Glycine and Magnesium+Thiamine for the Treatment of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
A Randomized, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Glycine and Magnesium+Thiamine Supplements, Alone or Combined, Administered for 6 Months to Patients With Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
1 other identifier
interventional
60
1 country
1
Brief Summary
- Patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) have trouble with clearing their bronchi from mucus, which in the long-term may produce severe damage to the lungs. Currently, there is no specific treatment for PCD beyond supportive measures such as airway hydration and postural drainage.
- Glycine is an amino acid with anti-inflammatory properties that proved to be beneficial in another disease with problematic airway clearance, cystic fibrosis.
- Magnesium participates in many crucial chemical reactions, including some that might favor fluidification and mobilization of mucus. Thiamine (vitamin B1) co-participates with magnesium in some mitochondrial enzymatic reactions occurring in the citric acid cycle.
- Thus, oral supplements of glycine and magnesium+thiamine might improve symptoms and lung function of patients with PCD, and these effects may even be better if these supplements are combined.
- In this study, in addition to their usual care, patients with PCD will receive for 6 months one of the following treatments: 1) an oral supplement of 0.5 g/kg/day glycine, 2) an oral supplement of up to 400 mg/day elementary magnesium plus up to 10 mg/day thiamine, according to the subject's age, 3) glycine plus magnesium+thiamine supplements, as described, or 4) a placebo, which is an inert substance. All treatments will be administered as a whitish powder contained in similar bottles.
- The investigators will evaluate whether glycine and/or magnesium+thiamine reduce exacerbations of the disease, improve pulmonary function and quality of life, and reduce some pro-inflammatory compounds measured in saliva.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable
Started Oct 2025
Typical duration for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
April 28, 2025
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
May 6, 2025
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
October 2, 2025
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
March 1, 2028
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
March 1, 2028
November 25, 2025
October 1, 2025
2.4 years
April 28, 2025
November 20, 2025
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Number of respiratory exacerbations
A respiratory exacerbation will be defined as: 1) any increase in respiratory symptoms that motivated the initiation of antibiotic therapy, or 2) a 10% or more decrease in FEV1 with respect to the FEV1 value at recruitment. A blinded pediatric pulmonologist will review all cases to corroborate whether a suspected episode was indeed a respiratory exacerbation.
6 months
Secondary Outcomes (26)
Quality of life-Primary ciliary dyskinesia questionnaire (QOL-PCD)
6 months
Weight-for-height
6 months
Height-for-age
6 months
SpO2
6 months
Body mass index
6 months
- +21 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (4)
Glycine
EXPERIMENTALPatients will receive for 6 months an oral supplement of 0.5 g/kg/day glycine, up to 25 g/day, divided in three daily intakes.
Magnesium+thiamine
EXPERIMENTALPatients will receive for 6 months an oral supplement of up to 400 mg/day, according to age, of elementary magnesium (formulated as magnesium citrate) plus up to 10 mg/day of thiamine (formulated as benfotiamine), divided in three daily intakes.
Glycine plus magnesium+thiamine
EXPERIMENTALPatients will receive for 6 months oral supplements of glycine and magnesium+thiamine, as described.
Placebo
PLACEBO COMPARATORPatients will receive for 6 months placebo (sugar glass), in a similar daily amount as in experimental arms, and divided in three daily intakes.
Interventions
Patients will receive for 6 months an oral supplement of 0.5 g/kg/day glycine, up to 25 g/day, divided in three daily intakes.
Patients will receive for 6 months an oral supplement of up to 400 mg/day, according to age, of elementary magnesium (formulated as magnesium citrate) plus up to 10 mg/day of thiamine (formulated as benfotiamine), divided in three daily intakes.
Patients will receive for 6 months placebo (sugar glass), in a similar daily amount as in experimental arms, and divided in three daily intakes.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Any sex.
- Age of 5 years or more.
- Diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) established according to international recommendations (Shapiro et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2018;197(12):e24-e39, and Shapiro et al. Ped Pulmonol 2016;51:115-132).
- Without respiratory exacerbations of PCD in the previous 30 days.
- Without acute respiratory infection in the previous 30 days.
- Informed consent letter signed by the patient (if the patient's age is 18 years or more).
- Informed consent letter signed by the legal guardian, and assent letter signed by the patient (if the patient's age is \<18 years).
