of dry eye patients. Furthermore, eyedrop preparations containing l-carnitine have shown benefit in dry eye disease. The overall hypothesis is that OCTN2 dysfunction underlies keratoconjunctivitis sicca in SjS patients and that oral supplementation with levocarnitine may be beneficial.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Recruiting
• Enrollment: 15
• Est. completion date: March 1, 2025
• Est. primary completion date: March 1, 2025
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 75 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Clinician diagnosis of primary or secondary SjS.

2. Positive anti-SSA

3. Diagnosis of keratoconjunctivitis sicca defined by OSDI = 25 and Schirmer's test = 5mm/5min in at least 1 eye.

4. Stable medications for past 4 weeks

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Age <18 or >75 at screening visit

2. Pregnant or nursing, or women of childbearing potential unwilling to use a medically acceptable form of birth control

3. Unwilling or unable to stop the use of any artificial tear formulations containing L-carnitine.

4. Taking any form of levocarnitine supplementation or nutritional supplements containing L-carnitine within 2 months prior to enrollment

5. Unwilling to discontinue immunomodulatory (e.g. Restasis, Xiidra), anti-inflammatory (e.g. steroid containing) eye drops, or serum tears for 1 month prior and throughout the duration of the study

6. Unwilling to discontinue wearing contact lenses for 1 month prior and throughout the duration of the study

7. Planned occlusion of the lacrimal puncta with either punctal plugs or cauterization during the study

8. Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), or radial keratectomy

9. Ocular surgery/trauma in the last 6 months or planned during the study

10. History of ocular infection, including severe blepharitis, in the last 3 months

11. Active ocular allergy that, in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise interpretation of the data

12. Elevated AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase or bilirubin above the upper limit of normal at screening

13. Renal insufficiency defined by a creatinine clearance of less than 30 ml/min (CKD-EPI or MDRD formula)

14. Treatment with any investigational agent within = 4 weeks (or 5 half-lives of the investigational drug, whichever is longer) of the screening visit

15. Laboratory parameters at the pre-treatment visit showing any of the following abnormal results: neutrophil count < 1,500/mm3; platelet count < 100,000/mm3; hemoglobin < 9 g/dL

16. Contraindications to the class of drugs under study, e.g. known hypersensitivity or allergy to class of drugs or the investigational product

17. The patient has a known defect in oxidative phosphorylation (such as a confirmed mitochondrial myopathy)

18. Any medical or psychiatric condition, which in the opinion of the investigator, places the subject at unacceptable risk or which might compromise the validity of the collected data

19. Allogeneic BMT or chemotherapy in the past 3 months

20. The patient has a history of seizure activity.

21. History of a cornea transplant

22. Herpes simplex or herpes zoster infection in the eye

23. Eyelid tattooing (permanent eyelining)

24. Current diagnoses of any of the following conditions: acute allergic conjunctivitis, inflammation (e.g, retinitis macular inflammation, choroiditis, uveitis, scleritis, episcleritis, keratitis)

25. On glaucoma eye-drops or eye-drops for lowering eye pressure

26. Known diagnoses of: Hepatitis C infection, HIV infection, Sarcoidosis, Amyloidosis, Graft versus host disease, Cicatrizing conjunctivitis (e.g. from trachoma, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, pemphigoid, drug induced pseudo-pemphigoid, or chemical ocular burns), Pre-existing lymphoma in patients with no prior diagnosis of SS, Past head and neck radiation treatment

27. Condition that may compromise ocular surface integrity: trachoma, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, pemphigoid, graft versus host disease, prior chemical burn, recurrent corneal erosions, persistent corneal epithelial defects, prior ocular trauma

28. Issues with closing eyelids completely or having eyelashes rub on surface of eye

29. Unwilling to discontinue oral supplements for dry eye like fish oil for 1 month prior and throughout study duration

30. Unwilling to discontinue use of Tyrvaya (varenicline) nasal spray for 1 month prior and throughout study duration

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Dry Eye Syndromes
• Keratoconjunctivitis
• Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca
• Sjogren's Syndrome
• Syndrome

