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CompletedNCT02997462Updated May 8, 2024

Monocyte Phenotypic Changes in Heart Failure

An observational study in Heart Failure and Decompensated Heart Failure, sponsored by University of Michigan. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-05-08.

Sponsored by University of Michigan · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
60
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

There are many treatments that can improve how long and how well people live with heart failure when they are outside the hospital. However, the investigators know less about how to effectively treat hospitalized heart failure patients so that they do not have to return to the hospital after they go home. Part of the problem is that the investigators don't understand all of the causes of worsening heart failure.

Previous studies by other researchers suggest that white blood cells called monocytes are over-active in heart failure. Under normal conditions monocytes help fight infections in the body, but over-active monocytes release chemicals that could cause abnormal function of the heart and blood vessels. The investigators' research group believes that over-active monocytes may be an important reason that heart failure worsens before hospitalization.

In this study the investigators will collect blood samples on the day a patient comes into the hospital, the day they return home, and the day they come back to the clinic for a follow-up appointment. The investigators will measure the inflammation in the bloodstream and the activity of monocytes from the patients' blood to see if there are changes in these measurements as heart failure improves. The investigators will also call each patient several times after they return home to ask questions about how they are doing.

Read the detailed description

With over 5 million Americans having heart failure (HF) today and an incidence approaching 10 per 1000 population among persons over the age of 65, HF is a major source or morbidity and mortality and a significant public health concern facing developed nations. In the US, decompensated heart failure is the most common reason for hospital admission among persons older than 65. Yet despite significant advances in the treatment of chronic heart failure, currently there are very few evidence-based strategies to treat acutely decompensated heart failure. The incidence of heart failure will likely continue to rise with the increasing prevalence of HF risk factors (advanced age, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases). Accordingly, substantial efforts are underway to identify and treat populations at risk and to understand the molecular drivers of this heterogeneous disease.

The investigators understanding of the pathophysiology of heart failure has evolved from a 'cardiocentric' view focused on mechanical dysfunction to a more global view. Heart failure is now understood as a complex blend of structural, functional, and neurohormonal abnormalities manifested both locally and systemically. More recently, several groups have demonstrated abnormalities in the inflammatory cascade associated with both the initiation and the progression of heart failure. The innate immune system appears to modulate the inflammatory component of HF through several mechanisms including the production of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α,TNFα; interleukin-6, IL6), reactive oxygen species, activation of the complement system, as well as through functional modification of endothelial cells and myeloid cell trafficking.

Monocytes and macrophages are two of the key myeloid mediators of acute and chronic inflammatory responses. Myeloid dysregulation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse diseases including diabetes, tumor metastasis, pulmonary fibrosis, myocardial infarction, and atherosclerosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that myeloid subsets have distinct functional properties reflecting their polarization patterns and their interaction with the local microenvironment. As a framework to study their role in models of clinical diseases, myeloid populations have been broadly categorized as "inflammatory" and "anti-inflammatory" based on specific surface markers, cytokine potential, and other functional properties.

Although the role of myeloid populations in inflammatory disease is now appreciated, the molecular mechanisms linking these cells to clinical heart failure syndromes remain largely unknown. The investigators hypothesize that distinct myeloid subsets drive different phases of acute and chronic heart failure syndromes, and that identification of these subsets and their functional properties will provide further insight into the pathophysiology of clinical heart failure.

In order to initially characterize the roles that monocytes play across the spectrum of heart failure, the investigators will obtain whole-blood samples from acutely decompensated patients on the date of hospitalization, the date of transfer from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the general-care telemetry floor (if relevant), the date of hospital discharge, and at their first outpatient follow-up visit. Subjects will be recruited from the University of Michigan inpatient heart failure service, which admits approximately 75 patients for decompensated heart failure each month. Once the samples are obtained, the investigators will perform flow cytometry to characterize monocyte subsets and their flux in response to treatment. The investigators will also look at the production of reactive oxygen species by monocytes and will examine how cytokines and chemokines skew monocyte population subsets and their gene expression profiles. The investigators will also investigate the energetic state and flux (aerobic vs. anaerobic metabolic status) of the monocytes.

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Conditions studied

  • Heart Failure
  • Decompensated Heart Failure

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Keywords

  • Monocyte
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Endothelial Function
  • Congestive Heart Failure
03

In context

Heart Failure

5,701 studies on the registry are indexed under Heart Failure; 1,220 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 60 is below the median of 200 across 1,679 observational studies indexed under Heart Failure.

Browse Heart Failure studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Michigan is the lead sponsor of 1,475 studies on the registry; 196 are open to participants now.

Of its 162 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 128 (79%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Heart failure inpatients and age-matched controls

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: Heart Failure Patients:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Patients must be diagnosed with heart failure
  • Patients must be hospitalized at the University of Michigan Hospital for treatment of heart failure symptoms.