You may not qualify if:
- \. Participation in other research protocol involving therapeutic measures.
- Elimination Criteria:
- \. None.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias
Mexico City, 14080, Mexico
Related Publications (43)
Piatti G, De Santi MM, Farolfi A, Zuccotti GV, D'Auria E, Patria MF, Torretta S, Consonni D, Ambrosetti U. Exacerbations and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization are associated with altered lung structure and function in primary ciliary dyskinesia. BMC Pediatr. 2020 Apr 13;20(1):158. doi: 10.1186/s12887-020-02062-4.
PMID: 32284045BACKGROUNDSagel SD, Kupfer O, Wagner BD, Davis SD, Dell SD, Ferkol TW, Hoppe JE, Rosenfeld M, Sullivan KM, Tiddens HAWM, Knowles MR, Leigh MW. Airway Inflammation in Children with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2023 Jan;20(1):67-74. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202204-314OC.
PMID: 35984413BACKGROUNDGontijo-Amaral C, Guimaraes EV, Camargos P. Oral magnesium supplementation in children with cystic fibrosis improves clinical and functional variables: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Jul;96(1):50-6. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.034207. Epub 2012 May 30.
PMID: 22648717BACKGROUNDVargas MH, Del-Razo-Rodriguez R, Lopez-Garcia A, Lezana-Fernandez JL, Chavez J, Furuya MEY, Marin-Santana JC. Effect of oral glycine on the clinical, spirometric and inflammatory status in subjects with cystic fibrosis: a pilot randomized trial. BMC Pulm Med. 2017 Dec 15;17(1):206. doi: 10.1186/s12890-017-0528-x.
PMID: 29246256BACKGROUNDKobbernagel HE, Buchvald FF, Haarman EG, Casaulta C, Collins SA, Hogg C, Kuehni CE, Lucas JS, Moser CE, Quittner AL, Raidt J, Rosthoj S, Sorensen AL, Thomsen K, Werner C, Omran H, Nielsen KG. Efficacy and safety of azithromycin maintenance therapy in primary ciliary dyskinesia (BESTCILIA): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 May;8(5):493-505. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30058-8.
PMID: 32380069BACKGROUNDPaff T, Daniels JM, Weersink EJ, Lutter R, Vonk Noordegraaf A, Haarman EG. A randomised controlled trial on the effect of inhaled hypertonic saline on quality of life in primary ciliary dyskinesia. Eur Respir J. 2017 Feb 23;49(2):1601770. doi: 10.1183/13993003.01770-2016. Print 2017 Feb.
PMID: 28232410BACKGROUNDJensen T, Kharazmi A, Schiotz PO, Nielsen H, Stenvang Pedersen S, Stafanger G, Koch C, Hoiby N. Effect of oral N-acetylcysteine administration on human blood neutrophil and monocyte function. APMIS. 1988 Jan;96(1):62-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1988.tb05269.x.
PMID: 3345250BACKGROUNDJentsch TJ, Stein V, Weinreich F, Zdebik AA. Molecular structure and physiological function of chloride channels. Physiol Rev. 2002 Apr;82(2):503-68. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00029.2001.
PMID: 11917096BACKGROUNDVan den Eynden J, Ali SS, Horwood N, Carmans S, Brone B, Hellings N, Steels P, Harvey RJ, Rigo JM. Glycine and glycine receptor signalling in non-neuronal cells. Front Mol Neurosci. 2009 Aug 20;2:9. doi: 10.3389/neuro.02.009.2009. eCollection 2009.
PMID: 19738917BACKGROUNDWheeler MD, Rose ML, Yamashima S, Enomoto N, Seabra V, Madren J, Thurman RG. Dietary glycine blunts lung inflammatory cell influx following acute endotoxin. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2000 Aug;279(2):L390-8. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.2000.279.2.L390.
PMID: 10926563BACKGROUNDAlarcon-Aguilar FJ, Almanza-Perez J, Blancas G, Angeles S, Garcia-Macedo R, Roman R, Cruz M. Glycine regulates the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in lean and monosodium glutamate-obese mice. Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 Dec 3;599(1-3):152-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.09.047. Epub 2008 Oct 9.
