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Can Vitamin D Reduce Heart Muscle Damage After Bypass Surgery?

Vitamin D Treatment Attenuates Heart Apoptosis After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery; A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04323852
Enrollment
70
Registered
2020-03-27
Start date
2017-09-01
Completion date
2019-01-21
Last updated
2021-10-19

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

Conditions

Apoptosis, Cardiomyopathies, Inflammation, Vitamin D Deficiency

Keywords

Vitamin D, Cardiovascular disease, Apoptosis, Insulin-like growth factor-1, Coronary artery disease, Cardiopulmonary bypass, Interleukin-10

Brief summary

Background and study aim: Heart diseases are among the most common causes of death worldwide. A large proportion of deaths are caused by heart attacks (myocardial infarction), where blood flow to the heart is reduced resulting in damage to the heart muscle. If the arteries supplying blood to the heart start to become blocked, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) surgery is a treatment to replace the blocked sections of artery can reduce angina (chest pain). However, CABG surgery has complications, including an increased risk of heart attack. Vitamin D deficiency is thought to be linked to poorer recovery from heart attack and CABG surgery. This study aims to investigate if vitamin D supplementation can reduce injury to the heart following CABG surgery. Who can participate? Adults with vitamin D deficiency undergoing CABG What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group receive vitamin D at 3 doses per day for 3 days before surgery. The second group will receive a dummy pill (placebo). Both groups will have standard CABG surgery. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Those in the vitamin D group might benefit from its effects. Vitamin D has few side effects, especially when taken for only a few days. Where is the study run from? Shahid Modarres Hospital (Iran) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? September 2017 to January 2019 Who is funding the study? Deputy of Research of Shahid Beheshti School of Medicine Who is the main contact? Dr Erfan Tasdighi erfan.tasdighi@gmail.com

Detailed description

Enrollment started in June 2018 and was completed in December 2018. The inclusion criteria were as following: the patients referred for elective and isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) using Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB) with vitamin D deficiency (defined as 25-hydroxyvitamin D \[25(OH) D\] \< 20 ng/mL) and normal kidney function (creatinine \<1.5mg/dL). The exclusion criteria were: recent myocardial infarction, urgent CABG, non-isolated coronary surgery, redo surgery, malignant disease, presence of acute or chronic inflammatory diseases, history of vitamin D treatment within previous 6 months, or unwillingness to participate. Intervention Following informed consent, eligible study participants were randomly assigned (by using a computer- generated random code) in a 1:1 ratio to receive either placebo or a total of 450,000 international units (IU) vitamin D3 (three 50,000 IU of vitamin D3 tablet daily for 3 days) before operation. The placebo group received three inactive medication tablets daily at the same time point. With the exception of the pharmacists, all the investigators, patients and the medical team were blinded to the group allocation. Coronary artery bypass was done in the culprit lesions for both groups by one surgical team. The standard protocol for general anesthesia, surgical and CPB management were performed for all patients and have already been described in detail \[16\]. Outcome measures The primary outcome was the degree of heart apoptosis by measurement of caspase 2, 3 and 7 activity from right atrial specimen with immunohistochemistry staining, and the serum level of anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10) and insulin- like growth factor (IGF-1), and N-terminal pro v-type Brain Natriuretic Peptide (nt-pro BNP). The biopsy from right atrial appendage was taken at the end of surgery after venous cannula removal in a nontraumatic fashion, kept into formalin and in less than 24h parafinized. Blood samples were collected at the baseline (T1), before anesthesia induction (T2), at the end of surgery after protamine reversal (T3) and the first postoperative day (T4) to measure the serum level of IGF-1, IL-10 and pro BNP. The blood samples were centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 15 min within one hour after blood sampling, and the serum was stored at -20°C until assayed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay The concentration of IL-10 was measured by a quantitative ELISA kit . The concentration of the IGF- 1 was measured by a quantitative ELISA kit . Serum vitamin D was detected by using the high performance liquid chromatography method . The pro BNP measurement was done using a commercially available two- site chemiluminescent immunometric assay . Immunohistochemistry studies Immunohistochemical staining was performed on 5-micrometer thick sections. The slides were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours and de-paraffinized in pre-heated xylene and rehydrated through descending grades of alcohol, washed in distilled water. Heat induced antigen retrieval was done by microwave oven with citrate buffer (pH 6.0) for anti-caspase-7 and Ethylenediamine Tetraacetic Acid; buffered solution (Tris-EDTA) (pH=8) for anti-caspase-2 and 3. endoperoxidase blocking was done by adding hydrogen peroxide on the sections. The protein block then added for 5 minutes, slides were washed in Tris-Buffered Saline (TBS). .The primary antibody as anti-caspase-2 antibody, rabbit monoclonal , anti-caspase-3 antibody, rabbit monoclonal , anti-caspase-7 antibody, and mouse monoclonal (clone 7-1-11 , abcam) antibody were added and kept for 30 minutes, washed in TBS. Mouse and Rabbit Specific horseradish peroxidase/Diaminobenzidine (HRP/DAB) immunohistochemistry (IHC) Detection Micro-polymer Kit were used and incubated for 15 minutes then washed with tris-buffered saline (TBS). Diaminobenzidine (DAB) chromogen was added and kept for 5 minutes. Slides washed in distilled water and counter stained with hematoxylin. Sections containing lymph node tissue were used as positive control. Negative control included primary antibody replaced with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Immunostained sections were reviewed for cytoplasmic expression of anti-caspase-2, anti-caspase-3 and anti-caspase-7. The number of immune-reactive cells per High Power Field (HPF) (X 400) was counted. For this purpose at least 10 HPF were assessed and the average of positive cells was recorded. Sample size and statistical methods The determination of the patient number (30 patients per group) was based on previous trials investigating the caspase activity in the CABG setting . Categorical variables were reported as numbers and percentages, whereas mean± standard deviation was expressed for continuous variables. Repeated measures of analysis of variance and multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni correction (type I error correction) were applied for evaluating the change of measured inflammatory markers between the groups over time. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for normality was performed. Continuous variables and categorical variables were compared between groups using Student's t test (or Mann-Whitney test for those meeting abnormal distribution) and Chi-square, respectively. All the statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 23 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). A p values \<0.05 was considered to be significant.

