TUDCA as a Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis (UC)

Summary

This is a Phase I open label study examining the efficacy and safety of TUDCA (tauroursodeoxycholic acid) in ulcerative colitis treatment.

Timeline

Start

2019-01-17

Primary completion

2022-06-07

Completion

2022-06-07

Outcome

Met primary endpoint

paper Mucosal biopsies revealed significant reductions in ER stress and inflammation as well as an increase in markers of epithelial restitution. PMID 40236400 ↗

Publications

• Background Kaser A, Lee AH, Franke A, Glickman JN, Zeissig S, Tilg H, Nieuwenhuis EE, Higgins DE, Schreiber S, Glimcher LH, Blumberg RS. XBP1 links ER stress to intestinal inflammation and confers genetic risk for human inflammatory bowel disease. Cell. 2008 Sep 5;134(5):743-56. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2008.07.021.
• Background Adolph TE, Tomczak MF, Niederreiter L, Ko HJ, Bock J, Martinez-Naves E, Glickman JN, Tschurtschenthaler M, Hartwig J, Hosomi S, Flak MB, Cusick JL, Kohno K, Iwawaki T, Billmann-Born S, Raine T, Bharti R, Lucius R, Kweon MN, Marciniak SJ, Choi A, Hagen SJ, Schreiber S, Rosenstiel P, Kaser A, Blumberg RS. Paneth cells as a site of origin for intestinal inflammation. Nature. 2013 Nov 14;503(7475):272-6. doi: 10.1038/nature12599. Epub 2013 Oct 2.
• Background Cao SS, Song B, Kaufman RJ. PKR protects colonic epithelium against colitis through the unfolded protein response and prosurvival signaling. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2012 Sep;18(9):1735-42. doi: 10.1002/ibd.22878. Epub 2012 Jan 24.
• Background Cao SS, Zimmermann EM, Chuang BM, Song B, Nwokoye A, Wilkinson JE, Eaton KA, Kaufman RJ. The unfolded protein response and chemical chaperones reduce protein misfolding and colitis in mice. Gastroenterology. 2013 May;144(5):989-1000.e6. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2013.01.023. Epub 2013 Jan 18.
• Background Cao SS, Wang M, Harrington JC, Chuang BM, Eckmann L, Kaufman RJ. Phosphorylation of eIF2alpha is dispensable for differentiation but required at a posttranscriptional level for paneth cell function and intestinal homeostasis in mice. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2014 Apr;20(4):712-22. doi: 10.1097/MIB.0000000000000010.
• Background Wang S, Kaufman RJ. The impact of the unfolded protein response on human disease. J Cell Biol. 2012 Jun 25;197(7):857-67. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201110131.
• Background Shkoda A, Ruiz PA, Daniel H, Kim SC, Rogler G, Sartor RB, Haller D. Interleukin-10 blocked endoplasmic reticulum stress in intestinal epithelial cells: impact on chronic inflammation. Gastroenterology. 2007 Jan;132(1):190-207. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2006.10.030. Epub 2006 Oct 21.
• Background Hu S, Ciancio MJ, Lahav M, Fujiya M, Lichtenstein L, Anant S, Musch MW, Chang EB. Translational inhibition of colonic epithelial heat shock proteins by IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in intestinal inflammation. Gastroenterology. 2007 Dec;133(6):1893-904. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2007.09.026. Epub 2007 Sep 25.
• Background Heazlewood CK, Cook MC, Eri R, Price GR, Tauro SB, Taupin D, Thornton DJ, Png CW, Crockford TL, Cornall RJ, Adams R, Kato M, Nelms KA, Hong NA, Florin TH, Goodnow CC, McGuckin MA. Aberrant mucin assembly in mice causes endoplasmic reticulum stress and spontaneous inflammation resembling ulcerative colitis. PLoS Med. 2008 Mar 4;5(3):e54. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0050054.
• Background McGovern DP, Gardet A, Torkvist L, Goyette P, Essers J, Taylor KD, Neale BM, Ong RT, Lagace C, Li C, Green T, Stevens CR, Beauchamp C, Fleshner PR, Carlson M, D'Amato M, Halfvarson J, Hibberd ML, Lordal M, Padyukov L, Andriulli A, Colombo E, Latiano A, Palmieri O, Bernard EJ, Deslandres C, Hommes DW, de Jong DJ, Stokkers PC, Weersma RK; NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium; Sharma Y, Silverberg MS, Cho JH, Wu J, Roeder K, Brant SR, Schumm LP, Duerr RH, Dubinsky MC, Glazer NL, Haritunians T, Ippoliti A, Melmed GY, Siscovick DS, Vasiliauskas EA, Targan SR, Annese V, Wijmenga C, Pettersson S, Rotter JI, Xavier RJ, Daly MJ, Rioux JD, Seielstad M. Genome-wide association identifies multiple ulcerative colitis susceptibility loci. Nat Genet. 2010 Apr;42(4):332-7. doi: 10.1038/ng.549. Epub 2010 Mar 14.
• Lamm V, Huang K, Deng R, Cao S, Wang M, Soleymanjahi S, Promlek T, Rodgers R, Davis D, Nix D, Escudero GO, Xie Y, Chen CH, Gremida A, Rood RP, Liu TC, Baldridge MT, Deepak P, Davidson NO, Kaufman RJ, Ciorba MA. Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid (TUDCA) Reduces ER Stress and Lessens Disease Activity in Ulcerative Colitis. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Apr 4:2025.04.02.25322684. doi: 10.1101/2025.04.02.25322684.

Drugs

Indications