Influence of Aspirin on Human Gut Microbiota Composition and Metabolome

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer type in males and the second in females, accounting for about 693,900 deaths worldwide per year. Although the annual CRC mortality rate is still very high, it demonstrated a decline by 47% among men and 44% among women from 1990 to 2015. This decreasing trend may be attributed to improved screening, early detection as well as combined CRC treatment. In fact, the mortality rate is expected to reduce further by long-term use of chemopreventive agents that can prevent the development of neoplasms in the large bowel. Several decades of research both in clinic and laboratory has identified aspirin as an effective synthetic CRC chemoprevention drug. It is commonly accepted that aspirin exerts its chemopreventive effects by inhibiting catalytic enzymes cyclooxygenase (COX) -1 and COX-2 involved in prostaglandin synthesis. But the mechanism of its chemopreventive effect on CRC is not clearly understood. Other than CRC, aspirin also showed its potential inhibitory effects on some other types of solid cancer, such as pancreatic, lung, breast and prostate cancers. However, its effects on extragastrointestinal cancer types are still elusive due to lack of reliable supporting evidence from randomized clinical trials. Based on current knowledge, it is unclear why aspirin appears to inhibit CRC more than other cancers. This might be associated with the unique microenvironment comprising trillions of microbes in which CRC resides.

Detailed Description
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer type in males and the second in females, accounting for about 693,900 deaths worldwide per year. It is commonly accepted that aspirin exerts its chemopreventive effects by inhibiting catalytic enzymes cyclooxygenase (COX) -1 and COX-2 involved in prostaglandin synthesis.This hypothetic mechanism is supported by clinical data from two large cohorts that found that the regular use of aspirin reduced the risk of CRC with high expression of COX-2 but not with low or no expression of COX-2. Based on current knowledge, it is unclear why aspirin appears to inhibit CRC more than other cancers. This might be associated with the unique microenvironment comprising trillions of microbes in which CRC resides. Therefore, the investigator hypothesizes that there is a link between the chemopreventive mechanism of aspirin, gut microbiota as well as the metabolome. During the past decade, evidence has accumulated that microbiota in the host is highly sensitive to the gut microenvironment since its composition and activity can be rapidly and reproducibly changed by diet or nutrients. As such, an acidic drug like aspirin may be able to alter the gut microbiota composition. It is thus conceivable that the CRC preventive action of aspirin may be through the alteration of host gut microbes.

Official Title
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The Influence of Aspirin on Human Gut Microbiota Composition and Metabolome: Contributing to the Therapeutic Effects of the Drug

Conditions
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Aspirin, Microbiota

Intervention / Treatment
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* Drug: Aspirin 80mg


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: NSAID naïve during the last month; absence of drugs, nutrient supplements, probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics that might interfere with microbial homeostasis for all participants; no past history of gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers; absence of historical aspirin-induced side effects; voluntary and willing to cooperate during treatment; and consent with treatment and sample collection schedule Exclusion Criteria: unfit symptoms, such as epigastric pain, acid reflux, eructation and dyspepsia; diagnosis of any disease during the past 3 months; diarrhea within the previous 7 days; history of alcohol abuse, defined as >80 g/d in men and >40 g/d in women; pregnancy; and mental illness rendering the participants unable to understand the nature, scope, and possible consequences of the study

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Aspirin<br>Aspirin 80mg once daily | Drug: Aspirin 80mg<br>* No treatment<br>* Other names: Non-treatment;|
| No Intervention: Non-treatment group<br>No intervention | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| gut microbiota in stool | To capture the fingerprint of gut microbiota in stool before and after oral administration of aspirin | 1 year | 
| metabolome in biological specimens | To capture the metabolome in biological specimens before and after oral administration of aspirin | 1 year | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| gut microbial composition | To profile the alteration of gut microbial composition by aspirin | 1 year | 
| metabolomic components | To profile the alteration of the metabolomic components by aspirin | 1 year |