PMID: 18930730BACKGROUNDAlmanza-Perez JC, Alarcon-Aguilar FJ, Blancas-Flores G, Campos-Sepulveda AE, Roman-Ramos R, Garcia-Macedo R, Cruz M. Glycine regulates inflammatory markers modifying the energetic balance through PPAR and UCP-2. Biomed Pharmacother. 2010 Oct;64(8):534-40. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2009.04.047. Epub 2009 Oct 17.
PMID: 19864106BACKGROUNDWheeler MD, Thurman RG. Production of superoxide and TNF-alpha from alveolar macrophages is blunted by glycine. Am J Physiol. 1999 Nov;277(5):L952-9. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.1999.277.5.L952.
PMID: 10564180BACKGROUNDGarcia-Macedo R, Sanchez-Munoz F, Almanza-Perez JC, Duran-Reyes G, Alarcon-Aguilar F, Cruz M. Glycine increases mRNA adiponectin and diminishes pro-inflammatory adipokines expression in 3T3-L1 cells. Eur J Pharmacol. 2008 Jun 10;587(1-3):317-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2008.03.051. Epub 2008 Apr 8.
PMID: 18499099BACKGROUNDContreras-Nunez E, Blancas-Flores G, Cruz M, Almanza-Perez JC, Gomez-Zamudio JH, Ventura-Gallegosc JL, Zentella-Dehesa A, Roberto-Lazzarini, Roman-Ramos R, Alarcon-Aguilar FJ. Participation of the IKK-alpha/beta complex in the inhibition of the TNF-alpha/NF-kappaB pathway by glycine: Possible involvement of a membrane receptor specific to adipocytes. Biomed Pharmacother. 2018 Jun;102:120-131. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2018.03.048. Epub 2018 Mar 22.
PMID: 29550635BACKGROUNDIkejima K, Iimuro Y, Forman DT, Thurman RG. A diet containing glycine improves survival in endotoxin shock in the rat. Am J Physiol. 1996 Jul;271(1 Pt 1):G97-103. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.1996.271.1.G97.
PMID: 8760112BACKGROUNDZhang Y, Jia H, Jin Y, Liu N, Chen J, Yang Y, Dai Z, Wang C, Wu G, Wu Z. Glycine Attenuates LPS-Induced Apoptosis and Inflammatory Cell Infiltration in Mouse Liver. J Nutr. 2020 May 1;150(5):1116-1125. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxaa036.
PMID: 32101618BACKGROUNDSchimatschek HF, Rempis R. Prevalence of hypomagnesemia in an unselected German population of 16,000 individuals. Magnes Res. 2001 Dec;14(4):283-90.
PMID: 11794636BACKGROUNDRodriguez-Ramirez M, Simental-Mendia LE, Gonzalez-Ortiz M, Martinez-Abundis E, Madero A, Brito-Zurita O, Perez-Fuentes R, Revilla-Monsalve C, Islas-Andrade S, Rodriguez-Moran M, Guerrero-Romero F. Prevalence of Prehypertension in Mexico and Its Association With Hypomagnesemia. Am J Hypertens. 2015 Aug;28(8):1024-30. doi: 10.1093/ajh/hpu293. Epub 2015 Jan 23.
PMID: 25618517BACKGROUNDWorkinger JL, Doyle RP, Bortz J. Challenges in the Diagnosis of Magnesium Status. Nutrients. 2018 Sep 1;10(9):1202. doi: 10.3390/nu10091202.
PMID: 30200431BACKGROUNDWolf FI, Cittadini A. Chemistry and biochemistry of magnesium. Mol Aspects Med. 2003 Feb-Jun;24(1-3):3-9. doi: 10.1016/s0098-2997(02)00087-0. No abstract available.
PMID: 12537985BACKGROUNDBirnbaumer L, Zurita AR. On the roles of Mg in the activation of G proteins. J Recept Signal Transduct Res. 2010 Dec;30(6):372-5. doi: 10.3109/10799893.2010.508165. Epub 2010 Aug 23.
PMID: 20731539BACKGROUNDSanders NN, Franckx H, De Boeck K, Haustraete J, De Smedt SC, Demeester J. Role of magnesium in the failure of rhDNase therapy in patients with cystic fibrosis. Thorax. 2006 Nov;61(11):962-8. doi: 10.1136/thx.2006.060814.
PMID: 17071834BACKGROUNDRosenecker J, Naundorf S, Rudolph C. Airway surface liquid contains endogenous DNase activity which can be activated by exogenous magnesium. Eur J Med Res. 2009 Jul 22;14(7):304-8. doi: 10.1186/2047-783x-14-7-304.
