IBD / leaky gut

Larazotide is a zonulin-antagonist octapeptide that tightens intestinal tight junctions; a phase 2 RCT reduced symptoms in celiac disease and it reverses zonulin-driven leaky gut in animal models.

The stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC-157 shows cytoprotective and mucosal-healing effects across gastrointestinal injury and ulcerative colitis models in rodents, though human IBD trial data are lacking.

KPV, a naturally occurring alpha-MSH-derived tripeptide, alleviated ulcerative colitis in mouse models by accelerating mucosal healing and downregulating TNF-alpha in colonic epithelial cells and macrophages.

The human cathelicidin LL-37 and its active fragment KR-12 reduced inflammation and normalized colonic microbiota across four mouse models of colitis, suggesting cathelicidins as a potential IBD therapy.

In a prospective open-label IBD trial, low-dose naltrexone induced clinical improvement in ~75% and remission in ~26% of therapy-refractory patients, and directly improved epithelial barrier wound healing while reducing mucosal ER stress.

alpha-MSH and the melanocortin system counteract colitis inflammation and cytokine imbalance in the intestinal microenvironment across mouse models, supporting melanocortin agonism as an IBD strategy.