Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) Agonist Rifampicin Effects on Glucose, Lipid and Hormone Homeostasis

Summary

This clinical trial is designed to study the effects of rifampicin on the glucose, lipid and hormone homeostasis in healthy volunteers. The main hypothesis is that rifampicin lowers fasting glucose and enhances insulin sensitivity. The study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, open-label cross-over trial. Twelve subjects will be given 600 mg of rifampicin a day for a week compared to a one-week placebo arm. There is at least a 4-week wash-out between the arms. The main outcome measures are the changes in the fasting glucose and HOMA-IR-index (calculated based on fasting glucose and insulin).

Timeline

Start

2009-09

Primary completion

2010-10

Completion

2010-10

Publications

• Rahunen R, Merikallio H, Rinne V, Savolainen MJ, Hukkanen J. Hypertension in Overweight and Obesity: Sex-Specific Role of 4beta-Hydroxycholesterol. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026 Mar 3;15(5):e043913. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.125.043913. Epub 2026 Feb 26.
• Rahunen R, Kummu O, Koivukangas V, Hautajarvi H, Hakkola J, Rysa J, Hukkanen J. Pregnane X Receptor-4beta-Hydroxycholesterol Axis in the Regulation of Overweight- and Obesity-Induced Hypertension. J Am Heart Assoc. 2022 Mar 15;11(6):e023492. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.121.023492. Epub 2022 Mar 1.

Drugs

Indications