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CompletedNCT05682456Updated Jan 12, 2023

High-fat Challenge Induced Trained Innate Immunity (SHAKE Study)

An interventional study of High-fat shake and Reference shake in Cardiovascular Diseases, sponsored by Radboud University Medical Center. Completed at 1 site in Netherlands. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 40 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-01-12.

Sponsored by Radboud University Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 3 years 7 months after the study started (first participant enrolled May 2019, registered Dec 2022).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
16
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 40 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this randomized controlled cross-over trial is to investigate whether a single high-fat challenge can induce trained innate immunity in healthy volunteers. The main question it aims to answer is: Can a single high-fat challenge induce a persistent pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic monocyte phenotype, as detected by an augmented cytokine production capacity? To study this, participants will receive an oral high-fat and reference shake in a cross-over design and blood will be drawn before and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 24, and 72 hours after the shakes.

Read the detailed description

Rationale: Atherosclerosis is characterized by a persistent inflammation of the arterial wall.

Monocyte-derived macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in atherosclerotic plaques. It has recently been shown that not only immune cells of the adaptive immune system, but innate immune cells as well are able to adopt a long-term pro-inflammatory phenotype upon stimulation. This nonspecific memory of innate immune cells is mediated by epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming and is termed "trained innate immunity." Previous findings from our lab have shown that not only bacterial components such as LPS, but also pro-atherogenic particles such as oxidized LDL can induce trained immunity in monocytes. Interestingly, this memory-effect of trained immunity indicates that even temporary triggers could induce the persistent inflammation in atherosclerosis.

Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRL) have been identified as an important independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Moreover, elevated plasma levels of these lipoproteins are associated with increased pro-inflammatory markers. TRLs, however, are characterized by alternating plasma levels, with brief elevations following (fat containing) meals. Notably, a high-fat meal not only contributes to the transient increase of TRL plasma levels, but also induces a brief elevation in LPS levels by briefly increasing the permeability of the gut.

We now aim to investigate whether a single high-fat meal can induce trained innate immunity, since this concept might explain how brief postprandial effects can translate into a long-term pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic monocyte phenotype.

Objective: The primary objective is to determine whether a high-fat meal can induce a persistent pro-inflammatory monocyte phenotype, characterized by an increased cytokine production capacity upon ex vivo stimulation. Secondary objectives are metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming of monocytes at these time points as well as the capacity of serum, isolated before and 1-6h after an oral fat load, to induce an increased cytokine production in healthy human monocytes.

Study design: Randomized cross-over high-fat challenge intervention study.

Study population: Healthy human volunteers, aged between 18 and 40 years.

Intervention: A single high-fat challenge (milkshake containing 95g of fat) and 'control' shake (comparable to an average breakfast).

Main study parameters/endpoints: Blood will be drawn at t=0h (before) and at t=1h, t=2h, t=4h, t=6h, t=24 and t=72h after an oral fat load and at the same time points after a 'control' shake. The primary endpoint is the monocyte TNFα production upon ex vivo stimulation with LPS at the 72h time point. Additional secondary endpoints are the production of other cytokines and chemokines upon ex vivo stimulation at t=0h, t=4h, t=24h and t=72h, the monocytes' inflammatory phenotype as assessed by flowcytometry analysis and serum induced persistent cytokine production capacity.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cardiovascular Diseases
03

In context

Cardiovascular Diseases

4,904 studies on the registry are indexed under Cardiovascular Diseases; 919 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 16 is below the median of 100 across 2,738 interventional studies indexed under Cardiovascular Diseases.

Browse Cardiovascular Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

Radboud University Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 959 studies on the registry; 134 are open to participants now.

Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 40 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • LDL cholesterol \< 3.5 mmol/l, fasting triglycerides \< 2 mmol/l
  • No previous cardiovascular events

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Smoking within the year before study entry
  • Diagnosed with any long-term medical condition that can interfere with the study (i.e.

gallbladder disease, renal failure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis etc.)

  • Medication (with the exception of oral contraceptives) or supplement use (i.e. omega3)
  • BMI \< 18 or > 27 kg/m2
  • Previous vaccination within 3 months prior to study entry
  • Current infection or clinically significant infections within 1 month before study entry (defined as fever > 38.5°C)
  • Allergic to cow milk/dairy products
  • Pregnancy/lactation
  • Abuse of drugs or alcohol
  • Vegetarian diet
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
16 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    High-fat shake

    Dietary Supplement: High-fat shake

  • Active comparator
    Reference shake

    Dietary Supplement: Reference shake

Interventions

  • Dietary supplementHigh-fat shake

    The high-fat shake consisted of 53% (w/v) fresh cream, 3% (w/v) sugar and 44% (w/v) water

  • Dietary supplementReference shake

    The reference shake consisted of 43% (w/v) full cream milk, 48% (w/v) full cream yoghurt, 4% (w/v) lemonade, 4% (w/v) fantomalt (Nutricia B.V., the Netherlands) and 1% (w/v) wheat fiber

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Monocyte TNFα production upon ex vivo stimulation with LPS

    Time frame: 72 hours

Secondary outcomes

  1. The monocyte production of TNFa, IL-6, IL-1beta, IL-10 upon ex vivo stimulation with LPS, Pam3Cys or Candida Albicans.

    Time frame: 0 hour, 4 hours, 24 hours and 72 hours

  2. The monocyte's inflammatory phenotype as assessed by flowcytometry analysis (i.e. membrane expression of markers including but not limited to CD14, CD16, CD11b, CCR2)

    Time frame: 0 hour, 4 hours, 24 hours and 72 hours

  3. Postprandial serum-induced TNFa and IL-6 production of healthy human monocytes upon stimulation with LPS or Pam3Cys 6 days later.

    Serum isolated before and after consumption of a high-fat meal is used in in vitro studies. In these studies isolated monocytes of healthy human donors are exposed to pooled fasting (t=0h) or fed serum (t=2h, 4h, or 6h) obtained from the study participants. The TNFa and IL-6 production of these cells is measured after stimulation with LPS and Pam3Cys 6 days later. Subsequently, it is studied whether a possible increase in TNFa or IL-6 production can be prevented by co-incubation with pharmacological inhibitors (e.g. TLR4 antagonists/inhibitors)

    Time frame: 0 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours , 6 hours

  4. Plasma triglyceride, glucose, free fatty acid and insulin concentrations

    The baseline (t=0h) and postprandial concentrations (at t=1h, 2h, 4h and 6h) of circulating triglycerides, glucose, free fatty acids and insulin are measured in the study participants after consumption of both the high-fat and control shake.

    Time frame: 0 hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours , 6 hours

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Radboudumc
    Nijmegen, Gelderland 6525 GA, Netherlands
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 12, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05682456
Lead sponsor
Radboud University Medical Center
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 12, 2023
Start date
May 6, 2019
Primary completion
Jan 9, 2020
Completion
Oct 15, 2021
Last update
Jan 12, 2023

Study contacts

Niels Riksen, MD, PhD
principal investigator · Vascular Internal Medicine, Radboudumc

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 Dec 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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