NCT06523530·Phase 4·INTERVENTIONAL

Effect of a GnRH Analog on Hepatic Steatosis

Goserelin Other Active, not recruiting

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phase

Phase 4

Enrollment

Locations

Results

Not posted

Publications

Study summary

What the protocol is testing.

Menopause increases the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), possibly owing to the abrupt lack of estrogen. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) treatment in endometriosis is regarded as a model of pharmaceutical menopause. Thus, the effect of goserelin acetate, a GnRH analog that results in transient menopause, on hepatic steatosis and fibrosis will be evaluated in this study.

Full detailed description

The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which until recently was known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), has risen to 30% of the global adult general population, whereas the pharmaceutical interventions against it remain limited. Owing to the epidemiologic and pathophysiologic association of MASLD with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension, the diagnostic criteria for MASLD are similar to those of the metabolic syndrome. Menopause has been associated with higher MASLD prevalence, with the lack of estrogen being a very plausible pathogenetic contributor to this liver disease. Other pathogenetic contributors of MASLD, including abdominal obesity, increase in insulin resistance (IR) and dysmetabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, are aggravated after menopause, thus adversely contributing to the pathogenesis of MASLD. Regarding the effect of the lack of estrogen on the liver, most to date data are derived from experimental studies, largely showing a favoring effect on MASLD. Epidemiological studies have also shown menopause as an associate of MASLD. However, existing clinical studies are mostly observational, thereby not being able to show a causative association between menopause and MASLD. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) treatment in disorders such as endometriosis can be regarded as a model of pharmaceutical menopause. More specifically, GnRH analogs, like goserelin acetate, lead to pharmaceutical menopause by suppressing the axis hypothalamus-pituitary-ovaries, thus, causing an iatrogenic, reversible ovarian cessation, which lasts as long as the use of GnRH. The adverse effects of GnRH are generally mild and reversible after their discontinuation. This is a prospective, interventional non-randomized study, which aims to evaluate the effect of goserelin acetate on hepatic steatosis in women with histologically confirmed endometriosis compared with women with endometriosis that will not receive pharmacological treatment post-surgically.

Interventions

Treatment arms and agents.

DRUG

Goserelin Acetate 3.6 mg inj, implant

3.6 mg (1ml) administered subcutaneously once every month for 6 months (totally 6 injections)

Timeline

From registration to results.

First posted
Jul 26, 2024
Study start
Nov 26, 2024
Primary completion
Apr 2027
Study completion
Oct 2027
Results posted
Not reported
Registry updated
Jul 23, 2026

Outcomes

What the study measures.

Primary outcomes

Hepatic steatosis

Time frame · 6 months

Ultrasound-Guided Attenuation Parameter (UGAP) measured on an ultrasound machine GE Logiq E10s. Between-within group interactions in UGAP UGAP is a non-invasive index based on the attenuation quantification of the ultrasound beam through the hepatic parenchyma, thus used for hepatic steatosis quantification. Cut-off values of ≥ 0.53 dB/cm/MHz, ≥ 0.60 dB/cm/MHz, and ≥ 0.65 dB/cm/MHz have been proposed for the diagnosis of steatosis grade S1, S2, and S3, respectively

Hepatic fibrosis

Time frame · 6 months

Liver stiffness (LS) measured with 2D Shear Wave Elastography (2D SWE) on an ultrasound machine GE Logiq E10s. Between-within group interactions in LS 2D SWE is a non-invasive tool measuring the hepatic parenchyma stiffness, thus indirectly suggesting fibrosis stage (F). Cut-offs values of \<8.27 kPa, 8.27-9.39 kPa, 9.40-11.88 kPa and ≥11.88 kPa have been proposed for F0-F1, F2, F3, and F4, respectively.

Secondary outcomes

Liver function tests I - ALT and AST

Time frame · 6 months

Between-within group interactions will be performed for each of the following parameters: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT; IU/l), aspartate aminotransferase (AST; IU/l); ALT to AST ratio will be calculated

Liver function tests II - γGT

Time frame · 6 months

Between-within group interactions will be performed for: γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT; IU/l)

Insulin resistance

Time frame · 6 months

Between-within group interactions will be performed for Homeostasis Model Assessment - Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), which is calculated by the formula: fasting glucose (mg/dl) × insulin (mU/l)/405, and is an index of insulin resistance; higher score indicates greater insulin resistance.

