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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04058678

Effects of Telomerase Reactivation With Danazol in Ovarian Function.

This project explores the implication of the telomere pathway in ovarian premature and regular aging. Telomere length and maintenance underlie several biological processes such cancer, aging, human diseases and the biology of stem cells. The reactivation of telomerase should lead to a rejuvenation of the ovarian tissue and the improvement of fertility.

The correlation of telomeric factors in blood and granulosa cells will be studied with the aim of finding telomeric biomarkers of ovarian aging.

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Key information

Conditions

Age range

30 year–45 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Ivirma Madrid

Madrid, 28023, Spain

About this study

This is a pilot study, randomized, controled, blind, parallelo arm clinical trial with inactive substance and medicine.

A pilot study will be developed with a total of 45 individuals from 30 to 45 years old, who represent the most frequent population of women seeking for ART.

A control group composed of women with normal ovarian reserve (30 to 45 years old) is needed to compare telomeric and fertility parameters with the group of women with compromised ovarian reserve. Women in the control group irrespective of their age, will have a greater number of follicles compared to women belonging to the group with compromised ovarian reserve.

A group of women with diminished ovarian reserve that will take an inactive substance has been incluided to avoid biases and to set the fertility base line for women with compromised ovarian reserve. The use of an inactive substance or placebo will help obtain better quality results. For instance, if Danazol happened to improve the fertility outcome, then, there could be a possibility that the IVF improvement might be due to other components of the pill. Using placebo, this possibility would be eliminated, since the placebo will contain all components of the pill, except Danazol.

The development of a pilot study will help us understand the statisticl behavior or the telomeric factors as well as to determine the appropriate number of individuals that shoyuld be recruited in a clinical trial to have results with statistical significance. In addition, a pilot study will help us learn errors or undesired events that may happen during the clinical trial. For instance, if patients cannot follow the indications of their doctors and why, or what proportion of patients will drop the study and the reasons for it. Furthermore, it will also help us understand if there exist a tendency, an indication or even a clear beneficial effect for patients without harming them.

The number of participants selected for the study is considered adequate for each group, since each group will be measured in an independent manner.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Provide signed and dated informed consent form.
  • Willing to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study. This include the decisión to use contraception methods different to sexual hormones, such as the use of condoms, during the treatment with Danazol.
  • In good general health as evidenced by medical history or diagnosed with body mass index between 18 and 30 kg/m2.
  • Women with normal (AMH valued must be equal or higher tan 2ng/ml) or compromised ovarian reserve (defined as AMH < 2 ng/ml)
  • Not having had any steroid hormones for one month.

Exclusion criteria

  • Pregnancy o lactation.
  • Taking other sexual hormones.
  • Women with diseases in heart, liver or kidney or tumors which depend on male sexual hormones or hormone-dependent tumour.
  • Women taking anticonvulsants, medicaments for diabetes, anticoagulants and anti-hypertension: ciclosporin and tacrolimus and other steroids and statins.
  • Women suffering irregular genital bleeding or with thrombus or thromboembolicdiseases.
  • Known allergic reactions to components of the study product (cornstarch and lactose).
  • Having received ovulation induction drugs within one month before the inclusión in the study.
  • Anything that would place the individual at increased risk or preclude the individual´s full compliance with or completion of the study.
  • Simultaneous participation in another clinical trial or previous participation in this study.
  • Participation in another clinical study 2 months before inclusión in the present study that could affect its objectives.

Treatment and study plan

Danazol/Placebo

Drug

This group will be randomized 1:1 for either inactive substance or Danazol, according to a computer-generated randomization list prepared. Women will be treated with Danazol/Placebo oral way for 3 months.

without intervention

Other

Women with normal ovarian reserve will not be treated in anyway, thus, randomization will not be necessary.

Primary outcomes

  1. Telomere length in granulosa cells

    Time frame: The evaluation of the main assessment criterion will be done both after eighth visit (36 hours post induction) for women with low ovarian reserve and fifth visit for woman with normal ovarian reserve

    Measured in arbitrary units of fluorescence (a.u.) from 0 to 255 gray intensity (8bit) or Kb (continuous variable). Below 3 kb are considered critically short telomeres in humans.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Accumulation of short telomeres

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Measured in arbitrary units of fluorescence (a.u.) from 0 to 255 gray intensity (8bit) or Kb (continuous variable). Below 3 kb are considered critically short telomeres in humans.

  2. Telomerase activity

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Product of PCR amplification, run in acrylamide gels and quantified as band intensity (continuous variable)

  3. DNA damage measurement

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year

    If damage is positive, then different foci should be apparent in the nucleus of the cell. The number of foci present in the nuclei of at least 100 cells will be counted. If there is DNA damage at telomeres, then yH2AX or 53BPI foci will colocalize with telomeres (labelled with anti TRF1 antibody). Spots will be counted (continuous variable).

  4. Other telomeric factors.

    Time frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year

    The mRNA expression levels of the telomerase gene and the shelterins, which are involved in telomere lengthening and protection, will be measured by qPCR. (continuous variable).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

IVI Madrid

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Aug 15, 2019
Registry last updated
Aug 10, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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