Fatty Liver Disease, Nonalcoholic, Lipodystrophy, Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Conditions
Keywords
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD, Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH, Lipodystrophy, Leptin, Metreleptin, Hypertriglyceridemia, Diabetes mellitus
Brief summary
This study involves research about an investigational medicine called metreleptin. The reason for this study is to find out how metreleptin can improve non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease associated with lipodystrophy, a rare disorder associated with abnormal loss of the body's fat tissue. In this study, metreleptin is considered to be investigational for the treatment of lipodystrophy. Metreleptin will be given via injections under the skin. We plan to continue therapy for a period of one year and evaluate the change in liver disease by a liver biopsy. We will also follow the metabolic parameters (e.g. blood cholesterol, liver function, insulin resistance) and body composition characteristics (e.g. the pattern of fat distribution in the body).
Detailed description
The goal is to test the efficacy of restorative leptin therapy on the degree of hepatic steatosis and on amelioration of pathological features of NASH/NAFLD. In addition, the study will evaluate the impact of leptin therapy on total body insulin sensitivity and lipid levels as well as energy expenditure. In order to accomplish this aim, we now propose an efficacy study with recombinant human leptin therapy in patients with all forms of lipodystrophy who also have NASH/NAFLD. 1. AIM 1: To determine the efficacy of leptin in promoting amelioration of body composition, hepatic steatosis and histopathological scores in patients with all forms of lipodystrophy and NAFLD/NASH. We will conduct a 1 year, open-label study, to assess the metabolic effects of recombinant human leptin (METRELEPTIN, AztraZeneca, Wilmington, DE). The primary outcome measure will be NASH scores. We will also explore body weight, insulin sensitivity, glucose and lipid control, body composition, and free fatty acid levels. 2. AIM 2: To Investigate molecular effects of leptin therapy. In parallel to our preliminary studies, gene expression will be performed on individuals participating in Aim 1 at baseline and following 1 year of leptin. We will combine this with measures of liver metabolite levels to provide novel insights into alterations in metabolism that occur secondary to leptin therapy. We will also measure plasma metabolites at baseline and after 2 (optional), 24 and 48 weeks of therapy to assess the dynamic changes induced by leptin and correlate these changes with phenotypic measures.
Interventions
DRUGMetreleptin
Sponsors
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
University of Michigan
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
5 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Is male or female ≥ 5 years old at baseline. * Is male, female not of childbearing potential, or meets all the following criteria if female of childbearing potential (including perimenopausal women who have had a menstrual period within one year): * Not breastfeeding * Negative pregnancy test result (human chorionic gonadotropin, beta subunit \[βhCG\]) at baseline (not applicable to hysterectomized females). * Must practice and be willing to continue to practice appropriate birth control (defined as a method which results in a low failure rate when use consistently and correctly, such as implants, injectables, oral contraceptives, some intrauterine contraceptive devices, sexual abstinence, tubal ligation, or a vasectomized partner) during the entire duration of metreleptin treatment. * Has physician-confirmed lipodystrophy as defined by evidence of generalized (whole body) or partial (limbs) loss of body fat outside the range of normal variation. * Alcohol consumption of less than 40 grams/week. * A liver ultrasound confirming non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or previous liver biopsy confirming NASH status. * If ≥ 18 years of age, is able to read, understand and sign the U of M IRBMED approved informed consent form (ICF), communicate with study physician and study team, understand and comply with protocol requirements. * If \< 18 and ≥ 7 years of age, is able to read, understand and sign the appropriate U of M IRBMED approved assent form and has a parent or legal guardian that is able to read, understand and sign the ICF. * If \< 7 and ≥ 5 years of age or unable to read, the appropriate assent form must be explained to the child. * If previously treated with thiazolidinediones or Vitamin E, stable dose of these medications for at least 3 months.
Exclusion criteria
* Presence of advanced liver disease (as evidenced by abnormal synthetic function, abnormal PT or albumin). * Evidence of other etiologies of viral hepatitis. * Presence of clinically significant hematologic abnormalities (such as neutropenia and/or lymphadenopathy). * Presence of HIV infection. * Very poorly controlled diabetes; HbA1c \>10% * Inability to give informed consent. * Presence of ESRD, any type of active cancer, or \>class 2 congestive heart failure ((New York Heart Association Functional Classification System), based on medical history and physical examination. * Active infection (may be transient). * Has known allergies to E. coli-derived proteins or hypersensitivity to any component of metreleptin treatment. * Any other condition in the opinion of the investigators that may impede successful data collection.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Liver Histopathology | 1 year | Primary outcome will be the total non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) score read histopathologically from the liver biopsy samples. This outcome measure quantifies the severity of fatty liver disease. At baseline and at the end of the year, patients have undergone a transcutaneous liver biopsy and the specimens were graded for the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) pathology. Histological features of NAFLD/NASH were scored using the validated NASH-CRN (NASH Clinical Research Network) scoring system. This scoring system is the total of 4 subscales: steatosis (0-3), lobular inflammation (0-3), hepatocellular ballooning (0-2) and fibrosis (0-4), which are evaluated semi-quantitatively. The total scale range for this scoring system is 0-12, with 0 representing no features of fatty liver disease, and 12 representing the highest degree of fatty liver disease. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Liver Fat by MRI and MR Spectroscopy | 1 year | All enrolled patients will have a baseline MRI of the liver to evaluate liver volume and liver fat. For determination of hepatic fat content by MRI and MR spectroscopy in patients, a series of out-phase and in-phase MRI at multiple flip angles are used. By combination of out-phase and in-phase MRI at multiple flip-angles and TE times, relaxation-time effects can be removed to yield quantitative intra-hepatic (and other organs') fractional fat content throughout the liver in a few breath-hold intervals. |
