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Systemic Lupus ErythematosusPhase 2NCT05430087

Vitamin D and Curcumin Piperine Attenuates Disease Activity and Cytokine Levels in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients

A Phase 2 study testing Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine. in people with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, run by Saiful Anwar Hospital at 1 site in Indonesia.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with a relatively high mortality and morbidity rate, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 45 years, women only
Conditions the study is for
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
What is being tested?
Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine.
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
45 participants
Where
1 siteIndonesia
Study dates
1 Mar 2020to 31 Jan 2022
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 45 years
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • SLE patients referred to the Rheumatology outpatient clinic Saiful Anwar General Hospital, Malang, Indonesia
  • Had an active disease, characterized by the Mexican SLE Disease Activity Index (Mex-SLEDAI) score >3
  • Had low vitamin D levels (serum vitamin D3 levels <30 ng/ml)

Who cannot join

  • Pregnant or breast-feeding patients
  • Took supplementations containing vitamin D or curcumin in the last three months
  • Had severe liver disorders (AST or ALT levels >2.5 times of upper normal limit)
  • Had impaired renal function (GFR < 25 ml/min or oliguria with urine output < 400 ml/day)
  • Had other autoimmune diseases or severe infections such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, or HIV, history of renal stones, hypercalciuria, intestinal malabsorption
  • Refusal to participate in the study

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Indonesia1 site
  • Saiful Anwar General Hospital

    Malang, East Java, 65112

Other trials in Indonesia

About this study

Official title: The Combination of Vitamin D and Curcumin Piperine Attenuates the Disease Activity and Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Levels in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with a relatively high mortality and morbidity rate, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia. In Indonesia, a previous study demonstrated that almost 71% of SLE patients experience hypovitaminosis D, with serum vitamin D 25 levels less than 30 ng/ml. Several factors contribute to the low vitamin D levels among SLE patients. Less exposure to sunlight or insufficient vitamin D intake contributes to SLE patients low vitamin D levels. Some other studies also revealed that vitamin D metabolism gene polymorphisms are also associated with patients with SLE.

Vitamin D is essential for bone health and has an essential role in immune system modulation and controlling autoimmune diseases, including SLE. Another study demonstrates that curcumin supplementation in premenopausal women and dysmenorrhea improves vitamin D levels. Despite the promising properties of curcumin in improving vitamin D biological actions, our previous study reveals that the addition of curcumin in vitamin D administration do not significantly improve the disease activity or cytokine imbalance in SLE patients. The synergistic property of curcumin with vitamin D in regulating immune cells is an open opportunity for researchers to increase the response to vitamin D3 therapy.

Several studies have reported the efficacy of vitamin D or curcumin for SLE treatment. However, none mentioned the combination of curcumin added with piperine and vitamin D3. We hypothesized that adding curcumin piperine with vitamin D3 as a complementary treatment in SLE patients would improve the clinical symptoms or cytokine balance among SLE patients. Therefore, this study aims to observe the effects of adding curcumin-piperine with vitamin D3 in clinical outcomes and cytokines levels in SLE patients with hypovitaminosis D.

Read the detailed description

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with a relatively high mortality and morbidity rate, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia. In Indonesia, a previous study demonstrated that almost 71% of SLE patients experience hypovitaminosis D, with serum vitamin D (25(OH)D3) levels less than 30 ng/ml. Several factors contribute to the low vitamin D levels among SLE patients. Less exposure to sunlight or insufficient vitamin D intake contributes to SLE patients' low vitamin D levels. Some other studies also revealed that vitamin D metabolism gene polymorphisms are also associated with patients with SLE.

