Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) With N-acetylcysteine

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Trial end date: 2026-09-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease which often has debilitating and potentially life-threatening consequences. The cause of SLE is unknown and current therapies lack specificity and carry significant side-effects. We previously discovered the depletion of glutathione in lymphocytes of patients with SLE and associated this metabolic change with the elevation of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential.

This study will titrate to tolerance during an initial 3 month open label period and then subjects will be randomized to one of 2 arms.

It was determined by statistical analysis that each group must have 105 subjects. All subjects will be enrolled and evaluated for tolerance of NAC between dosages of 2.4 g/day and 4.8 g/day for 3 months. After A 3-month open-label dose-titration phase, SLE subjects will be randomized into 2 groups of 105 subjects either to continue the tolerated dosage of NAC or switched to equal number of placebo capsules. There will be up to seven study visits per SLE subject, including the screening and wash out visits. Visits 2-6 will be scheduled three months apart. The study will last 13 months with the wash-out visit. Each subject will donate approximately 100 ml of blood for biomarker studies at each visit. Healthy control subjects will donate blood at the same time. They will be matched to the SLE subjects by gender, age within 10 years, and ethnicity. Their blood will be used as reference for biomarker assays.

There is a consent form required to participate in the phase II study.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: State University of New York - Upstate Medical University
• Treatments: Acetylcysteine; N-monoacetylcystine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Age > 18 years old.

SLE with ≥ 4 of eleven diagnostic criteria approved by the American College of Rheumatology

Stable immunosuppressants (MMF ≤ 3 g/day, azathioprine ≤ 100 mg/day; methotrexate ≤ 15 mg/day) and/or antimalarials (hydroxychloroquine ≤ 400 mg/day) for 30 days prior to screening; stable oral corticosteroids for 2 weeks prior to screening; ≤ 20 mg/day prednisone or equivalent; stable belimumab for 90 days prior to screening;

BILAG 2004 index level A disease activity in ≥ 1 organ/system except renal or central nervous system or (ii) BILAG 2004 index level B disease activity in ≥ 2 organs/systems if no level A disease activity is present and (iii) SLEDAI ≥ 6;

Exclusion Criteria:

Acute flare of SLE threatening vital organs and requiring intravenous

Pregnant or lactating

Moderately serious or serious comorbidities (e.g., diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic renal insufficiency)

Patients receiving cyclophosphamide within 3 months

Active chronic infections (e.g., HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, mycobacteria); patient with oral steroid-dependent asthma;

Infections requiring intravenous antibiotics within a month or oral antibiotics within two weeks of screening; Patients taking (unwilling or unable to stop) NAC or other antioxidants within 1 month of screening

Patients who participated in the pilot RCT or are taking daily acetaminophen (PRN is allowed if documented)

Patients receiving rituximab within 12 months or other biologic therapy within five half-lives

Patients receiving mTOR inhibitors (rapamycin/sirolimus, everolimus)

Patients enrolled in other interventional trials

Healthy subjects serve as controls for in vitro immunological studies