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Can blocking a nerve signal help insulin work better?

NCT ID NCT03318094

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This early-phase study at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is looking at how certain nerve signals (called sympathetic vasoconstriction) might interfere with insulin's ability to widen blood vessels and take up sugar. The researchers will give a drug called phentolamine into the arm to temporarily block those signals, then measure changes in blood flow and insulin sensitivity. The study involves 36 adults aged 18-60 who are obese and have insulin resistance or well-controlled type 2 diabetes.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Phentolamine (alpha-adrenergic blocker)
What this could lead to
If successful, this study could point toward new ways to improve insulin sensitivity in people with obesity and insulin resistance.
What could go wrong
This is a very early, small study (36 people) testing a short-term drug infusion in the arm. It is not designed to prove a treatment works, only to understand the body's response.

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

Phase 1

The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.

Participants

About 36 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Oct 2017

Expected to finish

Nov 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 60 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show 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: * Males and females of all races between 18 and 60 years of age. * Obesity defined as body mass index between 30-40 kg/m2 * Insulin resistance defined as homeostasis model assessment 2 insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) score \>1.6 (never diagnosed or treated type 2 diabetic), or being a well-controlled type 2 diabetic on metformin only. * Able and willing to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Current smokers or history of heavy smoking (\>2 packs/day) * History of alcohol or drug abuse * Morbid obesity (BMI \> 40 kg/m2) * Previous allergic reaction to study medications * Evidence of type I diabetes. * Cardiovascular disease other than hypertension such as myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to enrollment, presence of angina pectoris, significant arrhythmia, congestive heart failure (LV hypertrophy acceptable), deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, second or third-degree heart block, mitral valve stenosis, aortic stenosis, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy * History of serious cerebrovascular disease such as cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, or transient ischemic attack * History or presence of immunological or hematological disorders * Impaired hepatic function \[aspartate amino transaminase (AST) and/or alanine amino transaminase (ALT) \> 2.0 x upper limit of normal range\] * Impaired renal function (serum creatinine \>1.5 mg/dl) * Moderate to severe anemia (hemoglobin \<11 g/dl) * Treatment with serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) or norepinephrine transporter (NET) inhibitors * Treatment with phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors * Treatment with anticoagulants * Treatment with chronic systemic glucocorticoid therapy (more than 7 consecutive days in 1 month) * Treatment with any investigational drug in the 1 month preceding the study * Inability to give, or withdraw, informed consent * Other factors which in the investigator's opinion would prevent the subject from completing the protocol (i.e., clinically significant abnormalities on clinical, mental examination or laboratory testing or inability to comply with protocol)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Insulin Resistance Obesity obesity disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Autonomic Dysfunction Center

    Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States

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