Vitamin D is essential for bone health and has an essential role in immune system modulation and controlling autoimmune diseases, including SLE. An increase in the pro-inflammatory cytokine, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), is found in SLE patients with hypovitaminosis D. SLE patients with hypovitaminosis D have a more severe clinical condition and disease activity. However, previous meta-analysis shows that vitamin D supplementation is effective in increasing the serum 25(OH)D levels, may improve fatigue, and is well-tolerated in patients with SLE. However, it does not seem to have significant effects in decreasing the positivity of anti-dsDNA and disease activity. Thus, another approach to enhance the effect of vitamin D to suppress the pro-inflammatory condition in SLE should be considered.

Curcumin is a phenolic compound widely found in ginger, turmeric, and curcuma plants and has the potential as an immunomodulator for the complementary treatment of SLE. Curcumin acts as an activator or inhibitor of several transcription factors that play a role in activating and differentiating Th1, Th2, Th17, and Tregs. In a previous report, curcumin synergistically interacts with vitamin D because it is also a natural ligand for the vitamin D receptor (VDR). Previous studies reveal that administering a combination of curcumin and vitamin D3 resulted in a better recovery of neuronal cells from Alzheimer's disease. Another study demonstrates that curcumin supplementation in premenopausal women and dysmenorrhea improves vitamin D levels.

Despite the promising properties of curcumin in improving vitamin D biological actions, our previous study reveals that the addition of curcumin in vitamin D administration do not significantly improve the disease activity or cytokine imbalance in SLE patients. Because of the pharmacokinetics of curcumin, this substance is poorly absorbed in the gut and has low bioavailability when administered by the oral route. Therefore, special treatment is needed to improve the bioavailability of curcumin. One of the potential strategies is adding the piperine when administering curcumin orally. Piperine can be found in plants of the Piperaceae family, including 2-7.4% of black pepper and white pepper (Piper nigrum L.). Piperine also has antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities. Piperine can increase the in vivo bioavailability of curcumin by inhibiting its metabolism and reducing the required dose of curcumin in the clinical setting. Piperine can also increase cell membrane permeability, thereby increasing drug absorption. Piperine binds to several areas of the enzyme to form a hydrogen bond complex with curcumin that can increase its bioavailability up to twenty times.

The synergistic property of curcumin with vitamin D in regulating immune cells is an open opportunity for researchers to increase the response to vitamin D3 therapy. Several studies have reported the efficacy of vitamin D or curcumin for SLE treatment. However, none mentioned the combination of curcumin added with piperine and vitamin D3. We hypothesized that adding curcumin piperine with vitamin D3 as a complementary treatment in SLE patients would improve the clinical symptoms or cytokine balance among SLE patients. Therefore, this study aims to observe the effects of adding curcumin-piperine with vitamin D3 in clinical outcomes and cytokines levels in SLE patients with hypovitaminosis D.

Being tested
Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine.
Keywords
systemic lupus erythematosus, vitamin D, curcumin, piperine, disease activity
Medical subject headings
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine.Drug

    All patients and physicians were blinded to group assignment and treatment allocation. All subjects received the tablets for three months. All subjects were still required to consume their routine medications during the supplementation according to the disease activity. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after the end of supplementation for clinical and laboratory parameters. Adherence to therapy was assessed by monthly pill counts of returned tablets and biweekly phone calls to the patients.

Study groups in NCT05430087
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Vitamin D + PlaceboExperimentalThe first group received 400 IU cholecalciferol (Nature Plus) t.i.d (three times a day) and placebo (Saccharum lactis) t.i.d.
Receives: Drug: Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine.
Curcumin-Piperine + PlaceboExperimentalThe second group received a tablet containing curcumin (632 mg) - piperine (15,800 mg) (Bioglan) one time daily and a placebo (Saccharum lactis) t.i.d.
Receives: Drug: Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine.
Vitamin D + Curcumin-PiperineExperimentalThe third group received 400 IU cholecalciferol (Nature Plus) t.i.d and curcumin (600 mg) - piperine (15,800 mg) (Bioglan) one time daily
Receives: Drug: Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Disease Activity from the SLE patients after the Treatments

    Disease activity was assessed using the Mexican SLE Disease Activity Index (Mex-SLEDAI) score, consisting of 10 simple clinical and laboratory components obtained during the examination, which the results are grouped into remission (score of 0-1), mild (score of 2-5), moderate (score of 6-9), severe (score of 10-13), and very severe (score of > 14).

