The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effect of a supplement called MitoQ (mitoquinol mesylate) on bladder symptoms such as urgency and frequency in women 50 years and older who have the metabolic syndrome. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the study design feasible and acceptable to participants? * Do participants taking the study drug get any improvement to their bladder symptoms compared to participants taking a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug)? Participants will take 2 capsules of the study drug every morning for 4 months, answer many questions about their health including questions about their bladder health, perform physical and cognitive testing, give blood and urine samples, collect urine over 24 hour periods 3 times over the 4 months of the study, complete 3 day bladder diaries about how much they drink and void, undergo electrocardiograms, have their vitals and measurements (weight, height, waist circumference) taken, participate in 4 visits to the clinical research area and participate in many phone calls of varying length. Researchers will compare participants who were taking capsules containing MitoQ and participants taking capsules not containing MitoQ to see if MitoQ improves their bladder symptoms (urgency, frequency, nocturia, incontinence, etc.)
Both aging and the metabolic syndrome are risk factors for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS, including urgency, frequency, nocturia (nighttime urination), and incontinence). This study aims to test whether an oral supplement that targets biological aging pathways can improve lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in women aged 50 years and older with the metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes). MitoQ, a strong mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant molecule, has been shown to target mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, all aging pathways that are also found to be dysregulated in conditions that cause LUTS such as the overactive bladder syndrome. Women aged 50 years and older who have the metabolic syndrome per the new International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition and have had urinary urgency for at least 3 months will be invited to participate in the study. They will be screened by phone for major study inclusion/exclusion criteria and then invited for an in-person screening visit where blood will be drawn and measurements taken to confirm eligibility. Once eligible, participants will be randomly assigned to MitoQ or placebo (2MitoQ:1placebo) and asked to take 2 capsules daily (40mg MitoQ total) 30 minutes before breakfast for 4 months. Participants will come back for study visits at 8 and 16 weeks, and will receive two study data collection phone calls at 4 and 12 weeks, where they will answer questions about their bladder. There will be many other shorter phone calls throughout the study to check for adherence and adverse events. In addition to questionnaires assessing bladder function, participants will undergo tests of frailty, physical function, cognitive function and asked many questions about their health and medication. We will also draw blood for safety assessment and to measure aging molecules in the blood at each visit and see whether they change with treatment. Urine will also be collected at each study visit and participants will be asked to collect urine at home (first morning and 24-hour urine) and bring it to each of their study visits, which will be used for measuring aging molecules and testing how they change with the study drug. Participants will also fill out three-day voiding diaries to provide information about their voiding and LUTS.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
50
MitoQ is an antioxidant molecule designed to target cell stress
Control capsules that contain all inactive ingredients found in the study drug capsules (i.e., placebo capsules do not contain mitoquinol mesylate)
UConn Health
Farmington, Connecticut, United States
RECRUITINGOveractive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS)
The OBSS is a validated bladder symptom questionnaire routinely used in assessing lower urinary tract symptoms and overactive bladder syndrome. The OABSS questionnaire consists of 4 questions and has a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 15. Scores on the OABSS of ≤5 are defined as mild, those of 6-11 as moderate, and those of ≥12 as severe LUTS.
Time frame: Week 0, Week 4, Week 8, Week 12, Week 16
Three-day bladder voiding diary
Participants will record times and amounts of liquids ingested and urine produced for 3 days. They will also record their urge at each voiding instance and incontinence episodes.
Time frame: Week 0, Week 8, Week 16
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