Targeting gut drug processing to prevent diarrhea from mycophenolate
Official title: Selectively Manipulating Intestinal Glucuronidation to Alleviate Mycophenolate mofetil-induced Diarrhea
Funded at Texas Southern University · NIH-11325433 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether using natural gut-acting compounds to boost a specific drug-clearing pathway in the lower intestine can reduce diarrhea caused by the transplant drug mycophenolate in people who take it.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas Southern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | April 5, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $153,380 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM149425-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325433 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The most likely candidates would be organ transplant recipients who are taking mycophenolate and are experiencing chronic or severe diarrhea related to that medication.
✕Less likely to help
People not taking mycophenolate or whose diarrhea is caused by infections, other drugs, or unrelated gut diseases are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
Many organ transplant patients taking mycophenolate experience chronic diarrhea because the drug or its breakdown products build up in the lower gut. The team is using lab tests and rat models to see if two compounds (wogonin and chrysin) that stay active in the lower intestine can increase local glucuronidation, converting the drug to a less irritating form without lowering blood levels needed to prevent rejection. Laboratory studies show wogonin can turn on UGT1A enzymes that make the non-toxic metabolite, and early rat work found these compounds reduced diarrhea. The goal is proof-of-concept that selectively changing gut drug metabolism can protect the bowel while keeping the transplant drug effective.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce chronic diarrhea, improve quality of life, and lower the risk of graft loss for transplant patients on mycophenolate.
How similar studies have gone: Early lab experiments and rat studies reported by the team showed promise, but this targeted gut-glucuronidation strategy has not yet been tested in people.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas Southern University
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gao, Song — Texas Southern University
- Study coordinator: Gao, Song
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.