Camu Camu in ART-treated People Living with HIV

Summary

Persons living with HIV and receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) remain with inflammation leading to higher risks of cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver and cancer. It has been observed in colitis and in HIV infection that abnormal composition of the gut microbes and leaky gut induce inflammation contributing to diabetes, fatty liver and cardiovascular risks. Abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila in stool, a type of good bacteria acting as a shield on the gut barrier has been shown to prevent obesity, diabetes and to improve cancer treatment response. Health food (prebiotic) increases the frequency of A. muciniphila in overweight individuals. Dr Marette, a study collaborator from Laval University, has recently published (Gut, 2018) that an extract from a Brazilian fruit called Camu Camu (CC) protects mice from obesity, reduce LPS, a marker for passage of microbes from the gut into the blood and decreases inflammation in association with the frequency of A. muciniphila in stools. The extract of CC is sold in nutritional stores to regulate body fat. The investigators will invite 22 participants to take 2 capsules of CC daily for 12 weeks in addition to their ART. CC tolerance and changes in blood and stools for inflammation and microbe composition will be evalutated at the end of the 12-week treatment and 8 weeks post-intake. An optional sub study will assess the changes of gut barrier by doing biopsies by colonoscopy. CC is expected to beassociated with an enrichment of A. muciniphila in stools, combined with reduced gut damage and inflammation.

Timeline

Start

2020-11-09

Primary completion

2022-07-20

Completion

2022-07-20

Publications

• Background Anhe FF, Nachbar RT, Varin TV, Trottier J, Dudonne S, Le Barz M, Feutry P, Pilon G, Barbier O, Desjardins Y, Roy D, Marette A. Treatment with camu camu (Myrciaria dubia) prevents obesity by altering the gut microbiota and increasing energy expenditure in diet-induced obese mice. Gut. 2019 Mar;68(3):453-464. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2017-315565. Epub 2018 Jul 31.
• Background Brenchley JM, Price DA, Schacker TW, Asher TE, Silvestri G, Rao S, Kazzaz Z, Bornstein E, Lambotte O, Altmann D, Blazar BR, Rodriguez B, Teixeira-Johnson L, Landay A, Martin JN, Hecht FM, Picker LJ, Lederman MM, Deeks SG, Douek DC. Microbial translocation is a cause of systemic immune activation in chronic HIV infection. Nat Med. 2006 Dec;12(12):1365-71. doi: 10.1038/nm1511. Epub 2006 Nov 19.
• Background Mehraj V, Jenabian MA, Ponte R, Lebouche B, Costiniuk C, Thomas R, Baril JG, LeBlanc R, Cox J, Tremblay C, Routy JP; Montreal Primary HIV Infection, the Canadian Long-Term Non-Progressors Study Groups. The plasma levels of soluble ST2 as a marker of gut mucosal damage in early HIV infection. AIDS. 2016 Jun 19;30(10):1617-27. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000001105.
• Background Jenabian MA, El-Far M, Vyboh K, Kema I, Costiniuk CT, Thomas R, Baril JG, LeBlanc R, Kanagaratham C, Radzioch D, Allam O, Ahmad A, Lebouche B, Tremblay C, Ancuta P, Routy JP; Montreal Primary infection and Slow Progressor Study Groups. Immunosuppressive Tryptophan Catabolism and Gut Mucosal Dysfunction Following Early HIV Infection. J Infect Dis. 2015 Aug 1;212(3):355-66. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiv037. Epub 2015 Jan 23.
• Isnard S, Fombuena B, Ouyang J, Royston L, Lin J, Bu S, Sheehan N, Lakatos PL, Bessissow T, Chomont N, Klein M, Lebouche B, Costiniuk CT, Routy B, Marette A, Routy JP; Camu Camu Study Group. Camu Camu effects on microbial translocation and systemic immune activation in ART-treated people living with HIV: protocol of the single-arm non-randomised Camu Camu prebiotic pilot study (CIHR/CTN PT032). BMJ Open. 2022 Jan 17;12(1):e053081. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053081.

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