Interventions

DRUGVitamin D

Participants undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery are randomly allocated to group A (intervention), who receive 3 doses of vitamin D (50000 U) a day for 3 days before surgery

DRUGPlacebo

Placebo

Sponsors

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

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

Masking description

With the exception of the pharmacists, all the investigators, patients and the medical team were blinded to the group allocation.

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

1. Candidate for first-time elective CABG surgery for coronary artery disease (CAD) 2. Coronary artery surgery only (i.e. no valvular surgery) 3. Cardiopulmonary pump used during surgery 4. Vitamin D level below 30 ng/ml

Exclusion criteria

1. Renal failure or creatinine level \>1.5 mg/dl 2. Previous use of vitamin D supplement

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Insulin Growth FactorRight before the intervention(3 days before surgery)The concentration of the IGF-1 was also measured by a quantitative ELISA kit
Interlukin-10 (IL-10) Serum LevelRight before the intervention(3 days before surgery)The concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .
Interleukin-10 (IL-10) Serum Levelprocedure (before anesthesia induction)The concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .
Interleukin--10 (IL-10) Serum Levelat the end of surgery after protamine reversalThe concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .
Interleukin (IL-10) Serum Levelthe first postoperative dayThe concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .
Caspase 2 Enzyme Levelduring the surgery, an average of 3 hoursCaspase 2 enzyme activity in right atrial specimen measured by with immunohistochemistry staining The positive control and negative control were taken from human lymph node tissue. as for the control tissue a humane lymph node was used. Positivity for active caspase is shown using cytoplasmic staining . the number of apoptotic cells was measure per each high power filed (HPF) under light microscopy.
Caspase 3 Enzyme Level, an Average of 3 Hoursduring the surgery, an average of 3 hoursCaspase 3 enzyme activity in right atrial specimen measured by with immunohistochemistry staining The positive control and negative control were taken from human lymph node tissue. as for the control tissue a humane lymph node was used. Positivity for active caspase is shown using cytoplasmic staining . the number of apoptotic cells was measure per each high power filed (HPF) under light microscopy.
Caspase 7 Enzyme Levelduring the surgery, an average of 3 hoursCaspase 7 enzyme activity in right atrial specimen measured by with immunohistochemistry staining The positive control and negative control were taken from human lymph node tissue. as for the control tissue a humane lymph node was used. Positivity for active caspase is shown using cytoplasmic staining . the number of apoptotic cells was measure per each high power filed (HPF) under light microscopy.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Blood Units Usagedischarge 1 daynumber of pack cell that was administered for the patient
Ventilator Applicationdischarge 1 dayperiod of time that the patient was on ventilator
Creatinine Levelimmediately after surgeryThe serum level of Creatinine in the patients which is a measurement of the kidney function
Hemorrhage After Surgeryimmediately after surgeryafter the surgery all the hemorrhage of patients was collected by suctioning and the exact amount of bleeding has been reported.

