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Effect of a GnRH Analog on Hepatic Steatosis

Effect of the Pharmacological Cessation of Menstruation With a GnRH Analog on Hepatic Steatosis in Women With Endometriosis

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06523530
Acronym
EndomMASLD
Enrollment
62
Registered
2024-07-26
Start date
2024-11-26
Completion date
2027-10-01
Last updated
2026-07-23

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

Conditions

Endometriosis, Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

Keywords

endometriosis, goserelin acetate, hepatic fibrosis, MASLD, MASH, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, NAFLD, NASH, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, treatment, menopause

Brief summary

Menopause increases the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), possibly owing to the abrupt lack of estrogen. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) treatment in endometriosis is regarded as a model of pharmaceutical menopause. Thus, the effect of goserelin acetate, a GnRH analog that results in transient menopause, on hepatic steatosis and fibrosis will be evaluated in this study.

Detailed description

The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which until recently was known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), has risen to 30% of the global adult general population, whereas the pharmaceutical interventions against it remain limited. Owing to the epidemiologic and pathophysiologic association of MASLD with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension, the diagnostic criteria for MASLD are similar to those of the metabolic syndrome. Menopause has been associated with higher MASLD prevalence, with the lack of estrogen being a very plausible pathogenetic contributor to this liver disease. Other pathogenetic contributors of MASLD, including abdominal obesity, increase in insulin resistance (IR) and dysmetabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, are aggravated after menopause, thus adversely contributing to the pathogenesis of MASLD. Regarding the effect of the lack of estrogen on the liver, most to date data are derived from experimental studies, largely showing a favoring effect on MASLD. Epidemiological studies have also shown menopause as an associate of MASLD. However, existing clinical studies are mostly observational, thereby not being able to show a causative association between menopause and MASLD. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) treatment in disorders such as endometriosis can be regarded as a model of pharmaceutical menopause. More specifically, GnRH analogs, like goserelin acetate, lead to pharmaceutical menopause by suppressing the axis hypothalamus-pituitary-ovaries, thus, causing an iatrogenic, reversible ovarian cessation, which lasts as long as the use of GnRH. The adverse effects of GnRH are generally mild and reversible after their discontinuation. This is a prospective, interventional non-randomized study, which aims to evaluate the effect of goserelin acetate on hepatic steatosis in women with histologically confirmed endometriosis compared with women with endometriosis that will not receive pharmacological treatment post-surgically.

Interventions

DRUGGoserelin Acetate 3.6 mg inj, implant

3.6 mg (1ml) administered subcutaneously once every month for 6 months (totally 6 injections)

Sponsors

Aristotle University Of Thessaloniki
Lead SponsorOTHER
424 General Military Hospital
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Multicenter, interventional, open label, non-randomized, parallel group

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* women of reproductive age * diagnosis of endometriosis. The disease is suspected by patient's individual history (chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia or/and dysmenorrhea) and the ultrasonographic imaging (chocolate cysts). The diagnosis is confirmed histologically, after laparoscopic surgical treatment and biopsy sampling, which will be interpreted by an independent blinded pathologist. * use of contraceptives, which is the first line treatment, is contraindicated or the patient does not consent to receive contraceptives, due to personal preferences. * written informed consent to participate to the study

Exclusion criteria

* mean ethanol consumption \>10 g/day * history of other chronic liver disease (e.g., viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis and overlap syndromes, drug-induced liver injury, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, α1-antitrypsin deficiency) * liver cirrhosis * any malignancy * chronic kidney disease * uncontrolled hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism * severe sexual hormone disorders (congenital adrenaline hyperplasia, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome). * use of the following medications within a 12-month period before baseline, which are associated with drug-induced liver injury (DILI): interferon, tamoxifen, amiodarone, aloperidin, glucocorticoids, hormone replacement therapy, contraceptives, anabolic steroids, any medication against tuberculosis, epilepsy or viruses, methotrexate, parenteral nutrition * use of the following medications within a 12-month period before baseline, which are probably associated with improvement in hepatic steatosis: vitamin E, pioglitazone, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), sodium- glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), orlistat, ursodeoxycholic acid * use of any GnRH agonist or antagonist within a 12-month period before baseline

