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Inflammation in Chronic Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular Disease - The Role of Genetics and Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1ra)

Inflammation in CKD and CVD - The Role of Genetics and IL-1ra

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00897715
Enrollment
15
Registered
2009-05-12
Start date
2013-01-01
Completion date
2015-05-08
Last updated
2019-10-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease

Keywords

CKD, inflammation, CVD

Brief summary

There has been an exponential growth in the number of people with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) needing dialysis or transplantation, increasing from 209,000 in 1991 to 472,000 in 2004. This is highly concerning due to both the human cost and the burden that it represents to the health care system. Recent comparison of the NHANES surveys showed that CKD prevalence increased from 10% in 1988-1994 to 13% in 1999-2004. Patients with CKD are more likely to die from premature cardiovascular death than to reach ESRD. In those that reach ESRD, cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for over half of the deaths in dialysis. The prevalence of CKD for the VA population is 20%, and 31.6% for diabetics, higher than in the general population. These observations emphasize the need of risk stratification, early detection, and prevention efforts with respect to CKD progression and the CVD burden that afflicts CKD through targeted interventions in high-risk groups (personalized medicine). CKD is multifactorial, however familial aggregation of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and CKD have been reported for all types of nephropathy underscoring kidney disease genetic susceptibility . Genetic predisposition to ESRD is stronger in African Africans. African Americans with a first-degree relative with ESRD have a 9-fold increase risk of ESRD vs. a 3-5 fold increase in whites. Studies consistently show that CKD is an inflammatory process and that biomarkers of inflammation increase since early stages of CKD. CVD is also an inflammatory process, and genes that affect inflammation are associated with higher risk of CVD. Since inflammation is a common denominator of both disease processes (CKD and CVD), it is likely that genes that govern inflammation may be involved in both, the predisposition to CKD and the burden of CVD attributable to CKD. Additionally if inflammation plays a central role in the burden of CVD in CKD than drugs that modulate inflammation should impact both: CKD progression and non-traditional CV risk factors and CVD. The overall goal of this proposal is to study genetic predisposition to CKD, and CVD risk in CKD through inflammatory pathways, and the effect that a potent anti-inflammatory intervention like interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), will have in inflame patients with CKD stages 3&4. Specific Aims: 1) To determine if specific polymorphism/haplotypes, genotype combinations and gene-environmental interactions that can affect inflammation, available from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (DNA data set), specifically in the CRP,IL-1, IL-10 and TNF- genes, are associated with CKD. 2) To determine if the specific polymorphisms and haplotypes studied in Aim 1 are associated with faster CKD progression and CV outcomes in a longitudinal cohort from the African American Study of Kidney Disease. 3)To determine if a targeted anti-inflammatory intervention, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, will modulate systemic inflammation, endothelial function, oxidative stress and urinary cytokines, the proposed surrogate markers of CVD and CKD progression in inflame patients with CKD stages 3&4.

Interventions

DRUGRilonacept

160 mg of rilonacept administered subcutaneously once a week for 12 weeks

DRUGPlacebo

160 mg of placebo administered subcutaneously once a week for 12 weeks

Sponsors

VA Office of Research and Development
Lead SponsorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* 18 years of age or older; * estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 15-60 mL/min/1.73m2; * Must be on stable regimens of medications that can affect inflammatory axis (Aspirin, Thiazolidinediones, statins); * Willing and able to comply with clinic visits and study-related procedures; * Provide signed informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

