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Published on: November 5, 2021
BPC 157 as Potential Treatment for COVID-19
1Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 78712 Austin, TX, USA.
Insights
BPC 157, a peptide with anti-inflammatory and endothelial-protective effects, shows promise in managing COVID-19 complications. Animal studies suggest it may improve vascular integrity and reduce disease severity, warranting further clinical investigation.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
Background:
- COVID-19 is a global pandemic primarily affecting vascular endothelial cells, leading to multi-organ failure.
- Comorbidities and organ injuries are critical factors in COVID-19 patient management.
- Endothelial dysfunction and thrombosis are key pathological features of severe COVID-19.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of BPC 157 as a novel therapeutic agent for managing COVID-19.
- To review the demonstrated anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and endothelial-protective effects of BPC 157.
- To discuss the role of BPC 157 in improving vascular function and immune response in the context of COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical data from animal models investigating BPC 157's effects.
- Analysis of BPC 157's mechanism of action, including endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation.
- Examination of BPC 157's impact on tissue repair, vascular integrity, and inflammatory markers.
Main Results:
- BPC 157 exhibits anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and endothelial-protective properties across various species and organ systems.
- Activation of eNOS by BPC 157 leads to nitric oxide (NO) release, promoting tissue repair and angiomodulation.
- Potential benefits include improved vascular integrity, enhanced immune response, reduced inflammation, and decreased disease severity.
Conclusions:
- BPC 157 demonstrates significant potential as a prophylactic and complementary treatment for COVID-19 based on preclinical evidence.
- Further drug development and human clinical trials are essential to validate its efficacy and safety for clinical use.
- Understanding BPC 157's vascular-protective mechanisms is crucial for its application in managing COVID-19-related complications.
Abstract:
The emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China at the end of 2019 has caused a large global outbreak. COVID-19 is largely seen as a thrombotic and vascular disease targeting endothelial cells (ECs) throughout the body that can provoke the breakdown of central vascular functions. This explains the complications and multi-organ failure seen in COVID-19 patients including acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiovascular complications, liver damage, and neurological damage. Acknowledging the comorbidities and potential organ injuries throughout the course of COVID-19 is therefore crucial in the clinical management of patients. Here we discuss BPC 157, based primarily on animal model data, as a novel agent that can improve the clinical management of COVID-19. BPC 157 is a peptide that has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective, and endothelial-protective effects in different organ systems in different species. BPC 157 activated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is associated with nitric oxide (NO) release, tissue repair and angiomodulatory properties which can lead to improved vascular integrity and immune response, reduced proinflammatory profile, and reduced critical levels of the disease. As a result, discussion of its use as a potential prophylactic and complementary treatment is critical. All examined treatments, although potentiality effective against COVID-19, need either appropriate drug development or clinical trials in humans to be suitable for clinical use.
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