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Hepatic steatosis6 monthsUltrasound-Guided Attenuation Parameter (UGAP) measured on an ultrasound machine GE Logiq E10s. Between-within group interactions in UGAP UGAP is a non-invasive index based on the attenuation quantification of the ultrasound beam through the hepatic parenchyma, thus used for hepatic steatosis quantification. Cut-off values of ≥ 0.53 dB/cm/MHz, ≥ 0.60 dB/cm/MHz, and ≥ 0.65 dB/cm/MHz have been proposed for the diagnosis of steatosis grade S1, S2, and S3, respectively
Hepatic fibrosis6 monthsLiver stiffness (LS) measured with 2D Shear Wave Elastography (2D SWE) on an ultrasound machine GE Logiq E10s. Between-within group interactions in LS 2D SWE is a non-invasive tool measuring the hepatic parenchyma stiffness, thus indirectly suggesting fibrosis stage (F). Cut-offs values of \<8.27 kPa, 8.27-9.39 kPa, 9.40-11.88 kPa and ≥11.88 kPa have been proposed for F0-F1, F2, F3, and F4, respectively.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Liver function tests I - ALT and AST6 monthsBetween-within group interactions will be performed for each of the following parameters: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT; IU/l), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; IU/l); ALT to AST ratio will be calculated
Liver function tests II - γGT6 monthsBetween-within group interactions will be performed for: γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT; IU/l)
Insulin resistance6 monthsBetween-within group interactions will be performed for Homeostasis Model Assessment - Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), which is calculated by the formula: fasting glucose (mg/dl) × insulin (mU/l)/405, and is an index of insulin resistance; higher score indicates greater insulin resistance.
Lipid profile6 monthsBetween-within group interactions will be performed for each of the following parameters: Total cholesterol (TC; mg/dL) Triglycerides (TG; mg/dL) High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; mg/dL) 4. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) LDL-C (mg/dL) is calculated by the formula: TC (mg/dl) - HDL-C (mg/dl) - TG (mg/dl)/5.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index I - Fatty Liver Index (FLI)6 monthsFLI is calculated by the formula \[(e0.953 × Loge (TG, mg/dL) + 0.139×BMI (kg/m2) + 0.718× Loge (GGT, U/L) + 0.053 × waist circumference (cm) -15.745) / (1 + e0.953 × Loge (TG, mg/dL) + 0.139×BMI (kg/m2) + 0.718×Loge (GGT, U/L) + 0.053 × waist circumference (cm) -15.745)\] × 100. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index II - Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI)6 monthsHSI is calculated by the formula: 8 \* ALT (U/L) / AST (U/L) + BMI (kg/m2) + 2 \[if type 2 diabetes melitus (T2DM)\] + 2 (if female). Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index III - Triglyceride/Glucose Index (TyG)6 monthsTyG is calculated by the formula: Ln\[TG (mg/dL) \* Glu (mg/dL) / 2\]. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index IV - Tyg-BMI6 monthsTyg-BMI is calculated by the formula: TyG \* BMI (kg/m2). Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis indices V - NAFLD test6 monthsNAFLD test is calculated by the formula: -0.695 + 0.031 \* BMI (kg/m2) + 0.003 \* TC (mg/dL) + 0.014 \* ALT (U/L) + 0.025 \* C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/dL). Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index VI - Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance (MetS-IR)6 monthsMetS-IR is calculated by the formula: Ln\[2 \* Glu (mg/dL) + TG (mg/dL)\] \* BMI (kg/m2) / Ln\[HDL-C (mg/dL)\]. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index VII - Lipid Accumulation Product index (LAP)6 monthsLAP is calculated by the formula: \[WC (cm) - 58\] \* \[TG (mg/dL) / 88.57\]. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index VIII - Liver Fat Score (LFS)6 monthsLFS is calculated by the formula: -2.89 + 1.18 (if metabolic syndrome) + 0.45 \* 2 (if T2DM) + 0.15 \* insulin (mU/L) + 0.04 \* AST (U/L) - 0.94 \* AST (U/L) / ALT (U/L). Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic fibrosis index I - NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS)6 monthsNFS is calculated by the formula: -1.675 + 0.037 \* age (years) + 0.094 \* BMI (kg/m2) + 1.13 (if impaired fasting glucose or T2DM) + 0.99 \* AST (U/L) / ALT (U/L) - 0.013 \* platelet count \[\*10(9)/L\] - 0.66 \* albumin (g/dL). Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic fibrosis index II - Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4)6 monthsFIB-4 is calculated by the formula: age (years) \* AST (U/L) / {platelet count \[\*10(9)/L\] \* √ALT (U/L)}. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic fibrosis index III - AST-to-Platelet Ratio Index (APRI)6 monthsAPRI is calculated by the formula: AST (U/L) / upper limit of normal \* 100 / platelet count \[\*10(9)/L\]. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Non-invasive hepatic fibrosis index IV - Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Fibrosis Score (MAF-5)6 monthsMAF-5 is calculated by the formula: -11.3674 + 0.0282 \* WC (cm) - 0.1761 \* BMI (kg/m2) + 0.0019 \* WC (cm) \* BMI (kg/m2) + 2.0762 (if T2DM) + 2.9207 \* Ln\[AST (U/L)\] - 0.0059 \* platelet count \[\*10(9)/L\]. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Adiponectin6 monthsAdiponectin is measured in μg/mL. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Leptin6 monthsLeptin is measured in ng/mL. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α)6 monthsTNF-a is measured in pg/mL. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Sex hormones I - Estradiol6 monthsEstradiol is measured in pg/mL. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Sex hormones II - Testosterone6 monthsTestosterone is measured in ng/mL. Between-within group interactions will be performed.
Sex hormones III - Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)6 monthsSHBG is measured in nmol/L. Between-within group interactions will be performed.

Countries

Greece

Contacts

STUDY_DIRECTORDimitrios A Anastasilakis, MD, PhDc

School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

STUDY_DIRECTORAthina I Gkiomisi, MD, PhD

424 General Military Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

STUDY_DIRECTORDimitrios G Goulis, MD, PhD

School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

STUDY_DIRECTORAngelos Daniilidis, MD, PhD

School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

STUDY_DIRECTORAthanasios A Anastasilakis, MD, PhD

424 General Military Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

STUDY_DIRECTORChrysi Nalmpantidou, MD

"G. Gennimatas" General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORStergios A Polyzos, MD, PhD

School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 24, 2026