Countries

Iran

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Vitamin D
35 patients that pass the inclusion criteria and do not have exclusion criteria that will receive Vitamin D for 3 days and each time 3 doses of 50000 units Vitamin D: Participants undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery are randomly allocated to group A (intervention), who receive 3 doses of vitamin D (50000 U) a day for 3 days before surgery
35
Control Group
35 patients that will receive placebo for 3 days and each day for 3 doses Placebo: Placebo
35
Total70

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicTotalVitamin DControl Group
25 (OH)D12.4 ng/mL
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4
12.8 ng/mL
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6
12.1 ng/mL
STANDARD_DEVIATION 5
Age, Continuous58.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7
59 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6
58 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9
BMI27 kg/m^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1
27 kg/m^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3
27 kg/m^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3
Diabetes Mellitus31 Participants12 Participants19 Participants
Ejection Fraction47.5 percentage
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8
47 percentage
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10
48 percentage
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)13.6 mm/hour
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4
13 mm/hour
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9
14 mm/hour
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8
Family history of cardiovascular disease17 Participants9 Participants8 Participants
Hyperlipidemia25 Participants9 Participants16 Participants
Hypertension40 Participants18 Participants22 Participants
Myocardial infarction34 Participants19 Participants15 Participants
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected0 Participants
Region of Enrollment
Iran
70 participants35 participants35 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
15 Participants8 Participants7 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
55 Participants27 Participants28 Participants
Smokers36 Participants15 Participants21 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 350 / 35
other
Total, other adverse events
7 / 357 / 35
serious
Total, serious adverse events
4 / 355 / 35

Outcome results

Primary

Caspase 2 Enzyme Level

Caspase 2 enzyme activity in right atrial specimen measured by with immunohistochemistry staining The positive control and negative control were taken from human lymph node tissue. as for the control tissue a humane lymph node was used. Positivity for active caspase is shown using cytoplasmic staining . the number of apoptotic cells was measure per each high power filed (HPF) under light microscopy.

Time frame: during the surgery, an average of 3 hours

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DCaspase 2 Enzyme Level1.3 cells/ HPFStandard Deviation 1
Control GroupCaspase 2 Enzyme Level2.0 cells/ HPFStandard Deviation 0.9
Primary

Caspase 3 Enzyme Level, an Average of 3 Hours

Caspase 3 enzyme activity in right atrial specimen measured by with immunohistochemistry staining The positive control and negative control were taken from human lymph node tissue. as for the control tissue a humane lymph node was used. Positivity for active caspase is shown using cytoplasmic staining . the number of apoptotic cells was measure per each high power filed (HPF) under light microscopy.

Time frame: during the surgery, an average of 3 hours

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DCaspase 3 Enzyme Level, an Average of 3 Hours1.2 cells/ HPFStandard Deviation 0.8
Control GroupCaspase 3 Enzyme Level, an Average of 3 Hours2.0 cells/ HPFStandard Deviation 0.8
Primary

Caspase 7 Enzyme Level

Caspase 7 enzyme activity in right atrial specimen measured by with immunohistochemistry staining The positive control and negative control were taken from human lymph node tissue. as for the control tissue a humane lymph node was used. Positivity for active caspase is shown using cytoplasmic staining . the number of apoptotic cells was measure per each high power filed (HPF) under light microscopy.

