Phase II, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Omega-3 Fatty Acids as an Adjunct to Morphine in Acute Postoperative Pain
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Omega-3 fatty acids + Morphine group, Placebo+ Morphine group.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Pain Postoperative, Analgesia. Basic parameters: 18 years — 65 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Argentina
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
This is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group proof-of-concept study to evaluate the analgesic efficacy and safety of omega-3 fatty acids as an adjunct to morphine for acute postoperative pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients will receive either omega-3 fatty acid supplementation or a placebo before and after surgery. At the end of surgery, a loading dose of morphine of 0.04 mg/kg body weight will be administered intravenously as a bolus in both groups. The primary endpoint will be the total amount of rescue morphine used during the first 24 postoperative hours.
Detailed description
Currently, the most widely used drugs for treating post-surgical pain are opioids, such as morphine. Morphine works primarily by activating specific opioid receptors, providing significant pain relief but also causing side effects that limit its use.
Preclinical studies in our laboratory have shown that combined treatment with morphine and omega-3 fatty acids produces an additive enhancement of morphine's analgesic effect, mediated by the opioid pathway. Furthermore, we observed that this combined treatment prevents development of tolerance to morphine's analgesic effect and reduces some of the drug's adverse effects.
In order to reduce morphine dose and decrease or avoid morphine's side effects, the present study was designed to administer omega-3 fatty acids as an adjunct to morphine for acute postoperative pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Interventions
- Drug Omega-3 fatty acids + Morphine group
The omega-3 fatty acids will be given twice before surgery (1680 mg/day) once on the day of surgery (840 mg) with 0,04 mg/kg morphine, and twice the day after surgery (1680 mg/day). It will be administered with lunch or dinner. - Other Placebo+ Morphine group
The placebo will be given twice before surgery (1680 mg/day) once on the day of surgery (840 mg) with 0,04 mg/kg morphine, and twice the day after surgery (1680 mg/day). It will be administered with lunch or dinner.
Primary outcome measures
- Total Morphine Requirement [Time frame: 24hs]
Secondary outcome measures (6)
- Average Pain Score [Time frame: 24 hs]
- Average Nausea Score [Time frame: 24 hs]
- Average Pruritus Score [Time frame: 24 hs]
- Average Vomiting Score [Time frame: 24 hs]
- Average Respiratory Depression Score [Time frame: 24hs]
- Average Urinary Retention Score [Time frame: 24 hs]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Able to provide written informed consent prior to any study procedures;
- Able to communicate clearly with the Investigator and staff;
- Males and females aged 18 to 65;
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) risk class of I to II;
- Patients with an indication for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Exclusion criteria
- Patients with reduced kidney function (serum creatinine level above 2 mg/dl).
- Sensitive to local anesthetics.
- A history of hepatic insufficiency.
- Chronic pain.
- Patients with diabetes.
- Patients with Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 35 kg/m2.
- Daily intake of analgesics or corticosteroids.
- Patients with Inflammatory bowel disease.
- Chronic opioid use.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Double blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Argentina · 1 center
- National University of La Rioja — La Rioja
Publications
- Athanasiou A, Charalambous M, Anastasiou T, Soteriades ES. Pre- and post-operative administration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cardiac surgery patients. A narrative review. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2025 Mar 18;87(4):2068-2092. doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000003061. eCollection 2025 Apr. PMID 40212170
- Arriaza N, Papuzinski C, Kirmayr M, Matta M, Aranda F, Stojanova J, Madrid E. Efficacy of methadone for the management of postoperative pain in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A randomized clinical trial. Medwave. 2021 Mar 23;21(2):e8135. doi: 10.5867/medwave.2021.02.8134. English, Spanish. PMID 33905405
- Ikeda I, Sasaki E, Yasunami H, Nomiyama S, Nakayama M, Sugano M, Imaizumi K, Yazawa K. Digestion and lymphatic transport of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids given in the form of triacylglycerol, free acid and ethyl ester in rats. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1995 Dec 7;1259(3):297-304. doi: 10.1016/0005-2760(95)00180-8. PMID 8541338
- Escudero GE, Romanuk CB, Toledo ME, Olivera ME, Manzo RH, Laino CH. Analgesia enhancement and prevention of tolerance to morphine: beneficial effects of combined therapy with omega-3 fatty acids. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2015 Sep;67(9):1251-62. doi: 10.1111/jphp.12416. Epub 2015 May 25. PMID 26011306
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07657468 · UNLAR