* Recent infection or hospitalization (within one month); * History of active or chronic hepatitis B, history of active or chronic hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), history of tuberculosis (patient must be purified protein derivate negative); * Patients taking tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, TNF blocker, interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockers or interleukin-1 (IL-1) blocking drugs; * Patients on steroids or receiving any other immunosuppressive agent or anti-inflammatory drug (aspirin up to 325 mg a day is allowed) one month prior; * Have clinically significant chronic lymphopenia (low white blood cell count); * History of malignancy in the prior 5 years. Any history of melanoma or lymphoma; * Life expectancy less than six months; * Intolerance to the study medication; * The use of any other investigational drug 30 days prior to enrollment or within five half-lives of the medication used; * Live vaccinations within 3 months prior to the start of the trial, during the trial, and up to 3 months following the last dose; * Currently receiving parenteral iron or scheduled to receive parenteral iron during the study; * Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (glycated hemoglobin \> 10); * high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP) \<2mg/L or \>30 mg/L; * Body mass index (BMI) \> 40; * Known diagnosis of severe congestive heart failure with documented ejection fraction (EF) \< 35%; * Pregnant or breast-feeding women; * Sexually active men\* or women of childbearing potential\*\* who are unwilling to practice adequate contraception during the study (adequate contraceptive measures include stable use of oral contraceptives or other prescription pharmaceutical contraceptives for 2 or more menstrual cycles prior to screening; intrauterine device (IUD); bilateral tubal ligation; vasectomy; condom plus contraceptive sponge, foam, or jelly, or diaphragm plus contraceptive sponge, foam, or jelly). * Contraception is not required for men with documented vasectomy. \*\*Postmenopausal women must be amenorrheic for at least 12 months in order not to be considered of child bearing potential. Pregnancy testing and contraception are not required for women with documented hysterectomy or tubal ligation.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in the Concentration of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) From Baseline to 12 Weeksbaseline and 12 weekshsCRP is a sensitive laboratory assay for serum levels of C-Reactive Protein, which is a biomarker of inflammation

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Concentration of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) From Baseline to 12 Weeksbaseline and 12 weeksIL-6 is a sensitive laboratory assay for serum levels of Interleukin-6, which is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is used to evaluate the inflammatory response

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

This study was conducted at the VA Nashville between 01/2013 and 02/2015. Note that essentially the same study was also conducted at the University of Colorado (NCT01663103). Results were combined with Colorado for publication. However, the results reported here are only based on the subjects enrolled at the VA Nashville.

Pre-assignment details

There is about a 2-week screening period between enrollment and assignment to a treatment group to access inclusion/exclusion criteria. Although 45 subjects were enrolled, only 15 subjects were assigned to a treatment group (30 subjects were screen failures).

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist
active drug Rilonacept: 160 mg of rilonacept administered subcutaneously once a week for 12 weeks
8
Placebo
matching placebo Placebo: 160 mg of placebo administered subcutaneously once a week for 12 weeks
7
Total15

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall Studyincreased risk of infection10
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up01
Overall StudyPhysician Decision10

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicInterleukin-1 Receptor AntagonistTotalPlacebo
Age, Continuous62 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.5
64 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.4
67 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.2
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
1 Participants2 Participants1 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
7 Participants13 Participants6 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
8 Participants14 Participants6 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
8 participants15 participants7 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
8 Participants14 Participants6 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
4 / 83 / 7
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 80 / 7

Outcome results

Primary

Change in the Concentration of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) From Baseline to 12 Weeks

hsCRP is a sensitive laboratory assay for serum levels of C-Reactive Protein, which is a biomarker of inflammation

Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks

Population: The number of participants for analysis was based on those subjects who completed the 12-week study, as well as 2 subjects who withdrew but completed end-of-study procedures (1 in each group). The analysis was per protocol. Note that the results reported here are only based on the subjects enrolled at the VA Nashville.

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Interleukin-1 Receptor AntagonistChange in the Concentration of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) From Baseline to 12 Weeks-2.6 mg/dl
PlaceboChange in the Concentration of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) From Baseline to 12 Weeks0.8 mg/dl
Comparison: For the primary specific aim, we will compare the mean percent change on hsCRP between the intervention arm and the placebo arm using linear regression. We anticipate that the intervention will conservatively decrease hsCRP by 54%; whereas, placebo will have no effect. Accordingly, we have estimated that we will need 24 subjects in the experimental arm and 24 controls to have an 80% power, with an alpha of 0.05 to detect the above mentioned effect size.p-value: 0.03ANCOVA
Secondary

Change in Concentration of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) From Baseline to 12 Weeks

IL-6 is a sensitive laboratory assay for serum levels of Interleukin-6, which is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is used to evaluate the inflammatory response

Time frame: baseline and 12 weeks

Population: The number of participants for analysis was based on those subjects who completed the 12-week study, as well as 2 subjects who withdrew but completed end-of-study procedures (1 in each group). The analysis was per protocol. Note that the results reported here are only based on the subjects enrolled at the VA Nashville

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Interleukin-1 Receptor AntagonistChange in Concentration of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) From Baseline to 12 Weeks-0.63 pg/ml
PlaceboChange in Concentration of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) From Baseline to 12 Weeks0.05 pg/ml
p-value: 0.01ANCOVA

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026