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PRIMAGE (Probiotics, Immunity and Ageing)

NCT01066377 · Status: UNKNOWN · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 120

Last updated 2011-07-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Ageing dramatically affects immune function; this phenomenon is known as immunosenescence and partly explains the increased susceptibility for infection in older individuals. Vaccination is recommended to protect older people against influenza, but immunosenescence also reduces the efficacy of vaccination. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, which can be consumed and which have a long and safe record of use in humans. Often they are taken together with prebiotics, which are carbohydrates that provide a food source for the beneficial bacteria when they reach the lower gut. There is particular interest in the positive influences of pre- and probiotics in older people, who are subject to alteration in gut microflora composition as well as immunosenescence.

The PRIMAGE (Probiotics, immunity and ageing) study will examine the effect of a prebiotic and probiotic mix on the immune response to influenza vaccination in young and older subjects, and is funded by BBSRC DRINC. It will involve 60 young (18-35y) and 60 older (65-85y) subjects recruited from the local Reading community. Participants will take a pre- and probiotic mixture or a placebo for a total of 8 weeks. The probiotic is not currently commercially produced, but has been demonstrated to have particular ecological fitness and anti-pathogenic effects in the gastrointestinal tract in old age. A suitable prebiotic will be selected on the basis of ability to promote optimal growth and survival of this probiotic. After 4 weeks on the treatment, the subjects will receive an influenza vaccination. Blood, saliva and stool samples will be taken before treatment, and at 4, 6 and 8 weeks after commencement. The samples taken at 6 and 8 weeks will be used to assess the immune response to the vaccination. A wide range of immune parameters will be assessed, taking into account the age-related shifts in immune cell populations.

Conditions

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Prebiotic and probiotic mix

The probiotic strain will be Bifidobacterium longum bv. infantis CCUG 52486 (10\^8 - 10\^9 live bacteria per day), which was originally isolated from healthy elderly subjects, and which has been demonstrated to have particular ecological fitness and anti-pathogenic effects in vitro. A suitable prebiotic (8g/day) will be selected on the basis of ability to promote optimal growth and survival of this probiotic (inulin, fructooligosaccharides \[FOS\], galactooligosaccharides\[GOS\] and xylooligosaccharides\[XOS\] will be tested).

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Reading

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Parveen Yaqoob · University of Reading

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
85 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2010-04-30
Primary Completion
2011-07-31
Completion
2013-01-31

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT01066377 on ClinicalTrials.gov