Abstract
Evaluation of the impact of dietary intervention on gastrointestinal microbiota and metabolites after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is lacking. We conducted a feasibility study as the first of a two-phase trial. Ten adults received resistant potato starch (RPS) daily from day -7 to day 100. The primary objective was to test the feasibility of RPS and its effect on intestinal microbiome and metabolites, including the short-chain fatty acid butyrate. Feasibility met the preset goal of 60% or more, adhering to 70% or more doses; fecal butyrate levels were significantly higher when participants were on RPS than when they were not (P < 0.0001). An exploratory objective was to evaluate plasma metabolites. We observed longitudinal changes in plasma metabolites compared to baseline, which were independent of RPS (P < 0.0001). However, in recipients of RPS, the dominant plasma metabolites were more stable compared to historical controls with significant difference at engraftment (P < 0.05). These results indicate that RPS in recipients of allogeneic HCT is feasible; in this study, it was associated with significant alterations in intestinal and plasma metabolites. A phase 2 trial examining the effect of RPS on graft-versus-host disease in recipients of allogeneic HCT is underway. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT02763033 .