Intervention

Drug:
• Levocarnitine
Levocarnitine 1000 mg twice per day for 6 weeks
• Placebo
Placebo 1000 mg twice per day for 6 weeks

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Nashville	Tennessee

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Mean change in tear inflammatory cytokine milieu	Levels of inflammatory cytokines IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-17, IL-6 and IL-1beta will be measured by flow cytometric multiplexed bead assay.	14 weeks
Secondary	Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI)	The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) was developed by the Outcomes Research Group (Allergan Inc.) in 1997 as an assessment of symptoms (functional, limitations, and environmental) of dry eye disease and their effect on vision. It is a 12-item list, with each item compromised of a five category Likert-like response option (see Appendix D). of 24 different clinical and laboratory variables/disease descriptors, comprising nine organ systems. Scores of the descriptors range from 1 to 8, and the total possible score for all descriptors is 105. Regression models are applied to assign relative weights to each parameter.	14 weeks
Secondary	Mean change in tear carnitine levels.	Tear carnitine levels will be measured by mass spectrometry,	14 weeks
Secondary	EULAR Sjogren's Disease Activity Index	The EULAR Sjogren's Syndrome Disease Activity Index (ESSDAI) is a systemic disease activity index that was designed to measure disease activity in patients with primary SjS developed in 2009. It is a score than has been developed by consensus of experts from European and North American countries and it supported by the EULAR. The ESSDAI includes 12 domains (cutaneous, renal, articular, muscular, peripheral nervous system, hematological, glandular, constitutional, lymphadenopathic, biological) each of which is divided into 3-4 levels of activity.	14 weeks
Secondary	EULAR Sjogren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index	The EULAR Sjogren's Syndrome Patient Reported Index (ESSPRI) is a patient-administered questionnaire to asses patients' symptoms. It was developed using the Patient Global Assessment of Disease as the 'gold standard" and measures symptoms of dryness, limb pain, and mental fatigue	14 weeks
Secondary	EULAR Sicca Score	The EULAR sicca score is a measure of overall severity of dryness experienced by the patients. Ocular, oral, cutaneous, nasal, tracheal, and vaginal dryness is reported on a scale of 1-10. The final ESS score is calculated as follows: (2 x oral dryness + ocular dryness) / 3.	14 weeks
Secondary	Patient Global Assessment	The Patient Global Assessment (PGA) is one of the most widely used patient reported outcomes in research. It is typically administered as a single question with either a 1-10 or 1-100 response	14 weeks
Secondary	Schirmer's tear test	The Schirmer's tear test is used to determine if the tear glands produce enough tears to keep the eyes moist. Strips of filter paper are placed within the lower eyelid for a period of time. Wetting of the filter paper is measured in millimeters.	14 weeks
Secondary	Fluorescein staining	Staining with fluorescein is used to characterize dry eye disease, assess severity, and monitor response to therapy. It is graded using the Oxford scale which consists of a chart containing a series of panels labeled A-E in order of increasing severity. Staining is represented by punctate dots, and the number of dots increases by one log unit from panel A to B and by 0.5 log units between panels B to E. To grade, comparisons are made between the panels and the appearance of staining on the conjunctiva and cornea of the patient.	14 weeks
Secondary	Lissamine green staining	Staining with lissamine green is used to characterize dry eye disease, assess severity, and monitor response to therapy. It is graded using the Oxford scale which consists of a chart containing a series of panels labeled A-E in order of increasing severity. Staining is represented by punctate dots, and the number of dots increases by one log unit from panel A to B and by 0.5 log units between panels B to E. To grade, comparisons are made between the panels and the appearance of staining on the conjunctiva and cornea of the patient.	14 weeks
Secondary	Tear break-up time	Tear break-up time is measured by adding fluorescein dye to the eye and observing the tear film using a slit lamp until dry spots occur.	14 weeks