Effects of half-dose spiomet treatment in girls with early puberty and accelerated bone maturation: a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study protocol

BACKGROUND: A “mismatch” sequence of less prenatal weight gain and more postnatal weight gain may lead to ectopic lipid accumulation, and trigger the development of early adrenarche/pubarche and the activation of the gonadotropic axis resulting in early puberty and ending up in full-blown adolescent polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In the present study, we assess whether a low-dose combination of generics that collectively reduce ectopic fat through different pathways can slow down the accelerated maturation in “mismatch” girls with early puberty. METHODS: Randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase 2a, study in 64 girls [age, 8.0–9.5 years; birthweight (BW) for gestational age: −2.5 < Z-score <0, body mass index (BMI): 0 < Z-score < +2.5 and early progressive puberty (Tanner B2 at 7.7–9.3 years)]. Pharmacological intervention will be with a half-dose version of SPIOMET (mini-spiomet), a combination that reverts the PCOS phenotype in “mismatch” adolescents; mini-spiomet will contain spironolactone (25 mg/day, to raise brown adipose tissue activity), pioglitazone (3.75 mg/day, to raise adiponectin and insulin sensitivity), and metformin (425 mg/day, to raise AMPK activity and GDF15). Recruitment: 1 year; double-blind treatment: 1 year; open follow-up: 1 year; analyses and reporting: 1 year. Interventions: randomization (1:1) for placebo vs mini-spiomet. Primary outcome: annualized bone age advancement (0–1 year) by BoneXpert; secondary outcomes: insulin, IGF-I, high-molecular-weight adiponectin (HMW-adip), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (usCRP), androgens, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), oestradiol, growth-and-differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand-14 (CXCL14), safety parameters, and quantification of hepato-visceral fat. DISCUSSION: The present study, if successful, may provide a first proof of the concept that the rapid maturation of girls with an upward mismatch between pre- and post-natal weight gain can be slowed down with a fixed low-dose combination of old and safe generics jointly targeting a reduction of ectopic fat without necessarily lowering body weight. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EudraCT 2021-006766-21. Registered on May 30, 2022. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-07050-w.