Arginine supplement may boost immunity in newborns after bowel surgery
NCT ID NCT05306925
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether giving extra arginine (a nutrient) to preterm and full-term infants after major bowel surgery or a serious gut infection (necrotising enterocolitis) can improve their immune function. Researchers will measure changes in gene activity related to infection-fighting cells. 48 infants will be split into groups receiving arginine in different ways or standard nutrition. The goal is to understand if arginine can help these vulnerable babies recover better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Arginine (dietary supplement)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple nutritional supplement to help babies fight infections after surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early exploratory study with only 48 infants, so results may not be conclusive or lead to a treatment. It focuses on gene activity, not direct health outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 48 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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22 to 44 weeks
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Preterm infants born \<30 weeks gestation requiring laparotomy/major bowel surgery or diagnosed with necrotising enterocolitis (Modified Bell's Stage II or higher) before discharge * Term and near term infants (born\>35 weeks gestation) requiring laparotomy/major bowel surgery in the first 3 days of life (gastroschisis; major bowel atresias expected to require at least 7 days of PN) Exclusion Criteria: * Infants who are unlikely to survive because of poor immediate postoperative condition * Infants known (or suspected to have) a diagnosis of inborn error of metabolism or serious liver dysfunction * Parents who are unable to give informed consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Alder Hey Children's Hospital
RECRUITINGLiverpool, Merseyside, L14 5AB, United Kingdom
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Liverpool Women's Hospital
RECRUITINGLiverpool, Merseyside, L8 7SS, United Kingdom
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