Borage and Echium Seed Oils for Asthma

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2015-05-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This study plans to look at whether borage and echium seed oils (natural oils from two plants) help decrease asthma symptoms and affect cells involved in inflammation. The investigators also want to look at how these plant oils decrease the generation of inflammatory cells in people with asthma.

• Phase: Phase 3
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Collaborator: Wake Forest University

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female 18 years to 65 years of age

2. Stable physician diagnosed asthma with FEV1 of greater than 50% of predicted but less than 90% of predicted or less than 90% of known best and an asthma control questionnaire(ACQ) < 1.5.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant or nursing

2. Smoking history of > 10 pack years or active smoking within the past year.

3. Due to possible effects on LT biosynthesis, use of the following asthma treatments within the preceding month will be exclusion criteria:

• LT modifying drugs (zileuton, montelukast, zafirlukast)

• theophylline

• oral steroids

• dietary supplements with fatty acids or other products that may interfere with LT generation.

4. Treatment within the previous three months with omalizumab (monoclonal antibody directed against IgE)

5. Subjects will not be permitted to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the week prior to any measurements of ex vivo LT generation because of their effects on LT biosynthesis via inhibition of prostaglandin generation.

6. A history of aspirin-sensitive asthma will be an exclusion criterion as the effects of GLA/SDA on prostanoid biosynthesis have not been adequately elucidated.

7. Significant abnormalities in CBC, differential white cell count, renal function, and liver function, or urinalysis.

8. No subjects will have any serious co-morbid medical condition.