This study is being done to see whether Avmacol®, a dietary supplement made from broccoli sprout and seed extract powder, induces changes in inner cheek cells that may be protective against environmental toxins such as tobacco. There are three main goals of the study: 1. To learn whether the dietary supplement, Avmacol®, can stimulate cheek cells to repair damage from environmental toxins; 2. to learn how the body metabolizes Avmacol®, by measuring its byproducts in the participant's urine and blood; 3. to learn whether the immune system can be stimulated by Avmacol®, by studying the natural killer cells and T cells in the participant's blood.
This study hypothesizes that nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) pathway activation in oral epithelium can be induced by administering Avmacol® to patients curatively treated for a first tobacco-related HNSCC. The aim of this Phase 0 clinical study is to determine the oral bioavailability of sulforaphane in the commercially available dietary supplement, Avmacol®, and to determine the level of pharmacodynamic upregulation of NRF2 target gene transcripts that occurs in the oral epithelium of patients who have completed curative treatment for tobacco-related HNSCC, including high grade dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, or invasive carcinoma.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
6
Avmacol® tablets
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Determine whether Avmacol® results in acute and/or sustained induction of NRF2 target gene transcripts in the oral mucosa of patients who have been curatively treated for a tobacco-related HNSCC.
Quantitative changes in NRF2 target gene transcripts (i.e. NAD(P)H Quinone Dehydrogenase 1 \[NQO1\] and GCLC) in buccal cytobrush by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) according to a linear mixed model framework.
Time frame: 4 months
Determine whether NRF2 target protein expression is upregulated by Avmacol® in the oral mucosa.
Change in NRF2 target proteins in buccal punch biopsies by immunoblotting.
Time frame: 4 months
Evaluate for a dose-response relationship between Avmacol® dose and quantitative change in candidate NRF2 pathway biomarkers in oral mucosa.
Acute change in NRF2 target gene transcripts, as compared to baseline, between the two doses of Avmacol®.
Time frame: 4 months
Evaluate oral mucosa for quantitative modulation of NRF2-independent biomarkers of sulforaphane (SF) chemopreventive efficacy, as defined in parallel preclinical models.
Change in NRF2-independent proteins by immunoblotting, eg. STAT3, phospho-STAT3 (pSTAT3).
Time frame: 4 months
Evaluate biomarkers of Avmacol® activity in PBMCs gene expression
Alterations in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) gene expression patterns
Time frame: 4 months
Evaluate biomarkers of Avmacol® activity in PBMCs flow cytometry
Alterations in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) immune cell sub-populations
Time frame: 4 months
Evaluate biomarkers of Avmacol® activity in PBMCs functional assays of T cells and NK cells
Alterations in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) Tcell/ Natural Killer (NK) cell function
Time frame: 4 months
Evaluate cytokine biomarkers of Avmacol® activity in serum, including CXCL8, Interleukin 8 (IL8).
Change in serum cytokine levels, as determined by multiplexed bead-based cytokine assays.
Time frame: 4 months
Measurement of serum albumin-bound SF using isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
Sulforaphane metabolites will be assessed in overnight urine collected following the first dose of each cycle. The steady state concentration of broccoli seed preparations will be characterized by measuring albumin-bound sulforaphane in serum collected on the last day of each cycle. This assay represents an integrated measure of sulforaphane exposure, which will be correlated with biomarker modulation by means of repeated measures analysis of covariance.
Time frame: 4 months
Measure urinary metabolites of SF during administration of two doses of Avmacol®.
Measurement of urinary metabolites of SF using isotope dilution mass spectrometry.
Time frame: 4 months
Description of safety profile in accordance with NCI CTCAE v.4.
Patients will receive a diary for daily logging of adverse events. This will tabulated by Avmacol dose and type and grade of adverse events. The mean frequency and grade of events will be calculated by dose, and between-dose differences compared by means of mixed effects analysis of covariance.
Time frame: 4 months
Description of the proportion of patients with HNSCC primary tumors harboring genomic alteration of NRF2.
Describe the genetic profile of NRF2 within the index HNSCC primary tumor in the target population. Archived tumor specimens from the index tobacco-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma will be collected. Tumor specimens analyzed for genomic alterations in NRF2 and related genes. The frequency of genomic alterations will be characterized.
Time frame: 4 months
Description of the proportion of patients with HNSCC primary tumors harboring genomic alteration of NRF2 related genes.
Describe the genetic profile of other related genes within the index HNSCC primary tumor in the target population. Archived tumor specimens from the index tobacco-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma will be collected. Tumor specimens analyzed for genomic alterations in NRF2 and related genes. The frequency of genomic alterations will be characterized.
Time frame: 4 months
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