Time frame: during the surgery, an average of 3 hours

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DCaspase 7 Enzyme Level1.3 cells/ HPFStandard Deviation 1
Control GroupCaspase 7 Enzyme Level1.8 cells/ HPFStandard Deviation 1.2
Primary

Insulin Growth Factor

The concentration of the IGF-1 was also measured by a quantitative ELISA kit

Time frame: Right before the intervention(3 days before surgery)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInsulin Growth Factor86.3 ng/mLStandard Deviation 33.9
Control GroupInsulin Growth Factor76.5 ng/mLStandard Deviation 26.6
Primary

Insulin Growth Factor

The concentration of the IGF-1 was also measured by a quantitative ELISA kit

Time frame: procedure (before anesthesia induction)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInsulin Growth Factor109.8 ng/mLStandard Deviation 63.2
Control GroupInsulin Growth Factor75.0 ng/mLStandard Deviation 21.3
Primary

Insulin Growth Factor

The concentration of the IGF-1 was also measured by a quantitative ELISA kit

Time frame: at the end of surgery after protamine reversal

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInsulin Growth Factor142.0 ng/mLStandard Deviation 67.1
Control GroupInsulin Growth Factor82.1 ng/mLStandard Deviation 35.9
Primary

Insulin Growth Factor

The concentration of the IGF-1 was also measured by a quantitative ELISA kit

Time frame: the first postoperative day

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInsulin Growth Factor108.6 ng/mLStandard Deviation 61.2
Control GroupInsulin Growth Factor69.4 ng/mLStandard Deviation 35.4
Primary

Interleukin--10 (IL-10) Serum Level

The concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .

Time frame: at the end of surgery after protamine reversal

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInterleukin--10 (IL-10) Serum Level304.8 pg/mlStandard Deviation 85.6
Control GroupInterleukin--10 (IL-10) Serum Level205.5 pg/mlStandard Deviation 107.4
Primary

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) Serum Level

The concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .

Time frame: procedure (before anesthesia induction)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInterleukin-10 (IL-10) Serum Level4.4 pg/mlStandard Deviation 4.9
Control GroupInterleukin-10 (IL-10) Serum Level1.0 pg/mlStandard Deviation 0
Primary

Interleukin (IL-10) Serum Level

The concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .

Time frame: the first postoperative day

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInterleukin (IL-10) Serum Level7.6 pg/mlStandard Deviation 6.5
Control GroupInterleukin (IL-10) Serum Level4.0 pg/mlStandard Deviation 6.7
Primary

Interlukin-10 (IL-10) Serum Level

The concentration of IL-10 in the serum of patients was measured using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit .

Time frame: Right before the intervention(3 days before surgery)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DInterlukin-10 (IL-10) Serum Level1.0 pg/mlStandard Deviation 0.35
Control GroupInterlukin-10 (IL-10) Serum Level1.0 pg/mlStandard Deviation 0
Secondary

Blood Units Usage

number of pack cell that was administered for the patient

Time frame: discharge 1 day

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DBlood Units Usage0.5 unitsStandard Deviation 0.7
Control GroupBlood Units Usage0.8 unitsStandard Deviation 0.9
Secondary

Creatinine Level

The serum level of Creatinine in the patients which is a measurement of the kidney function

Time frame: immediately after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DCreatinine Level.8 mg/dlStandard Deviation 0.05
Control GroupCreatinine Level.9 mg/dlStandard Deviation 0.04
Secondary

Hemorrhage After Surgery

after the surgery all the hemorrhage of patients was collected by suctioning and the exact amount of bleeding has been reported.

Time frame: immediately after surgery

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DHemorrhage After Surgery360.7 ccStandard Deviation 237.7
Control GroupHemorrhage After Surgery404.4 ccStandard Deviation 245.9
Secondary

Ventilator Application

period of time that the patient was on ventilator

Time frame: discharge 1 day

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Vitamin DVentilator Application6.8 hrStandard Deviation 2.3
Control GroupVentilator Application8.3 hrStandard Deviation 4.4

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