Skip to content

CACOLAC : Citrulline Administration in the Hospital Patient in Intensive Care for COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

CACOLAC : Randomized Trial of Citrulline Administration in the Hospital Patient in Intensive Care for COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04404426
Acronym
CACOLAC
Enrollment
33
Registered
2020-05-27
Start date
2020-11-04
Completion date
2021-05-28
Last updated
2021-06-02

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

Conditions

ARDS Secondary to COVID-19 Pneumonia

Brief summary

Respiratory involvement of SARS-CoV2 leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and significant immunosuppression (lymphopenia) exposing patients to long ventilation duration and late mortality linked to the acquisition of nosocomial infections. Lymphopenia characteristic of severe forms of ARDS secondary to SARS-CoV2 infection may be linked to expansion of MDSCs and arginine depletion of lymphocytes. Severe forms of COVID-19 pneumonitis are marked by persistent ARDS with acquisition of nosocomial infections as well as by prolonged lymphocytic dysfunction associated with the emergence of MDSC. It has been found in intensive care patients hypoargininaemia, associated with the persistence of organ dysfunction (evaluated by the SOFA score), the occurrence of nosocomial infections and mortality. Also, it has been demonstrated that in these patients, the enteral administration of ARG was not deleterious and increased the synthesis of ornithine, suggesting a preferential use of ARG by the arginase route, without significant increase in argininaemia nor effect on immune functions. L-citrulline (CIT), an endogenous precursor of ARG, is an interesting alternative to increase the availability of ARG. Recent data demonstrate that the administration of CIT in intensive care is not deleterious and that it very significantly reduces mortality in an animal model of sepsis, corrects hypoargininemia, with convincing data on immunological parameters such as lymphopenia, which is associated with mortality, organ dysfunction and the occurrence of nosocomial infections. The availability of ARG directly impacts the mitochondrial metabolism of T lymphocytes and their function. The hypothesis is therefore that CIT supplementation is more effective than the administration of ARG to correct hypoargininaemia, decrease lymphocyte dysfunction, correct immunosuppression and organ dysfunction in septic patients admitted to intensive care. The main objective is to show that, in patients hospitalized in intensive care for ARDS secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia, the group of patients receiving L-citrulline for 7 days, compared to the group receiving placebo, has a score of organ failure decreased on D7 (evaluated by the SOFA score) or by the last known SOFA score if the patient has died or been resuscitated.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTL-citrulline

Administration of citrulline enterally for 7 days.

OTHERPlacebo

Administration of placebo (water) enterally for 7 days

Sponsors

Rennes University Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Masking description

Double-blind

Intervention model description

Prospective, multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, two-parallel study, specific enteral administration by citrulline in a subgroup of resuscitation patients admitted for ARDS secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia, at infectious risk nosocomial important because having biological stigmas of immunosuppression on admission and under invasive mechanical ventilation for a prolonged period.

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

* Age greater than or equal to 18 years; * Patients admitted for less than 48 hours in intensive care for ARDS under mechanical ventilation according to the Berlin criteria published in 2012 (JAMA); * Origin of ARDS: COVID-19 pneumopathy confirmed by PCR (nasopharyngeal or tracheal sample); * Life expectancy\> 2 days; * Affiliated to a social security scheme; * Consent signed by the patient, the relative or the legal representative (except emergency procedure).

Exclusion criteria

* Pregnancy or breastfeeding in progress; * State of immunosuppression defined by at least one of these criteria: continuous administration of steroids at any dose for more than a month before hospitalization, steroids in high doses (\> 15 mg / kg / day of methylprednisolone or equivalent), radiotherapy or chemotherapy in the previous year, proven humoral or cellular deficiency; * Contraindication to enteral nutrition (2016 SRLF recommendations: Enteral nutrition probably should not be used upstream of a high-flow digestive fistula in the event of intestinal obstruction, small ischemia or digestive hemorrhage active (Strong chord) ). * Ongoing immunosuppressive therapy such as chemotherapy, cyclophosphamide, high dose corticosteroid therapy (\> 15 mg / kg / day); * Participation in intervention research on a drug, or intervention research that may impact the immune system.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
SOFADay 8SOFA score for organ failures on D8 or last known SOFA score if the patient has died or been resuscitated

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
HLA-DRDays 1, 8 and 14Monocytic expression HLA-DR (Flow cytometry) on days 1, 8 and 14
Number of Myeloid-derived suppressor cellsDays 1, 8 and 14Number of Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (Flow cytometry) on days 1, 8 and 14
Plasma cytokines / chemokinesDays 1, 8 and 14Plasma cytokines / chemokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-7, CXCL10, G-CSF, TNF-alpha, IFN-β) at days 1, 8 and 14
Repertoire TDays 1, 3, 8, 10 and 14Diversity of the repertoire T at days 1, 3, 8, 10 and 14
Lymphocyte T exhaustionDays 1, 8 and 14T lymphocyte exhaustion: measurement of lymphocyte apoptosis and lymphocyte proliferation on days 1, 8 and 14
Mitochondrial activityDays 1, 8 and 14Measurement of mitochondrial activity (measurement of the number of mitochondria and their membrane potential, measurement of the expression of Beclin1) on days 1, 8 and 14
Plasma amino acidsDays 1, 8 and 14Plasma amino acids (arginine and its metabolites (ornithine, glutamate, glutamine, citrulline, proline) and tryptophan / kynurenine) on days 1, 8 and 14
SOFADays 3, 7, 10 and 14SOFA score of organ failures on days 3, 7, 10 and 14
Number and phenotype of lymphocytesDays 1, 8 and 14Number and phenotype of lymphocytes on days 1, 8 and 14
Duration of hospital stay in hospitalDay 28Duration of hospital stay in hospital (days), up to day 28 maximum
Duration of mechanical ventilationDay 28Duration of mechanical ventilation (days), up to day 28 maximum
Mortality in intensive care on day 28Day 28Mortality in intensive care on day 28
Hospital mortality on day 28Day 28Hospital mortality on day 28
Measurement of the presence of SARS-CoV2Days 1, 8 and 14Measurement of the presence of SARS-CoV2 in the tracheal aspiration by PCR on days 1, 8 and 14
Nosocomial infectionsD28Incidence of nosocomial infections during the intensive care unit (maximum D28). The diagnosis of nosocomial infections will be made according to the definitions of nosocomial infections of the CDC. An independent committee of experts will validate or not the infections
Number of days of exposure to each antibiotic per 1000 days of hospitalizationDay 28Number of days of exposure to each antibiotic per 1000 days of hospitalization (maximum day 28).
Duration of hospitalization in intensive careDay 28Duration of hospitalization in intensive care (days), up to day 28 maximum

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

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