Kidney Disease Abstract: Endocalyx Pro™ supplementation preserves microvascular health in South Asian type 2 diabetic patients in a randomized controlled trial.

South Asian diabetic patients have an increased risk of developing vascular complications and microvascular dysfunction has been linked to the development of these diabetic complications. We investigated the effect of 3 months Endocalyx Pro™ supplementation on microvascular health, measured with SDF imaging, in South Asian type 2 diabetic patients in a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial (NCT03889236). The Endocalyx Pro™ group received Endocalyx Pro™ supplement daily for 3 consecutive months, which consists of a mix of fucoidan, glucosamine sulphate, hyaluronic acid, superoxide dismutase and polyphenols. Primary outcome was improvement of microvascular parameters measured with SDF-imaging. In vitro, the inhibitory effect of fucoidan to the heparan sulphate-degrading enzyme heparanase was evaluated. At baseline, clinical parameters or inflammatory markers were within normal ranges for both groups, and were not affected by Endocalyx Pro™ supplementation as evaluated with linear mixed models. Endocalyx Pro™ supplementation improved capillary blood volume, Microvascular Health Score and the perfused boundary region (PBR) compared to the placebo group evaluated with independent T-test. In contrast to the placebo group, no increase in plasma heparanase activity was observed after Endocalyx Pro™ supplementation. In vitro examination showed that Endocalyx Pro’s™ principal component fucoidan dose dependently inhibited heparanase. This study shows that Endocalyx Pro™ preserves microvascular health in South Asian diabetic patients, potentially through the heparanase inhibiting effect of fucoidan.