Stable gastric pentadecapeptide
BPC 157 (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, M.W. 1419) may be the new
drug stable in human gastric juice, effective both in the upper and lower GI tract, and free of side effects.
BPC 157, in addition to an antiulcer effect efficient in
therapy of
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (PL 14736) so far only tested in clinical phase II, has a very safe profile, and exhibited a particular wound healing effect. It also has shown to interact with the NO-system, providing endothelium protection and angiogenic effect, even in severely impaired conditions (i.e., it stimulated expression of early growth response 1 gene responsible for
cytokine and
growth factor generation and early extracellular matrix (
collagen) formation (but also its repressor
nerve growth factor 1-A
binding protein-2)), important to counteract severe complications of advanced and poorly controlled IBD. Hopefully, the lessons from animal studies, particularly advanced intestinal anastomosis healing, reversed
short bowel syndrome and
fistula healing indicate
BPC 157's high significance in further IBD
therapy. Also, this supportive evidence (i.e., no toxic effect, limit test negative, LD1 not achieved, no side effect in trials) may counteract the problems commonly exercised in the use of peptidergic agents, particularly those used on a long-term basis.