Lipid profile

Time frame · 6 months

Between-within group interactions will be performed for each of the following parameters: Total cholesterol (TC; mg/dL) Triglycerides (TG; mg/dL) High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; mg/dL) 4. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) LDL-C (mg/dL) is calculated by the formula: TC (mg/dl) - HDL-C (mg/dl) - TG (mg/dl)/5.

Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index I - Fatty Liver Index (FLI)

Time frame · 6 months

FLI is calculated by the formula \[(e0.953 × Loge (TG, mg/dL) + 0.139×BMI (kg/m2) + 0.718× Loge (GGT, U/L) + 0.053 × waist circumference (cm) -15.745) / (1 + e0.953 × Loge (TG, mg/dL) + 0.139×BMI (kg/m2) + 0.718×Loge (GGT, U/L) + 0.053 × waist circumference (cm) -15.745)\] × 100. Between-within group interactions will be performed.

Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index II - Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI)

Time frame · 6 months

HSI is calculated by the formula: 8 \* ALT (U/L) / AST (U/L) + BMI (kg/m2) + 2 \[if type 2 diabetes melitus (T2DM)\] + 2 (if female). Between-within group interactions will be performed.

Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index III - Triglyceride/Glucose Index (TyG)

Time frame · 6 months

TyG is calculated by the formula: Ln\[TG (mg/dL) \* Glu (mg/dL) / 2\]. Between-within group interactions will be performed.

Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index IV - Tyg-BMI

Time frame · 6 months

Tyg-BMI is calculated by the formula: TyG \* BMI (kg/m2). Between-within group interactions will be performed.

Non-invasive hepatic steatosis indices V - NAFLD test

Time frame · 6 months

NAFLD test is calculated by the formula: -0.695 + 0.031 \* BMI (kg/m2) + 0.003 \* TC (mg/dL) + 0.014 \* ALT (U/L) + 0.025 \* C-reactive protein (CRP) (mg/dL). Between-within group interactions will be performed.

Non-invasive hepatic steatosis index VI - Metabolic Score for Insulin Resistance (MetS-IR)

Time frame · 6 months

MetS-IR is calculated by the formula: Ln\[2 \* Glu (mg/dL) + TG (mg/dL)\] \* BMI (kg/m2) / Ln\[HDL-C (mg/dL)\]. Between-within group interactions will be performed.

Eligibility

Who can take part.

Minimum age: 18 Years
Maximum age: 45 Years
Sex: FEMALE
Healthy volunteers: No

Inclusion Criteria: * women of reproductive age * diagnosis of endometriosis. The disease is suspected by patient's individual history (chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia or/and dysmenorrhea) and the ultrasonographic imaging (chocolate cysts). The diagnosis is confirmed histologically, after laparoscopic surgical treatment and biopsy sampling, which will be interpreted by an independent blinded pathologist. * use of contraceptives, which is the first line treatment, is contraindicated or the patient does not consent to receive contraceptives, due to personal preferences. * written informed consent to participate to the study Exclusion Criteria: * mean ethanol consumption \>10 g/day * history of other chronic liver disease (e.g., viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis and overlap syndromes, drug-induced liver injury, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease, α1-antitrypsin deficiency) * liver cirrhosis * any malignancy * chronic kidney disease * uncontrolled hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism * severe sexual hormone disorders (congenital adrenaline hyperplasia, Down syndrome, Turner syndrome). * use of the following medications within a 12-month period before baseline, which are associated with drug-induced liver injury (DILI): interferon, tamoxifen, amiodarone, aloperidin, glucocorticoids, hormone replacement therapy, contraceptives, anabolic steroids, any medication against tuberculosis, epilepsy or viruses, methotrexate, parenteral nutrition * use of the following medications within a 12-month period before baseline, which are probably associated with improvement in hepatic steatosis: vitamin E, pioglitazone, insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), sodium- glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), orlistat, ursodeoxycholic acid * use of any GnRH agonist or antagonist within a 12-month period before baseline

Study locations

2 registered sites.

Greece. Showing up to 24 locations stored in the fast local snapshot.

424 General Military Hospital

Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki, Greece

Publications

Results and literature.

Research pages describe evidence. Vendor pages, where available, describe independently tracked research-product listings and are not clinical recommendations.

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