Exclusion Criteria: Heart Failure Patients:

  • Heart attack or other active problem with coronary artery disease
  • Severe kidney failure or need for dialysis
  • An active infection or inflammatory condition
  • A need for treatment that affects the immune system (e.g. systemic steroids, immunomodulatory therapies)
  • A planned surgery during this hospital admission, including heart transplant or other heart surgery

Inclusion Criteria: Healthy Control Patients:

  • Must be greater than or equal to 65 years of age

Exclusion Criteria: Healthy Control Patients:

  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Active cancer
  • Heart disease
  • Lung disease
  • Liver disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Active smoker
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Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
60 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Heart Failure

    Heart Failure patients admitted to the ICU or Heart Failure Service. No changes in service-directed plan of care for patients.

  • Healthy Control

    Healthy, age-matched controls.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in IL-6 between hospital admission and discharge

    Cytokine

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Lys6c Hi and Lo, Mannose Receptor

    Cell Surface Markers

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

  2. IL-10, IL-13

    Cytokine

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

  3. Gene Expression (iNOS, CCL2, Ym1, Fizz, VEGF, MMP2/9)

    Monocyte gene expression

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

  4. microRNA

    miR155, let7, mir-33a

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

  5. Monocyte/macrophage morphology

    Macrophages/monocytes will be classified based on their morphology

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

  6. Serum F-2 Isoprostanes

    Oxidative stress marker

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

  7. TNF-alpha

    Marker of inflammation

    Time frame: All scheduled blood draws - hospital admission, discharge (3-14 days after admission), and first post-discharge appointment (5-10 days following discharge)

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Study locations

1 site
  • University of Michigan Health System
    Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Seidler S, Zimmermann HW, Bartneck M, Trautwein C, Tacke F. Age-dependent alterations of monocyte subsets and monocyte-related chemokine pathways in healthy adults. BMC Immunol. 2010 Jun 21;11:30. doi: 10.1186/1471-2172-11-30. PubMed 20565954 ↗
  • Polidori MC, Pratico D, Savino K, Rokach J, Stahl W, Mecocci P. Increased F2 isoprostane plasma levels in patients with congestive heart failure are correlated with antioxidant status and disease severity. J Card Fail. 2004 Aug;10(4):334-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2003.11.004. PubMed 15309701 ↗
  • Colombo PC, Banchs JE, Celaj S, Talreja A, Lachmann J, Malla S, DuBois NB, Ashton AW, Latif F, Jorde UP, Ware JA, LeJemtel TH. Endothelial cell activation in patients with decompensated heart failure. Circulation. 2005 Jan 4;111(1):58-62. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000151611.89232.3B. Epub 2004 Dec 20. PubMed 15611373 ↗
  • Levine B, Kalman J, Mayer L, Fillit HM, Packer M. Elevated circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor in severe chronic heart failure. N Engl J Med. 1990 Jul 26;323(4):236-41. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199007263230405. PubMed 2195340 ↗
  • Deswal A, Petersen NJ, Feldman AM, Young JB, White BG, Mann DL. Cytokines and cytokine receptors in advanced heart failure: an analysis of the cytokine database from the Vesnarinone trial (VEST). Circulation. 2001 Apr 24;103(16):2055-9. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.103.16.2055. PubMed 11319194 ↗
  • Mann DL, McMurray JJ, Packer M, Swedberg K, Borer JS, Colucci WS, Djian J, Drexler H, Feldman A, Kober L, Krum H, Liu P, Nieminen M, Tavazzi L, van Veldhuisen DJ, Waldenstrom A, Warren M, Westheim A, Zannad F, Fleming T. Targeted anticytokine therapy in patients with chronic heart failure: results of the Randomized Etanercept Worldwide Evaluation (RENEWAL). Circulation. 2004 Apr 6;109(13):1594-602. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000124490.27666.B2. Epub 2004 Mar 15. PubMed 15023878 ↗
  • Aukrust P, Ueland T, Lien E, Bendtzen K, Muller F, Andreassen AK, Nordoy I, Aass H, Espevik T, Simonsen S, Froland SS, Gullestad L. Cytokine network in congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Am J Cardiol. 1999 Feb 1;83(3):376-82. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9149(98)00872-8. PubMed 10072227 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 8, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02997462
Lead sponsor
University of Michigan
Responsible party
Scott L. Hummel (Associate Professor, University of Michigan) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 20, 2016
Start date
Nov 2011
Primary completion
Jun 23, 2022
Completion
Jun 23, 2022
Last update
May 8, 2024

Study contacts

Scott Hummel, MD MS
principal investigator · University of Michigan
Adam Stein, MD
principal investigator · University of Michigan
Sascha Goonewardena, MD
principal investigator · University of Michigan

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in May 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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