GPR146 and Cholesterol Metabolism

Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC)

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Healthy Participants

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Cholesterol-rich, plant sterol-poor shake; Dietary Supplement: Cholesterol-rich, plant sterol-rich shake; Dietary Supplement: Cholesterol-poor, plant sterol-poor shake

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07142317

METC 25-027

Details and patient eligibility

About

Blood cholesterol balance is regulated by an interplay between the small intestine and the liver. Recently, a new protein (cholesin) was discovered, which is secreted by intestinal cells after dietary cholesterol intake. Cholesin travels to the liver and binds to the GPR146 receptor. This inhibits cholesterol production in the liver. Because plant sterols lower blood cholesterol levels by reducing cholesterol absorption in the intestine, the investigators would like to understand the effects of plant sterols on GPR146. The investigator hypothesis is that the production of the GPR146 gene differs after adding plant sterols to a high-cholesterol diet compared to eating a high-cholesterol and low-cholesterol diet. The main objective of this study is to investigate whether the expression of the GPR146 gene in the blood of adults differs between three meals with different levels of cholesterol intake. The secondary objective of the study is to examine changes in the expression of cholesin, the LDL receptor (LDLR), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR) genes in the blood after these meals. Furthermore, changes in the expression of these genes, all of which play an important role in cholesterol metabolism, will be examined in intestinal cells.

Enrollment: 23 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Men and women, aged between 18-70 years
• BMI between 18.5-25.0 kg/m2
• Fasting serum total cholesterol (TC) <8.0 mmol/L and fasting serum triacylglycerol (TAG) <3 mmol/L
• Fasting plasma glucose (FBG) <7 mmol/L
• Systolic blood pressure <160 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure <100 mmHg
• Stable body weight (weight gain or loss of <3 kg in the past three months)
• Willingness to give up being a blood donor from 8 weeks before the start of the study, during the study, and for 4 weeks after completion of the study
• No difficult venipuncture as evidenced during the screening visit

Exclusion criteria

• Allergy or intolerance to any of the components of the study meal
• Familial hypercholesterolemia
• History of gastrointestinal surgery, including bariatric procedures such as sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, gastric band, gastric balloon, or other major gastrointestinal surgeries that may affect digestion or absorption
• Current smokers
• Diabetic patients
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women
• Abuse of drugs
• More than 10 alcoholic consumptions per week for women and 14 for men
• Not willing to stop the use of products or dietary supplements known to interfere with the main outcomes as judged by the principal investigator for at least 1 week before the start of the study
• Use of medications to treat or affect blood pressure, lipid, or glucose metabolism
• Use of an investigational product within another biomedical intervention trial within the previous 1 month
• Severe medical conditions that might interfere with the study, such as: epilepsy, asthma, kidney failure or renal insufficiency, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, autoinflammatory diseases, and rheumatoid arthritis
• Active cardiovascular disease, such as congestive heart failure, or a cardiovascular event, such as an acute myocardial infarction or a cerebrovascular accident

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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23 participants in 3 patient groups

Cholesterol-poor, plant sterol-poor shake

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will be given a mixed meal in the form of a cholesterol-poor, plant-sterol-poor shake.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Cholesterol-poor, plant sterol-poor shake

Cholesterol-rich, plant sterol-poor shake

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will be given a mixed meal in the form of a cholesterol-rich, plant-sterol-poor shake.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Cholesterol-rich, plant sterol-poor shake

Cholesterol-rich plant sterol-rich shake

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be given a mixed meal in the form of a cholesterol-rich, plant-sterol-rich shake.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Cholesterol-rich, plant sterol-rich shake