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NCT Number: NCT07611370

Evaluating the Effects of Propionate and Butyrate Supplementation on the Intestinal Health of Healthy Volunteers

This clinical trial evaluates how propionate and butyrate supplementation alters intestinal health in healthy volunteers and whether it would be feasible to administer these supplements to patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant in the future. Propionate and butyrate are short chain fatty acids naturally produced in the intestines during the fermentation of dietary fibers. Greater levels of propionate and butyrate may improve intestinal barrier function, and propionate specifically has been shown to modulate immunity, energy metabolism, and gut-brain communication. The protective effects of propionate and butyrate supplementation on intestinal health may be especially beneficial for patients undergoing donor stem cell transplant, as these patients can experience significant gastrointestinal injury during treatment. The results of this study may help researchers determine whether propionate and butyrate supplementation positively alters the gut microbiome and whether or not supplementation could be used in the future for patients undergoing a donor stem cell transplant.

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Key information

Conditions

Graft Versus Host Disease Graft vs Host Disease Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm Immune System Diseases Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1

Primary location

City of Hope Medical Center

Duarte, California, 91010, United States

Location contact

Karamjeet S. Sandhu

CONTACT

[email protected]

626-218-2405

Karamjeet S. Sandhu

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

About this study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To determine the feasibility of repeated microencapsulated propionate and butyrate (mPB) administration as assessed by compliance; ability to consume at least 75% of the scheduled doses on a weekly basis.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To determine the safety of repeated mPB administration. II. To estimate blood and stool levels of propionate and butyrate metabolite content with repeated administration of mPB.

III. To identify a feasible target dose (TD) of repeated mPB administration in transplant patients as determined by dosing adherence and pharmacokinetic measures in blood and stool of healthy volunteers.

OUTLINE:

Participants receive microencapsulated sodium propionate orally (PO) four times daily (QID) for 1 week. Participants then receive microencapsulated sodium propionate PO QID and microencapsulated sodium butyrate PO QID for 1 week. Participants also undergo collection of blood samples throughout the study.

After completion of study intervention, participants are followed up for 1 week.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Documented informed consent of the participant and/or legally authorized representative
  • Age: ≥ 18 years and ≤ 75 years old
  • Ability to read and understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent
  • Ability to understand English to fill out required forms (e.g. Pill Diary and Symptom Diary)
  • Participants are not taking butyrate or propionate as supplement(s)
  • Those who are already taking butyrate or propionate as supplement(s) are allowed only if they are willing to stop the supplement(s) ≥ 7 days prior to baseline samples and for the duration of this study

Exclusion criteria

  • History of migraines and chronic gastrointestinal diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease or Crohn's disease
  • History of allergic reactions to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to study agent
  • Females only: Pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to get pregnant
  • Antibiotic exposure within 2 weeks prior to day 1 of study

Treatment and study plan

Biospecimen Collection

Procedure

Undergo collection of blood samples

Other names: Biological Sample Collection, Biospecimen Collected, Sample Collection, Specimen Collection

Microencapsulated Sodium Butyrate

Drug

Given PO

Other names: Microencapsulated Formulation-containing Sodium Butyrate, MSB

Microencapsulated Sodium Propionate

Drug

Given PO

Other names: Microencapsulated Formulation-containing Sodium Propionate

Primary outcomes

  1. Subjects' ability to take at least 75% of the specified dose on a weekly basis (feasibility)

    Time frame: During 2 week intervention period

    Evaluated by assessment of subject's ability to take at least 75% of the specified dose on a weekly basis. Vomiting within an hour after taking a dose will be considered a missed dose. Participants who do not meet this criterion will be considered as feasibility failure.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Incidence of adverse events

    Time frame: From the first dose of microencapsulated sodium propionate to the first observation of toxicities or by day +7 after the last dose of microencapsulated propionate and butyrate

    Adverse events will be categorized by type, frequency, severity, attribution, onset, and duration. Safety summaries will inform dosing decisions.

  2. blood and stool - Propionate content

    Time frame: At baseline and up to 3 weeks

    Longitudinal blood and stool concentrations of propionate will be analyzed relative to baseline using complementary modeling approaches. First, repeated measurements over time will be analyzed using linear mixed-effects models with subject-specific random effects to account for within-individual correlation and irregular sampling, allowing estimation of population-level temporal exposure patterns following dosing. Second, cumulative metabolite exposure from baseline will be summarized at the subject level using area-under-the-curve (AUC) metrics, calculated using the trapezoidal rule. These AUC measures provide an integrated summary of longitudinal exposure and will be used to characterize dose-exposure relationships and inter-individual variability. Exposure estimates derived from healthy volunteers will inform dose selection and optimization for subsequent studies in transplant patients.

  3. blood and stool - Butyrate content

    Time frame: At baseline and up to 3 weeks

    Longitudinal blood and stool concentrations of butyrate will be analyzed relative to baseline using complementary modeling approaches. First, repeated measurements over time will be analyzed using linear mixed-effects models with subject-specific random effects to account for within-individual correlation and irregular sampling, allowing estimation of population-level temporal exposure patterns following dosing. Second, cumulative metabolite exposure from baseline will be summarized at the subject level using area-under-the-curve (AUC) metrics, calculated using the trapezoidal rule. These AUC measures provide an integrated summary of longitudinal exposure and will be used to characterize dose-exposure relationships and inter-individual variability. Exposure estimates derived from healthy volunteers will inform dose selection and optimization for subsequent studies in transplant patients.

  4. Dosing adherence measures

    Time frame: During 2 week intervention period

    assessed by compliance

    subject's ability to take at least 75% of the specified dose on a weekly basis

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

City of Hope Medical Center

Other

Collaborators

  • National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Official study title

A Pilot Feasibility Study of Oral Administration of Microencapsulated Propionate and Butyrate in Healthy Volunteers

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
May 28, 2026
Registry last updated
May 28, 2026

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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