In Hydronephrosis‐Rats, BPC 157 Exerts a Strong Anti‐Ulcer Effect in Both Stomach and Duodenum along with Marked Kidney Recovery

Abstract

Background/HypothesisWe focused on the anti‐ulcerogenic potential of the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in rats used to have unilateral ureter obstruction. Prolonged unilateral ureter obstruction (UUO) after obstruction removal in addition to renal injury, may produce significant stomach and duodenal lesions in rats. Previously, BPC 157 markedly counteracted gastric lesions in nephrectomized rats (FASEB J 2016; 30: 1 Suppl:720.2; FASEB J 2015;29: 1:628.10).MethodsRats had ureteral ligation for 72 hours, and thereby, hydronephrosis, fibrosis development, tubular cell damage, and interstitial inflammation. Then, at 5 min after the ureter was obstruction was removed, we applied medication (stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (10 μg/kg; 10 ng/kg) or saline) given as an intraperitoneal bath (1mL bath/rat). Assessment was at 24 h and 96 h after medication and included renal lesions (0‐ healthy kidney, 1‐ mild hydronephrosis, 2‐ moderate hydronephrosis, visible dilation of renal pelvis, few lesions on kidney surface, 3‐ severe hydronephrosis, dilatation of renal pelvis, thinning of the renal parenchyma and considerable number of lesions on the kidney surface), gastric and duodenal lesions (sum of the longest diameters, mm), urea, creatinine, AST, ALT, bilirubin, K, Na, Mg, Ca, inorganic phosphates in serum, as described (Sikiric et al, Curr Pharm Des. 2014;20(7):1126–35).ResultsBPC 157 medication results in marked and advanced improvement, seen at 24 h and 96 h thereafter. For illustration, regular severe hydronephrosis, dilatation of renal pelvis, thinning of the renal parenchyma was reversed to only mild or no hydronephrosis. Likewise, both gastric and duodenal lesions, that regularly appear as quite severe hemorrhagic lesions (gastric 12±1; duodenal 9±2 at 24h), were markedly reduced, or completely eliminated after BPC 157 medication, either 10 μg or 10 ng regimen (stomach 1±1; duodenal 1±1 at 24 h, 10 ng‐regimen).ConclusionsIn hydronephrosis‐rats, BPC 157 exerts a strong anti‐ulcer effect in both stomach and duodenum along with marked kidney recovery.Support or Funding InformationThis work was supported by the University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia (Grant BM 099).Figure 1