Niacin Supplementation in Healthy Controls and Mitochondrial Myopathy Patients (NiaMIT)

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03973203
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: June 4, 2019
• Last Update Posted: June 4, 2019
• Sponsor: University of Helsinki
• Collaborators: Helsinki University Central Hospital; Institute for Molecular Medicine; University of Iowa
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Anu Wartiovaara, University of Helsinki

Study Description

Brief Summary:

The most frequent form of adult-onset mitochondrial disorders is mitochondrial myopathy, often manifesting with progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO), progressive muscle weakness and exercise intolerance. Mitochondrial myopathy is often caused by single heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions or multiple mtDNA deletions, the former being sporadic and latter caused by mutations in nuclear-encoded proteins of mtDNA maintenance. Currently, no curative treatment exists for this disease. The investigators have previously observed that supplementation with an NAD+ precursor vitamin B3, nicotinamide riboside, prevented and delayed disease symptoms by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis in a mouse model for mitochondrial myopathy. Vitamin B3 exists in several forms: nicotinic acid (niacin), nicotinamide, and nicotinamide riboside, and it has been demonstrated to give power to diseased mitochondria in animal studies by increasing intracellular levels of NAD+, the important cofactor required for the cellular energy metabolism.

In this study, the form of vitamin B3, niacin, was used to activate dysfunctional mitochondria and to rescue signs of mitochondrial myopathy. Of the vitamin B3 forms, niacin, is employed, because it has been used in large doses to treat hypercholesterolemia patients, and has a proven safety record in humans. Phenotypically similar mitochondrial myopathy patients are studied, as the investigator's previous expertise indicates that similar presenting phenotypes predict uniform physiological and clinical responses to interventions, despite varying genetic backgrounds. Patients either with sporadic single mtDNA deletions or a mutation in a Twinkle gene causing multiple mtDNA deletions were recruited. In addition, for every patient, two gender- and age-matched healthy controls are recruited. Clinical examinations and collection of muscle biopsies are performed at the time points 0, 4 and 10 months (patients) or at 0 and 4 months (controls). Fasting blood samples are collected every second week until 4 months and thereafter every six weeks until the end of the study. The effects of niacin on disease markers, muscle mitochondrial biogenesis, muscle strength and the metabolism of the whole body are studied in patients and healthy controls.

The hypothesis is that an NAD+ precursor, niacin, will increase intracellular NAD+ levels, improve mitochondrial biogenesis and alleviate the symptoms of mitochondrial myopathy in humans.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Mitochondrial Myopathies	Dietary Supplement: Niacin	Not Applicable

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 15 participants
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Intervention Model Description: All participants (healthy controls and mitochondrial myopathy patients) receive orally administered a slow-released form of niacin.
• Masking: None (Open Label)
• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Official Title: The Effect of Niacin Supplementation on Systemic Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) Metabolism, Physiology and Muscle Performance in Healthy Controls and Mitochondrial Myopathy Patients
• Actual Study Start Date: June 1, 2014
• Actual Primary Completion Date: December 31, 2017
• Actual Study Completion Date: December 31, 2018

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Experimental: Niacin in controls; The arm includes healthy controls supplemented with niacin.	Dietary Supplement: Niacin; The dose for a slow-released form of niacin will be 750-1000 mg/day. The daily niacin dose, 250 mg/day, is gradually escalated by 250 mg/month so that the full dose is reached after 3 months. The intervention time with the full niacin dose is 1 and 7 months for controls and patients, respectively, and subsequently total intervention time 4 and 10 months, respectively. At the end of the study, the daily dose will be decreased by 250 mg/month rate.; Other Name: Nicotinic acid
Experimental: Niacin in mitochondrial myopathy patients; The arm includes mitochondrial myopathy patients supplemented with niacin.	Dietary Supplement: Niacin; The dose for a slow-released form of niacin will be 750-1000 mg/day. The daily niacin dose, 250 mg/day, is gradually escalated by 250 mg/month so that the full dose is reached after 3 months. The intervention time with the full niacin dose is 1 and 7 months for controls and patients, respectively, and subsequently total intervention time 4 and 10 months, respectively. At the end of the study, the daily dose will be decreased by 250 mg/month rate.; Other Name: Nicotinic acid