    Measured: three months

  2. Fatigue Assessment from the SLE patients after the Treatments

    Fatigue assessment was done using a specific questionnaire called the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) score. The FSS score used in this study was a validated Indonesian version consisting of nine questions to assess fatigue, including physical functioning, vitality, emotional, social, and mental health. The items are scored on a seven point scale with 1 refers to strongly disagree and 7 refers to strongly agree. The minimum FSS score is 9 and the maximum score possible is 63, with the higher the score the greater the fatigue severity

    Measured: three months

  3. Comparison of Cytokines Levels before and After the Treatments

    We also monitor the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines from the sera of SLE patients three months after the therapies

    Serum cytokine levels, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), were measured at the baseline and three months after therapy using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by the commercially kits (Elabscience, cat number E-EL-H0102 and E-EL-0162, respectively). Both results were shown in pg/ml.

    Measured: three months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 Jun 2022
  2. Study start1 Mar 2020
  3. Primary completion31 Jan 2022
  4. Study completion31 Jan 2022

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized into three parallel groups: Vitamin D + placebo (group I), Curcumin-Piperine + placebo (group II), and vitamin D + Curcumin-Piperine (group III). All patients and physicians were blinded to group assignment and treatment allocation
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
45 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05430087
Sponsor's protocol ID
38/SK/UN10.F08.06/KS/2019
Status last verified
Jun 2022
First submitted
22 May 2022
Last updated
24 Jun 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Hamijoyo L, Candrianita S, Rahmadi AR, Dewi S, Darmawan G, Suryajaya BS, Rainy NR, Hidayat II, Moenardi VN, Wachjudi RG. The clinical characteristics of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Indonesia: a cohort registry from an Indonesia-based tertiary referral hospital. Lupus. 2019 Nov;28(13):1604-1609. doi: 10.1177/0961203319878499. Epub 2019 Sep 29.

    PubMed 31566078
  • Islam MA, Khandker SS, Alam SS, Kotyla P, Hassan R. Vitamin D status in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): A systematic review and meta-analysis. Autoimmun Rev. 2019 Nov;18(11):102392. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2019.102392. Epub 2019 Sep 11.

    PubMed 31520805
  • Breslin LC, Magee PJ, Wallace JM, McSorley EM. An evaluation of vitamin D status in individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus. Proc Nutr Soc. 2011 Nov;70(4):399-407. doi: 10.1017/S0029665111001613. Epub 2011 Aug 24.

    PubMed 21861947
  • Ruiz-Ballesteros AI, Meza-Meza MR, Vizmanos-Lamotte B, Parra-Rojas I, de la Cruz-Mosso U. Association of Vitamin D Metabolism Gene Polymorphisms with Autoimmunity: Evidence in Population Genetic Studies. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Dec 17;21(24):9626. doi: 10.3390/ijms21249626.

    PubMed 33348854
  • Hamza RT, Awwad KS, Ali MK, Hamed AI. Reduced serum concentrations of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in Egyptian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: relation to disease activity. Med Sci Monit. 2011 Dec;17(12):CR711-8. doi: 10.12659/msm.882131.

    PubMed 22129903
  • Terrier B, Derian N, Schoindre Y, Chaara W, Geri G, Zahr N, Mariampillai K, Rosenzwajg M, Carpentier W, Musset L, Piette JC, Six A, Klatzmann D, Saadoun D, Patrice C, Costedoat-Chalumeau N. Restoration of regulatory and effector T cell balance and B cell homeostasis in systemic lupus erythematosus patients through vitamin D supplementation. Arthritis Res Ther. 2012 Oct 17;14(5):R221. doi: 10.1186/ar4060.

