BPC 157 Rescued NSAID-cytotoxicity Via Stabilizing Intestinal Permeability
Park et al./PubMed/2021
Why It Matters
If you take NSAIDs regularly for pain or inflammation, you're risking gut damage — this isn't just stomach ulcers, but intestinal permeability issues throughout your GI tract. This review caught my attention because NSAIDs are one of the most common drugs people take, yet we still don't have great solutions for their gut side effects. BPC-157 is being explored as a protective agent, but this is a review article synthesizing mostly animal data, not new human trials.
Key Findings
- BPC-157 protected stomach and intestinal cells against multiple irritants in preclinical models: NSAIDs, alcohol, and bile acids
- The peptide appears to work by protecting endothelial cells (blood vessel lining) first, which then prevents damage to epithelial cells (the gut barrier)
- BPC-157 showed effects beyond the stomach — also demonstrated protection in liver, pancreas, heart, brain, and skin in animal studies
- The peptide reduced bleeding complications and thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts) associated with NSAID use in experimental models
- Authors frame this as addressing 'leaky gut syndrome' after NSAID administration, though this remains a contested clinical concept
Read the Paper↗PMID: 32445447