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. NAD+ and related metabolite levels in blood and muscle [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in concentrations of NAD+ and related metabolites such as: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide, nicotinamide, and nicotinamide mononucleotide measured using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. Number of diseased muscle fibers [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in number of abnormal muscle fibers (frozen sections, in situ histochemical activity analysis of cytochrome c oxidase negative / succinate-dehydrogenase positive muscle fibers; and immunohistochemistry of complex I negative muscle fibers
2. Mitochondrial biogenesis [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in mitochondria immunohistochemical staining intensity
3. Muscle mitochondrial oxidative capacity [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in muscle histochemical activity of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase
4. Muscle metabolomic profile [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in muscle metabolite concentrations measured with mass spectrometry
5. Core muscle strength [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in core muscle strength measured by static and dynamic back and abdominal strength tests (number of repeats)
6. Circulating levels of disease biomarkers, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in circulating FGF21 and GDF15 concentrations measured using ELISA kits
7. Muscle mitochondrial DNA deletions [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in muscle mtDNA deletion load detected using polymerase chain reaction amplification
8. Muscle transcriptomic profile [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in muscle gene expression determined using RNA sequencing approach

Other Outcome Measures:

1. Body weight and body composition [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in body weight as well as fat mass and fat free mass measured with bioimpedance
2. Ectopic lipid accumulation, i.e. liver and muscle lipid content [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in liver and muscle fat content measured with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy
3. Circulating lipid profiles [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4 months and 10 months ]
   Change in circulating HDL, LDL and triglyceride concentrations measured using standard photometric enzymatic assay

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 17 Years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Manifestation of pure mitochondrial myopathy, with no major other symptoms or manifestations, caused by single or multiple deletions of mtDNA
2. Age and gender matched healthy controls for every patient
3. Agreed to avoid vitamin supplementation or nutritional products with vitamin B3 forms 14 days prior to the enrollment and during the study
4. Written, informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Inability to follow study protocol
2. Pregnancy or breast-feeding at any time of the trial
3. Malignancy that requires continuous treatment
4. Unstable heart disease
5. Severe kidney disease requiring treatment
6. Severe encephalopathy
7. Regular usage of intoxicants

Contacts and Locations

Sponsors and Collaborators

University of Helsinki

Helsinki University Central Hospital

Institute for Molecular Medicine

University of Iowa

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Anu Suomalainen Wartiovaara, MD,PhD; Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

More Information

Publications:

Suomalainen A, Battersby BJ. Mitochondrial diseases: the contribution of organelle stress responses to pathology. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2018 Feb;19(2):77-92. doi: 10.1038/nrm.2017.66. Epub 2017 Aug 9.

Ylikallio E, Suomalainen A. Mechanisms of mitochondrial diseases. Ann Med. 2012 Feb;44(1):41-59. doi: 10.3109/07853890.2011.598547. Epub 2011 Aug 2.

Rajman L, Chwalek K, Sinclair DA. Therapeutic Potential of NAD-Boosting Molecules: The In Vivo Evidence. Cell Metab. 2018 Mar 6;27(3):529-547. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.02.011.

Khan NA, Auranen M, Paetau I, Pirinen E, Euro L, Forsstrom S, Pasila L, Velagapudi V, Carroll CJ, Auwerx J, Suomalainen A. Effective treatment of mitochondrial myopathy by nicotinamide riboside, a vitamin B3. EMBO Mol Med. 2014 Jun;6(6):721-31. doi: 10.1002/emmm.201403943.

Cerutti R, Pirinen E, Lamperti C, Marchet S, Sauve AA, Li W, Leoni V, Schon EA, Dantzer F, Auwerx J, Viscomi C, Zeviani M. NAD(+)-dependent activation of Sirt1 corrects the phenotype in a mouse model of mitochondrial disease. Cell Metab. 2014 Jun 3;19(6):1042-9. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2014.04.001. Epub 2014 May 8.

Guyton JR, Bays HE. Safety considerations with niacin therapy. Am J Cardiol. 2007 Mar 19;99(6A):22C-31C. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2006.11.018. Epub 2006 Nov 28.