| Liver Function Tests | 1 year | AST and ALT are the liver function tests. We are reporting the liver function tests where the treatment group arm would normally be listed, though, we are looking at the same single arm population of 23 participants who received treatment in this study. |
| Fasting Lipids | 1 year | Cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL together make up the lipid profile and must be reported together. We are reporting the lipid profile where the treatment group arm would normally be listed, though, we are looking at the same single arm population of 23 participants who received treatment in this study. |
| Fasting Glucose | 1 year | — |
| Body Weight | 1 year | — |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Treatment Metreleptin
Metreleptin | 23 |
| Total | 23 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 3 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 20 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 42.35 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.82 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized African American | 1 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Asian | 0 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Caucasian | 22 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Decline to answer | 0 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Native American | 0 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Unknown | 0 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 23 participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 18 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 5 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 23 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 22 / 23 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 7 / 23 |
Outcome results
Primary
Liver Histopathology
Primary outcome will be the total non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) score read histopathologically from the liver biopsy samples. This outcome measure quantifies the severity of fatty liver disease. At baseline and at the end of the year, patients have undergone a transcutaneous liver biopsy and the specimens were graded for the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) pathology. Histological features of NAFLD/NASH were scored using the validated NASH-CRN (NASH Clinical Research Network) scoring system. This scoring system is the total of 4 subscales: steatosis (0-3), lobular inflammation (0-3), hepatocellular ballooning (0-2) and fibrosis (0-4), which are evaluated semi-quantitatively. The total scale range for this scoring system is 0-12, with 0 representing no features of fatty liver disease, and 12 representing the highest degree of fatty liver disease.
Time frame: 1 year
Population: The number of participants analyzed at month 12 differs from the overall number analyzed at baseline because 4 participants dropped from the study before their month 12 visit.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Liver Histopathology | Baseline | 6 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 2 |
| Treatment | Liver Histopathology | Month 12 | 5 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 2 |
Secondary
Body Weight
Time frame: 1 year
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Body Weight | Baseline | 77.2 kg | Standard Deviation 21.4 |
| Treatment | Body Weight | Month 12 | 75.0 kg | Standard Deviation 23.1 |
Secondary
Fasting Glucose
Time frame: 1 year
Population: The number of participants analyzed at month 12 differs from the overall number analyzed at baseline because 4 participants dropped from the study before their month 12 visit.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Fasting Glucose | Baseline | 178.91 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 82.36 |
| Treatment | Fasting Glucose | Month 12 | 163.53 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 66.79 |
Secondary
Fasting Lipids
Cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and LDL together make up the lipid profile and must be reported together. We are reporting the lipid profile where the treatment group arm would normally be listed, though, we are looking at the same single arm population of 23 participants who received treatment in this study.
Time frame: 1 year
Population: The number of participants analyzed at month 12 differs from the overall number analyzed at baseline because 4 participants dropped from the study before their month 12 visit.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Fasting Lipids | Baseline | 256.91 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 136.87 |
| Treatment | Fasting Lipids | Month 12 | 189.11 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 64.73 |
| Liver Function ALT | Fasting Lipids | Month 12 | 478.47 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 790.85 |
| Liver Function ALT | Fasting Lipids | Baseline | 1057.48 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 1744.89 |
| HDL Cholesterol mg/dL | Fasting Lipids | Baseline | 35.83 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 11.01 |
| HDL Cholesterol mg/dL | Fasting Lipids | Month 12 | 33.42 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 6.41 |
| LDL mg/dL | Fasting Lipids | Baseline | 95.39 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 48.3 |
| LDL mg/dL | Fasting Lipids | Month 12 | 95.95 mg/dL | Standard Deviation 32.64 |
Secondary
Liver Fat by MRI and MR Spectroscopy
All enrolled patients will have a baseline MRI of the liver to evaluate liver volume and liver fat. For determination of hepatic fat content by MRI and MR spectroscopy in patients, a series of out-phase and in-phase MRI at multiple flip angles are used. By combination of out-phase and in-phase MRI at multiple flip-angles and TE times, relaxation-time effects can be removed to yield quantitative intra-hepatic (and other organs') fractional fat content throughout the liver in a few breath-hold intervals.
Time frame: 1 year
Population: The number of participants analyzed at month 12 differs from the overall number analyzed at baseline because 4 participants dropped from the study before their month 12 visit.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Liver Fat by MRI and MR Spectroscopy | Baseline | 19.19 %fat | Standard Deviation 11.11 |
| Treatment | Liver Fat by MRI and MR Spectroscopy | Month 12 | 13.47 %fat | Standard Deviation 9.02 |
Secondary
Liver Function Tests
AST and ALT are the liver function tests. We are reporting the liver function tests where the treatment group arm would normally be listed, though, we are looking at the same single arm population of 23 participants who received treatment in this study.
Time frame: 1 year
Population: The number of participants analyzed at month 12 differs from the overall number analyzed at baseline because 4 participants dropped from the study before their month 12 visit.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Liver Function Tests | Month 12 | 30.37 IU/L | Standard Deviation 14.04 |
| Treatment | Liver Function Tests | Baseline | 41.52 IU/L | Standard Deviation 27.46 |
| Liver Function ALT | Liver Function Tests | Month 12 | 36 IU/L | Standard Deviation 22.84 |
| Liver Function ALT | Liver Function Tests | Baseline | 53.22 IU/L | Standard Deviation 37.03 |