Can a simple supplement combo help heart failure patients exercise longer?
NCT ID NCT04913805
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing whether potassium nitrate, alone or combined with two supplements (propionyl-L-carnitine and nicotinamide riboside), can improve exercise endurance in people with a type of heart failure called HFpEF. About 53 participants will take these agents and undergo exercise tests to measure how long they can walk or cycle. The goal is to see if increasing blood flow and boosting muscle energy can help patients feel better and do more.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Potassium Nitrate, Propionyl-L-Carnitine, Nicotinamide Riboside
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a combination therapy to improve exercise capacity and quality of life in people with HFpEF.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with only 53 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The supplements may not show significant benefit or could cause side effects.
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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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 53 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
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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18 years and older
- 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: 1. NYHA Class II-III symptoms 2. Left ventricular ejection fraction \>= 50% 3. Stable medical condition for at least 2 weeks, as per investigator judgment 4. Prior or current evidence for elevated filling pressures as follows: a. Mitral early (E)/mitral septal tissue annular (e') velocity ratio \> 8, in the context of a septal e' velocity \<=7, in addition to one of the following: i. Large left atrium (LA volume index \> 34 mL/m2) ii. Chronic loop diuretic use for control of symptoms iii. Elevated natriuretic peptides within the past year (e.g. NTproBNP \> 125 pg/mL in sinus rhythm or \> 375 pg/mL if in atrial fibrillation) b. Mitral E/e' ratio \> 14 at rest or during exercise c. Elevated invasively-determined filling pressures previously (resting left ventricular end-diastolic pressure \>= 16 mm Hg or pulmonary capillary wedge pressure \>= 15 mmHg; or PCWP/LVEDP \>= 25 mmHg with exercise) d. Prior episode of acute heart failure requiring IV diuretics Exclusion Criteria: 1. Age \<18 years old 2. Pregnancy: 3. Treatment with organic nitrates or phosphodiesterase inhibitors that cannot be interrupted 4. Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation, as defined by a resting heart rate \> 100 beats per minute at the time of the baseline assessment 5. Hemoglobin \< 10 g/dL 6. Subject inability/unwillingness to exercise 7. Moderate or greater left sided valvular disease (mitral regurgitation, aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation), mild or greater mitral stenosis, severe right-sided valvular disease 8. Known hypertrophic, infiltrative, or inflammatory cardiomyopathy 9. Clinically significant pericardial disease, as per investigator judgment 10. Current angina due to clinically significant epicardial coronary disease, as per investigator judgment 11. Acute coronary syndrome or coronary intervention within the past 2 months 12. Primary pulmonary artery hypertension (WHO Group 1 Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension) 13. Clinically significant lung disease as defined by: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease meeting Stage III or greater GOLD criteria (FEV1\<50%), treatment with oral steroids within the past 6 months for an exacerbation of obstructive lung disease, current use of supplemental oxygen aside from nocturnal oxygen for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, desaturation to \<90% on the baseline maximal effort cardiopulmonary exercise test 14. Clinically-significant ischemia, as per investigator's judgement, on stress testing without either (1) subsequent revascularization, (2) an angiogram demonstrating the absence of clinically significant epicardial coronary artery disease, as per investigator judgment; (3) a follow-up 'negative' stress test, particularly when using a more specific technique (i.e., a negative perfusion imaging test following a 'positive' ECG stress test) 15. Left ventricular ejection fraction \< 45% on a prior echocardiogram or cardiac MRI, unless the reduced LVEF occurred within the context of an uncontrolled supraventricular arrhythmia, with return of a normal ejection fraction following treatment of the arrhythmia 16. Significant liver disease impacting synthetic function or volume control (ALT/AST \> 3x ULN, Albumin \< 3.0 g/dL) 17. eGFR \< 30 mL/min/1.73m\^2 18. Methemoglobin \> 5% 19. Serum potassium \> 5.0 mEq/L 20. Severe right ventricular dysfunction 21. Baseline resting seated systolic blood pressure \> 180 mmHg or \< 100 mmHg 22. Persistently low (\<100 mmHg) or high (\>180 mmHg) seated blood pressure at the baseline visit 23. Orthostatic blood pressure response to the transition from supine to standing (\>20 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure 2-3 minutes after standing) 24. Active participation in another study that utilizes an investigational agent (observational studies/registries allowed) 25. Any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, will interfere with the performance and completion of the study.
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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
1 site. 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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University of Pennsylvania
RECRUITINGPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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