Safety and Effect of Doxycycline in Patients With Amyloidosis

The tetracycline antibiotic doxycycline disrupts A beta amyloid fibrils (AB) in Alzheimer's disease, transthyretin (ATTR) amyloid fibrils in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy, and immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloid fibrils in transgenic mouse models of disease. If untreated, amyloid deposits impair organ function, affecting the morbidity and mortality of patients. This single-center, twelve-month, open-label, prospective, pilot phase II study aims to determine whether doxycycline reduces amyloid deposits and improves organ function in patients with systemic or localized amyloidosis. The investigators plan to enroll patients with measurable amyloid disease according to internationally-accepted diagnostic criteria. Patients must have stable organ function at enrollment. Eligible subjects not receiving active treatments for amyloidosis affecting their kidneys, heart, aerodigestive tracts, peripheral or autonomic nervous system(s), lungs, eyes, skin, bladder, or breasts will undergo evaluations at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months - or more frequently as clinically indicated. Over 45 years experience indicates doxycycline is a safe, well tolerated antibiotic. The investigators will use standard grading systems to assess doxycycline response following twelve months of treatment.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 18 or older
* Biopsy-proven amyloidosis
* Biochemical or clinical evidence of amyloid induced end-organ dysfunction

Exclusion Criteria:

* Concurrent use of other tetracyclines
* Ongoing active treatment for amyloidosis
* Pregnancy or unwillingness to use contraception by women of childbearing age
* Doxycycline drug allergy/hypersensitivity
* ECOG performance status \> 3
* NYHA class \> 3
* Renal insufficiency (estimated creatinine clearance \< 25 ml/min)
* Transaminitis (AST or ALT \> 5 times upper limit of normal)
* Diabetes mellitus or hemoglobin A1C \> 6.2%

• BACKGROUNDCardoso I, Merlini G, Saraiva MJ. 4'-iodo-4'-deoxydoxorubicin and tetracyclines disrupt transthyretin amyloid fibrils in vitro producing noncytotoxic species: screening for TTR fibril disrupters. FASEB J. 2003 May;17(8):803-9. doi: 10.1096/fj.02-0764com. PMID 12724338
• BACKGROUNDCardoso I, Saraiva MJ. Doxycycline disrupts transthyretin amyloid: evidence from studies in a FAP transgenic mice model. FASEB J. 2006 Feb;20(2):234-9. doi: 10.1096/fj.05-4509com. PMID 16449795
• BACKGROUNDForloni G, Colombo L, Girola L, Tagliavini F, Salmona M. Anti-amyloidogenic activity of tetracyclines: studies in vitro. FEBS Lett. 2001 Jan 5;487(3):404-7. doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(00)02380-2. PMID 11163366
• BACKGROUNDWard JE, Ren R, Toraldo G, Soohoo P, Guan J, O'Hara C, Jasuja R, Trinkaus-Randall V, Liao R, Connors LH, Seldin DC. Doxycycline reduces fibril formation in a transgenic mouse model of AL amyloidosis. Blood. 2011 Dec 15;118(25):6610-7. doi: 10.1182/blood-2011-04-351643. Epub 2011 Oct 12. PMID 21998211
• BACKGROUNDObici L, Cortese A, Lozza A, Lucchetti J, Gobbi M, Palladini G, Perlini S, Saraiva MJ, Merlini G. Doxycycline plus tauroursodeoxycholic acid for transthyretin amyloidosis: a phase II study. Amyloid. 2012 Jun;19 Suppl 1:34-6. doi: 10.3109/13506129.2012.678508. Epub 2012 May 2. PMID 22551192
• BACKGROUNDGiorgetti S, Raimondi S, Pagano K, Relini A, Bucciantini M, Corazza A, Fogolari F, Codutti L, Salmona M, Mangione P, Colombo L, De Luigi A, Porcari R, Gliozzi A, Stefani M, Esposito G, Bellotti V, Stoppini M. Effect of tetracyclines on the dynamics of formation and destructuration of beta2-microglobulin amyloid fibrils. J Biol Chem. 2011 Jan 21;286(3):2121-31. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.178376. Epub 2010 Nov 10. PMID 21068391
• BACKGROUNDCardoso I, Martins D, Ribeiro T, Merlini G, Saraiva MJ. Synergy of combined doxycycline/TUDCA treatment in lowering Transthyretin deposition and associated biomarkers: studies in FAP mouse models. J Transl Med. 2010 Jul 30;8:74. doi: 10.1186/1479-5876-8-74.