Doxycycline to Protect Heart Muscle After Heart Attacks
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-12-31
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Current medical treatment allows more people to survive heart attacks than in the past.
However, some of the survivors suffer heart disease and require hospitalization later on. The
causes behind this heart disease (heart failure) after a heart attack are poorly understood.
Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) is a protein that cuts other proteins into pieces, and is
activated in heart muscle when there is a heart attack. MMP-2 causes heart injury when the
blood flow to the heart is restored after the attack. Blocking MMP-2 activity is a potential
therapy to prevent heart injury under these circumstances. The only MMP-2 inhibiting drug
currently approved for clinical use is doxycycline, specifically used to treat periodontitis
(gum inflammation) and rosacea (a skin condition). At higher doses doxycycline also acts as
an antibiotic for which it has been clinically used for decades.
A previous clinical study found that taking doxycycline twice a day, for one week after a
heart attack improved the health of the patients' hearts. The investigators have conducted a
similar study in patients that had surgery to replace blocked coronary arteries (blood
vessels that feed the heart muscle). These patients took a low dose of doxycycline once a day
for 2 days before surgery, on the day of the surgery, and three days after surgery. The
participants in this study showed no adverse effects of using doxycycline.
The goal of this study is to see if doxycycline protects the hearts of patients that suffered
a heart attack. All patients will receive standard clinical care for their condition, but in
addition will take a doxycycline capsule twice a day, or a placebo capsule for 7 days, as
soon as possible after being diagnosed with a heart attack. Three months later, the
investigators will evaluate the patients by looking at their heart structure using magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is a powerful tool that allows doctors to see inside the body
without surgery or X-ray radiation. The hearts of those patients that received doxycycline
are expected to be healthier than those who received placebo.
The investigators plan to promote the use of doxycycline to protect the hearts of patients
with heart attacks. If successful, doxycycline could help improve the quality of life of
heart attack survivors.