Vosper H. Niacin: a re-emerging pharmaceutical for the treatment of dyslipidaemia. Br J Pharmacol. 2009 Sep;158(2):429-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2009.00349.x. Epub 2009 Jul 20.

Ahola S, Auranen M, Isohanni P, Niemisalo S, Urho N, Buzkova J, Velagapudi V, Lundbom N, Hakkarainen A, Muurinen T, Piirila P, Pietilainen KH, Suomalainen A. Modified Atkins diet induces subacute selective ragged-red-fiber lysis in mitochondrial myopathy patients. EMBO Mol Med. 2016 Nov 2;8(11):1234-1247. doi: 10.15252/emmm.201606592. Print 2016 Nov.

Suomalainen A, Elo JM, Pietilainen KH, Hakonen AH, Sevastianova K, Korpela M, Isohanni P, Marjavaara SK, Tyni T, Kiuru-Enari S, Pihko H, Darin N, Ounap K, Kluijtmans LA, Paetau A, Buzkova J, Bindoff LA, Annunen-Rasila J, Uusimaa J, Rissanen A, Yki-Jarvinen H, Hirano M, Tulinius M, Smeitink J, Tyynismaa H. FGF-21 as a biomarker for muscle-manifesting mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiencies: a diagnostic study. Lancet Neurol. 2011 Sep;10(9):806-18. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(11)70155-7. Epub 2011 Aug 3.

Nikkanen J, Forsstrom S, Euro L, Paetau I, Kohnz RA, Wang L, Chilov D, Viinamaki J, Roivainen A, Marjamaki P, Liljenback H, Ahola S, Buzkova J, Terzioglu M, Khan NA, Pirnes-Karhu S, Paetau A, Lonnqvist T, Sajantila A, Isohanni P, Tyynismaa H, Nomura DK, Battersby BJ, Velagapudi V, Carroll CJ, Suomalainen A. Mitochondrial DNA Replication Defects Disturb Cellular dNTP Pools and Remodel One-Carbon Metabolism. Cell Metab. 2016 Apr 12;23(4):635-48. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.01.019. Epub 2016 Feb 25.

Khan NA, Nikkanen J, Yatsuga S, Jackson C, Wang L, Pradhan S, Kivela R, Pessia A, Velagapudi V, Suomalainen A. mTORC1 Regulates Mitochondrial Integrated Stress Response and Mitochondrial Myopathy Progression. Cell Metab. 2017 Aug 1;26(2):419-428.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.07.007.

Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

Pirinen E, Auranen M, Khan NA, Brilhante V, Urho N, Pessia A, Hakkarainen A, Kuula J, Heinonen U, Schmidt MS, Haimilahti K, Piirila P, Lundbom N, Taskinen MR, Brenner C, Velagapudi V, Pietilainen KH, Suomalainen A. Niacin Cures Systemic NAD+ Deficiency and Improves Muscle Performance in Adult-Onset Mitochondrial Myopathy. Cell Metab. 2020 Jun 2;31(6):1078-1090.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.04.008. Epub 2020 May 7. Erratum In: Cell Metab. 2020 Jul 7;32(1):144.

• Responsible Party: Anu Wartiovaara, Academy Professor, Professor of Clinical Molecular Medicine, University of Helsinki
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03973203
• Other Study ID Numbers: NiaMIT_0001
• First Posted: June 4, 2019
• Last Update Posted: June 4, 2019
• Last Verified: May 2019

Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:

• Plan to Share IPD: No

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: No

Keywords provided by Anu Wartiovaara, University of Helsinki:

vitamin B3; niacin; mitochondrial myopathy; mitochondria; muscle; muscle strength; NAD+ precursor; NAD+; NAD-booster

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Muscular Diseases; Mitochondrial Myopathies; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Mitochondrial Diseases; Metabolic Diseases; Niacin; Nicotinic Acids; Hypolipidemic Agents; Antimetabolites; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Lipid Regulating Agents; Vasodilator Agents; Vitamin B Complex; Vitamins; Micronutrients; Physiological Effects of Drugs