Can an amino acid-based oral rehydration solution be effective in managing immune therapy-induced diarrhea?

New paradigm of oral rehydration in patients affected by irritable bowel syndrome with chronic diarrhea

Irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea is a very frequent clinical condition characterized by disabling intestinal symptoms. This disease presents with daily abdominal pain for at least 3 months related to defecation and associated with a change in the frequency of bowel movements and the shape of the stool. International surveys about this disease report a global prevalence of about 1.5%. A new amino acid based electrolyte solution has recently been commercialized for oral rehydration in diarrhea. It is composed of water, electrolytes, and five selected amino acids that function as sodium co-transporters without containing glucose. In recent years, some studies explored the effectiveness of the amino acid based electrolyte beverage in oncologic patients with gastrointestinal mucositis, reporting good results. Recently, a prospective study to evaluate the clinical impact of the amino acid based medical beverage was conducted in patients with diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome. The research was based on a real-life methodology minimizing the disruption of the routine care. One hundred patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea drank a solution based on selected amino acids twice a day for 2 wk. Each enrolled patient completed the study and showed a significant response rate with regard to stool consistency and pain reduction. Based on this data, we can hypothesize that the amino acid based oral rehydration solution could be a valid tool in the treatment of patients affected by irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea. It is certainly necessary to plan high-quality clinical trials comparing glucose based oral solutions and amino acid based solutions in patients with persisting diarrhea. Probably in the near future all oral rehydration solutions will contain amino acids.

Effectiveness of an amino acid beverage formulation in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: A pragmatic real-world study

BACKGROUND

Amino-acid based medical foods have shown promise in alleviating symptoms of drug induced gastrointestinal side effects; particularly, diarrhea-predominant symptoms. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gastrointestinal disorder that affects up to 9% of people globally, with diarrhea predominant IBS (IBS-D) being the most prevalent subtype. Further trials are needed to explore potential added benefits when integrated into standard care for IBS-D.

AIM

To assess the effectiveness of an amino acid-based medical food as an adjunct to standard of care for adults with IBS-D.

METHODS

This is a pragmatic, real world, open label, single arm study comparing a 2-week baseline assessment to a 2-week intervention period. One hundred adults, aged 18 to 65 years, with IBS-D, according to Rome IV criteria, were enrolled after completing a 2-week baseline assessment period and received a 2-week supply of an amino acid based medical food which was consumed at home twice daily on top of their standard of care. The primary outcome was an assessment of tolerability after 2-weeks of consumption, while secondary outcomes included changes in stool consistency (Bristol Stool Form Scale), severity of abdominal pain & discomfort, symptoms of urgency, Global Improvement Survey (GIS), and the IBS severity scoring system (IBS-SSS).

RESULTS

The test product was well-tolerated as each participant successfully completed the full 14-day trial, and there were no instances of dropouts or discontinuation of the study product reported. Forty percent of participants achieved a 50% or more reduction in the number of days with type 6-7 bowel movements (IBS-D stool consistency responders). Fifty-three percent of participants achieved a clinically meaningful reduction of 30% in mean weekly pain scores, and 55% experienced the same for mean weekly discomfort scores (IBS-D pain and discomfort responders). Participants experienced a mean -109.4 (95% confidence interval: -130.1, -88.8) point reduction on the IBS-SSS and 52% experienced a minimally clinically important difference of > 95 points. An IBS-SSS category shift from severe to moderate or mild occurred in 69% of participants. For functional symptoms, 76% of participants reported symptom relief on the GIS.

CONCLUSION

The amino acid-based medical food was well-tolerated, when added to the standard of care, and demonstrated improvements in both overall IBS symptom severity and IBS-D symptoms within just 2 wk.

Can an amino acid mixture alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms in neuroendocrine tumor patients?

Background

Neuroendocrine tumors, although relatively rare in incidence, are now the second most prevalent gastrointestinal neoplasm owing to indolent disease biology. A small but significant sub-group of neuroendocrine tumor patients suffer from diarrhea. This is usually secondary to carcinoid syndrome but can also be a result of short gut syndrome, bile acid excess or iatrogenic etiologies. Recently, an amino acid based oral rehydration solution (enterade Advanced Oncology Formula) was found to have anti-diarrheal properties in preclinical models.

Methods

A retrospective chart review of all NET patients treated with enterade AO was performed after IRB approval.

Results

Ninety-eight NET patients who had received enterade AO at our clinic from May 2017 through June 2019 were included. Patients (N=49 of 98) with follow up data on bowel movements (BMs) were included for final analysis. Eighty-four percent of patients (41/49) had fewer BMs after taking enterade AO and 66% (27/41) reported more than 50% reduction in BM frequency. The mean number of daily BMs was 6.6 (range, 320) at baseline before initiation of therapy, while the mean number of BMs at 1 week time point post enterade AO was 2.9 (range, 011).

Conclusions

Our retrospective observations are encouraging and support prospective validation with appropriate controls in NET patients. This is first published report of the potential anti-diarrheal activity of enterade AO in NET patients.

Randomized Study of enterade® to Reduce Diarrhea in Patients Receiving High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

High-dose chemotherapy frequently causes injury to the gastrointestinal mucosa, resulting in diarrhea. The purpose of the current study was to assess the tolerability and efficacy of enterade^® in reducing ≥ grade 2 diarrhea (G2D) in association with high-dose melphalan followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). We conducted a prospective, double blinded, multi-center trial in which 114 subjects were randomized to receive enterade^® or placebo twice daily during the transplant hospitalization. Gastrointestinal toxicities (nausea, vomiting, oral mucositis and dysphagia) resulted in poor study compliance in both arms. Among subjects who were able to complete planned therapy (13%), the incidence of G2D was lower for those receiving enterade^® as compared to placebo (16% vs 86%, p<0.03). Twice daily oral administration of enterade^® and placebo following high-dose chemotherapy and ASCT was not feasible due to significant gastrointestinal toxicities. Future explorations of enterade^® should be conducted in populations capable of reasonable oral intake.