PMID: 19661013BACKGROUNDWarner FD, Mitchell DR. Dynein: the mechanochemical coupling adenosine triphosphatase of microtubule-based sliding filament mechanisms. Int Rev Cytol. 1980;66:1-43. doi: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)61970-1. No abstract available.
PMID: 6446527BACKGROUNDFarrell PM, Fox GN, Spicer SS. Determination and characterization of ciliary ATPase in the presence of serum from cystic fibrosis patients. Pediatr Res. 1976 Feb;10(2):127-35. doi: 10.1203/00006450-197602000-00012.
PMID: 128730BACKGROUNDOtt M, Werneke U. Wernicke's encephalopathy - from basic science to clinical practice. Part 1: Understanding the role of thiamine. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. 2020 Dec 29;10:2045125320978106. doi: 10.1177/2045125320978106. eCollection 2020.
PMID: 33447357BACKGROUNDMrowicka M, Mrowicki J, Dragan G, Majsterek I. The importance of thiamine (vitamin B1) in humans. Biosci Rep. 2023 Oct 31;43(10):BSR20230374. doi: 10.1042/BSR20230374.
PMID: 37389565BACKGROUNDPilchova I, Klacanova K, Tatarkova Z, Kaplan P, Racay P. The Involvement of Mg2+ in Regulation of Cellular and Mitochondrial Functions. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2017;2017:6797460. doi: 10.1155/2017/6797460. Epub 2017 Jul 5.
PMID: 28757913BACKGROUNDBurkhalter MD, Sridhar A, Sampaio P, Jacinto R, Burczyk MS, Donow C, Angenendt M; Competence Network for Congenital Heart Defects Investigators; Hempel M, Walther P, Pennekamp P, Omran H, Lopes SS, Ware SM, Philipp M. Imbalanced mitochondrial function provokes heterotaxy via aberrant ciliogenesis. J Clin Invest. 2019 May 16;129(7):2841-2855. doi: 10.1172/JCI98890.
PMID: 31094706BACKGROUNDSatir P. Structural basis of ciliary movement. Environ Health Perspect. 1980 Apr;35:77-82. doi: 10.1289/ehp.803577.
PMID: 6447592BACKGROUNDMarthin JK, Petersen N, Skovgaard LT, Nielsen KG. Lung function in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia: a cross-sectional and 3-decade longitudinal study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 Jun 1;181(11):1262-8. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200811-1731OC. Epub 2010 Feb 18.
PMID: 20167855BACKGROUNDLucas JS, Behan L, Dunn Galvin A, Alpern A, Morris AM, Carroll MP, Knowles MR, Leigh MW, Quittner AL. A quality-of-life measure for adults with primary ciliary dyskinesia: QOL-PCD. Eur Respir J. 2015 Aug;46(2):375-83. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00216214. Epub 2015 May 14.
PMID: 25976687BACKGROUNDShapiro AJ, Davis SD, Polineni D, Manion M, Rosenfeld M, Dell SD, Chilvers MA, Ferkol TW, Zariwala MA, Sagel SD, Josephson M, Morgan L, Yilmaz O, Olivier KN, Milla C, Pittman JE, Daniels MLA, Jones MH, Janahi IA, Ware SM, Daniel SJ, Cooper ML, Nogee LM, Anton B, Eastvold T, Ehrne L, Guadagno E, Knowles MR, Leigh MW, Lavergne V; American Thoracic Society Assembly on Pediatrics. Diagnosis of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 Jun 15;197(12):e24-e39. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201805-0819ST.
PMID: 29905515BACKGROUNDShapiro AJ, Zariwala MA, Ferkol T, Davis SD, Sagel SD, Dell SD, Rosenfeld M, Olivier KN, Milla C, Daniel SJ, Kimple AJ, Manion M, Knowles MR, Leigh MW; Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium. Diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of primary ciliary dyskinesia: PCD foundation consensus recommendations based on state of the art review. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016 Feb;51(2):115-32. doi: 10.1002/ppul.23304. Epub 2015 Sep 29.
