Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial to Investigate Effects of Vitamin K2 in COVID-19

Summary

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). While the majority of people recover after mild symptoms, a portion of COVID-19 patients develops respiratory failure. Coagulopathy and thromboembolism are prevalent in severe COVID-19, and these factors are associated with decreased survival. Coagulation is an intricate balance between clot promoting and dissolving processes in which vitamin K plays an essential role. Elastin is a major component of dynamic tissues such as lungs and arteries, and elastin calcification stimulates elastin degradation and vice versa. The vitamin K-dependent Matrix Gla Protein (MGP) protects elastin from both calcification and degradation.

Although technically feasible, direct quantification of blood vitamin K levels is not an appropriate method to assess overall vitamin K status due to differences in bioavailability and half-life time between the two naturally occurring vitamin K forms (vitamin K1 and K2). Measuring inactive levels of vitamin K-dependent proteins in the circulation is the method recommended by most experts, as it represents the systemic availability of both vitamin K1 and K2. Dp-uc (dephospho uncarboxylated, i.e. inactive) MGP and proteins induced by vitamin K absence (PIVKA-II) both inversely correlate with vitamin K status and can be used as surrogate markers of total vitamin K status.

Recently, we found a severely reduced vitamin K status (as quantified by dp-ucMGP) in COVID-19 patients compared to controls. In COVID-19 patients, low vitamin K status was also associated with poor outcome (defined as the need for invasive ventilation or death), accelerated elastin degradation (quantified by plasma (iso)desmosine (DES) a byproduct of elastin degradation). Based on these finding and previous studies, we hypothesize that improving vitamin K-status by vitamin K supplementation could have favorable effects on pulmonary damage and coagulopathy in COVID-19.

Conditions

• Covid19

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Vitamin K2 in the form of Menaquinone-7 (MK-7)

Patients will take three tablets of vitamin K2 menaquinone-7 (333mcg) per day. Patients taking vitamin K2 MK-7 will receive the total of 999mcg per day from day 1 until day 14 or discharge, whichever occurs earlier. All subjects can be treated with prophylactic or therapeutic heparin-based (heparin or any low-molecular weight heparin) anticoagulants, according to local hospital protocols. Provided by Kappa Bioscience.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Placebo

Patients will take three tablets of placebo containing only inactive ingredients per day, from day 1 until day 14 or until discharge, whichever occurs first. The placebo is provided by Kappa Bioscience.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kappa Bioscience AS

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• A. Dofferhoff, M.D. PhD · Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-02-22

Primary Completion

2022-03-01

Completion

2022-03-01

Countries

• Netherlands

Study Locations