    PubMed 23075451
  • Aranow C, Kamen DL, Dall'Era M, Massarotti EM, Mackay MC, Koumpouras F, Coca A, Chatham WW, Clowse ME, Criscione-Schreiber LG, Callahan S, Goldmuntz EA, Keyes-Elstein L, Oswald M, Gregersen PK, Diamond B. Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Effect of Vitamin D3 on the Interferon Signature in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015 Jul;67(7):1848-57. doi: 10.1002/art.39108.

    PubMed 25777546
  • de Souza VA, Bastos MG, Fernandes NM, Mansur HN, Raposo NR, de Souza DM, de Andrade LC. Association of hypovitaminosis D with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and inflammation. J Bras Nefrol. 2014 Oct-Dec;36(4):430-6. doi: 10.5935/0101-2800.20140062. English, Portuguese.

    PubMed 25517270
  • Mok CC, Birmingham DJ, Leung HW, Hebert LA, Song H, Rovin BH. Vitamin D levels in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: relationship with disease activity, vascular risk factors and atherosclerosis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2012 Apr;51(4):644-52. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/ker212. Epub 2011 Jun 29.

    PubMed 21719424
  • Correa-Rodriguez M, Pocovi-Gerardino G, Callejas-Rubio JL, Rios-Fernandez R, Martin-Amada M, Cruz-Caparros MG, DelOlmo-Romero S, Ortego-Centeno N, Rueda-Medina B. Vitamin D Levels are Associated with Disease Activity and Damage Accrual in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients. Biol Res Nurs. 2021 Jul;23(3):455-463. doi: 10.1177/1099800420983596. Epub 2020 Dec 30.

    PubMed 33380211
  • Zheng R, Gonzalez A, Yue J, Wu X, Qiu M, Gui L, Zhu S, Huang L. Efficacy and Safety of Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Am J Med Sci. 2019 Aug;358(2):104-114. doi: 10.1016/j.amjms.2019.04.020. Epub 2019 Apr 26.

    PubMed 31331447
  • Momtazi-Borojeni AA, Haftcheshmeh SM, Esmaeili SA, Johnston TP, Abdollahi E, Sahebkar A. Curcumin: A natural modulator of immune cells in systemic lupus erythematosus. Autoimmun Rev. 2018 Feb;17(2):125-135. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2017.11.016. Epub 2017 Nov 24.

    PubMed 29180127
  • Bartik L, Whitfield GK, Kaczmarska M, Lowmiller CL, Moffet EW, Furmick JK, Hernandez Z, Haussler CA, Haussler MR, Jurutka PW. Curcumin: a novel nutritionally derived ligand of the vitamin D receptor with implications for colon cancer chemoprevention. J Nutr Biochem. 2010 Dec;21(12):1153-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2009.09.012. Epub 2010 Feb 12.

    PubMed 20153625
  • Alamro AA, Alsulami EA, Almutlaq M, Alghamedi A, Alokail M, Haq SH. Therapeutic Potential of Vitamin D and Curcumin in an In Vitro Model of Alzheimer Disease. J Cent Nerv Syst Dis. 2020 May 27;12:1179573520924311. doi: 10.1177/1179573520924311. eCollection 2020.

    PubMed 32528227
  • Arabnezhad L, Mohammadifard M, Rahmani L, Majidi Z, Ferns GA, Bahrami A. Effects of curcumin supplementation on vitamin D levels in women with premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled study. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022 Jan 22;22(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12906-022-03515-2.

    PubMed 35065636

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Observe the clinical outcome and inflammatory cytokines levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after being supplemented with Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) and Curcumin-Piperine. in people with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, run by Saiful Anwar Hospital at 1 site in Indonesia.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jun 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Indonesia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Disease Activity from the SLE patients after the Treatments (time frame: three months). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05430087, which also lists 31 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jun 2022.

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