PMID: 26418604BACKGROUNDSheng L, Cao W, Lin P, Chen W, Xu H, Zhong C, Yuan F, Chen H, Li H, Liu C, Yang M, Li X. Safety, Tolerability and Pharmacokinetics of Single and Multiple Ascending Doses of Benfotiamine in Healthy Subjects. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021 Mar 9;15:1101-1110. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S296197. eCollection 2021.
PMID: 33727798BACKGROUNDAmado F, Calheiros-Lobo MJ, Ferreira R, Vitorino R. Sample Treatment for Saliva Proteomics. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1073:23-56. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-12298-0_2.
PMID: 31236838BACKGROUNDBeydon N, Kouis P, Marthin JK, Latzin P, Colas M, Davis SD, Haarman E, Harris AL, Hogg C, Kilbride E, Kuehni CE, Marangu D, Nielsen KG, Pendergrast C, Robinson P, Rumman N, Rutter M, Walker WT, Ferkol T, Lucas JS. Nasal nitric oxide measurement in children for the diagnosis of primary ciliary dyskinesia: European Respiratory Society technical standard. Eur Respir J. 2023 Apr 20;61(4):2202031. doi: 10.1183/13993003.02031-2022. Print 2023 Apr.
PMID: 36822632BACKGROUNDShapiro AJ, Dell SD, Gaston B, O'Connor M, Marozkina N, Manion M, Hazucha MJ, Leigh MW. Nasal Nitric Oxide Measurement in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. A Technical Paper on Standardized Testing Protocols. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2020 Feb;17(2):e1-e12. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201904-347OT.
PMID: 31770003BACKGROUNDKing GG, Bates J, Berger KI, Calverley P, de Melo PL, Dellaca RL, Farre R, Hall GL, Ioan I, Irvin CG, Kaczka DW, Kaminsky DA, Kurosawa H, Lombardi E, Maksym GN, Marchal F, Oppenheimer BW, Simpson SJ, Thamrin C, van den Berge M, Oostveen E. Technical standards for respiratory oscillometry. Eur Respir J. 2020 Feb 27;55(2):1900753. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00753-2019. Print 2020 Feb.
PMID: 31772002BACKGROUNDRobinson PD, Latzin P, Verbanck S, Hall GL, Horsley A, Gappa M, Thamrin C, Arets HG, Aurora P, Fuchs SI, King GG, Lum S, Macleod K, Paiva M, Pillow JJ, Ranganathan S, Ratjen F, Singer F, Sonnappa S, Stocks J, Subbarao P, Thompson BR, Gustafsson PM. Consensus statement for inert gas washout measurement using multiple- and single- breath tests. Eur Respir J. 2013 Mar;41(3):507-22. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00069712. Epub 2013 Feb 8.
PMID: 23397305BACKGROUNDGraham BL, Steenbruggen I, Miller MR, Barjaktarevic IZ, Cooper BG, Hall GL, Hallstrand TS, Kaminsky DA, McCarthy K, McCormack MC, Oropez CE, Rosenfeld M, Stanojevic S, Swanney MP, Thompson BR. Standardization of Spirometry 2019 Update. An Official American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society Technical Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 Oct 15;200(8):e70-e88. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201908-1590ST.
PMID: 31613151BACKGROUNDHolland AE, Spruit MA, Troosters T, Puhan MA, Pepin V, Saey D, McCormack MC, Carlin BW, Sciurba FC, Pitta F, Wanger J, MacIntyre N, Kaminsky DA, Culver BH, Revill SM, Hernandes NA, Andrianopoulos V, Camillo CA, Mitchell KE, Lee AL, Hill CJ, Singh SJ. An official European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society technical standard: field walking tests in chronic respiratory disease. Eur Respir J. 2014 Dec;44(6):1428-46. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00150314. Epub 2014 Oct 30.
PMID: 25359355BACKGROUND
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Mario H. Vargas, MSc
5556665868
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- DOUBLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER
- Masking Details
- All study arms will receive similar bottles containing a whitish powder with the corresponding treatment.
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER GOV
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Senior Researcher
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
April 28, 2025
First Posted
May 6, 2025
Study Start
October 2, 2025
Primary Completion (Estimated)
March 1, 2028
Study Completion (Estimated)
March 1, 2028
Last Updated
November 25, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-10
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL, CSR
- Time Frame
- Data will be available indefinitely after publication of the results.
- Access Criteria
- Reasonable request directed to the principal investigator.
Data will be available upon reasonable request for research purposes.