Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial

Introduction Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients have the highest propensity for post-liver transplantation (LT) infections and mortality. Liver-associated diseases have been one of the primary targets for synbiotic therapy to augment immunity and mitigate infections. However, despite mul...

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Main Authors: Nafiya Muhammed Zackariah, Sudhindran Surendran, Lalitha Biswas, Saraswathy Sivaprasadan Nair, Anila Kutty Narayanan, Krishnanunni Nair, Shweta Mallick, Raaj Praseedom, Bipin Kumar G Nair
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-03-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/3/e092984.full
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author Nafiya Muhammed Zackariah
Sudhindran Surendran
Lalitha Biswas
Saraswathy Sivaprasadan Nair
Anila Kutty Narayanan
Krishnanunni Nair
Shweta Mallick
Raaj Praseedom
Bipin Kumar G Nair
author_facet Nafiya Muhammed Zackariah
Sudhindran Surendran
Lalitha Biswas
Saraswathy Sivaprasadan Nair
Anila Kutty Narayanan
Krishnanunni Nair
Shweta Mallick
Raaj Praseedom
Bipin Kumar G Nair
author_sort Nafiya Muhammed Zackariah
collection DOAJ
description Introduction Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients have the highest propensity for post-liver transplantation (LT) infections and mortality. Liver-associated diseases have been one of the primary targets for synbiotic therapy to augment immunity and mitigate infections. However, despite multiple studies showing benefits of synbiotics in liver diseases, data on their use following LT are sparse.Methods and analysis This randomised placebo-controlled study aims to assess the impact of synbiotics in ACLF patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Following randomisation by computer-generated block number sequence, 3 days prior to LDLT, the intervention arm will receive standard medical treatment and synbiotics (VSL#3 a probiotic, and Yogut, prebiotic and probiotic combination) for 6 weeks, while the control arm will receive standard medical treatment with a placebo. The patients will be followed up for 6 months to study the clinical and biochemical outcomes. The primary objective is to compare the difference in the occurrence of infectious complications between the patients who receive synbiotics versus placebo during the 6-month period following LDLT. The secondary objectives include assessing the qualitative and quantitative change in microbiota with synbiotics and LDLT, adverse reactions due to synbiotics, and post-LT morbidity and mortality. The minimum sample size comes to 71 in each group. The first 50 patients in the study protocol will undergo gut microbiome analysis using 16s metagenomic and nanopore sequencing to analyse the microbial composition before starting synbiotics/placebo and at 6 weeks after LDLT.Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, India (IEC-AIMS-2022-GISUR-203) and registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) CTRI/2022/10/046327. The results of the trial will be disseminated by presentation at national/international conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration number CTRI/2022/10/046327 – Clinical Trial Registry of India
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spelling doaj-art-92beb507b03d4acfbbf6e3345ac649912025-08-20T02:42:52ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-03-0115310.1136/bmjopen-2024-092984Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trialNafiya Muhammed Zackariah0Sudhindran Surendran1Lalitha Biswas2Saraswathy Sivaprasadan Nair3Anila Kutty Narayanan4Krishnanunni Nair5Shweta Mallick6Raaj Praseedom7Bipin Kumar G Nair8Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Cochin, Kerala, India29 Department of Solid organ transplantation, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala, IndiaAmrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, IndiaDepartment of GI Surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala, IndiaDepartment of GI Surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala, IndiaAmrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center, Kochi, Kerala, IndiaDepartment of GI Surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, Kerala, IndiaDepartment of Surgery, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, England, UKAmrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, Kollam, Kerala, IndiaIntroduction Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients have the highest propensity for post-liver transplantation (LT) infections and mortality. Liver-associated diseases have been one of the primary targets for synbiotic therapy to augment immunity and mitigate infections. However, despite multiple studies showing benefits of synbiotics in liver diseases, data on their use following LT are sparse.Methods and analysis This randomised placebo-controlled study aims to assess the impact of synbiotics in ACLF patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Following randomisation by computer-generated block number sequence, 3 days prior to LDLT, the intervention arm will receive standard medical treatment and synbiotics (VSL#3 a probiotic, and Yogut, prebiotic and probiotic combination) for 6 weeks, while the control arm will receive standard medical treatment with a placebo. The patients will be followed up for 6 months to study the clinical and biochemical outcomes. The primary objective is to compare the difference in the occurrence of infectious complications between the patients who receive synbiotics versus placebo during the 6-month period following LDLT. The secondary objectives include assessing the qualitative and quantitative change in microbiota with synbiotics and LDLT, adverse reactions due to synbiotics, and post-LT morbidity and mortality. The minimum sample size comes to 71 in each group. The first 50 patients in the study protocol will undergo gut microbiome analysis using 16s metagenomic and nanopore sequencing to analyse the microbial composition before starting synbiotics/placebo and at 6 weeks after LDLT.Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, India (IEC-AIMS-2022-GISUR-203) and registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) CTRI/2022/10/046327. The results of the trial will be disseminated by presentation at national/international conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration number CTRI/2022/10/046327 – Clinical Trial Registry of Indiahttps://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/3/e092984.full
spellingShingle Nafiya Muhammed Zackariah
Sudhindran Surendran
Lalitha Biswas
Saraswathy Sivaprasadan Nair
Anila Kutty Narayanan
Krishnanunni Nair
Shweta Mallick
Raaj Praseedom
Bipin Kumar G Nair
Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial
BMJ Open
title Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial
title_full Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial
title_fullStr Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial
title_full_unstemmed Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial
title_short Microbiota-directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients: protocol for a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial
title_sort microbiota directed intervention in living donor liver transplant recipients protocol for a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/3/e092984.full
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