Years ago, we revealed a novel cytoprotective mediator, stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157, particular anti-ulcer peptide that heals different organs lesions when given as a therapy, native in human gastric juice while maintaining GI-tract mucosal integrity, already tested in trials (ulcerative colitis and now multiple sclerosis). The stomach cytoprotection is the most fundamental concept, stomach cell protection and endothelium protection are largely elaborated, but so far cell, protection and endothelium protection outside of the stomach were not implemented in the therapy. However, having managed these two points, stomach cell protection and endothelium protection, either one or together, even much more than standard cytoprotective agents do, BPC 157 employed large scale of its beneficial effects seen in various organs. Providing endothelium protection, BPC 157 was shown to prevent formation and reverse established thrombosis in anastomosed abdominal aorta as well as venous thrombosis after inferior caval vein occlusion, and attenuate bleeding prolongation and thrombocytopenia after amputation, without or with anticoagulants, or venous occlusion, and finally counteract effect of L-NAME and/or L- arginine. Now, with BPC 157 application, we reveal the third most important part of the cytoprotection concept: with the stomach cell and endothelium protection to recover mucosal integrity, BPC 157 as prototype cytoprotective agent should also control blood vessel function, depending upon injury, perforated defect or vessel obstruction. After a perforated injury (i.e., stomach), BPC 157 therapy activates blood vessels "running" towards defect. After obstruction (i.e., inferior caval vein), BPC 157 activates vessels "running" towards bypassing defect, collaterals functioning. Reestablished blood flow, and largely reversed injurious course may practically implement the cytoprotection concept.

We reviewed stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157-NO-system-relation, its close participation in Moncada's (maintained vascular integrity, platelets control) homeostatic healing response of NO-system to injury. Namely, BPC 157's particular healing effect also affects all events after vascular integrity loss (dependent on circumstances, it reduces either thrombosis (abdominal aorta anastomosis) or bleeding/thrombocytopenia (amputation, heparin, warfarin, aspirin)) and in a series of different injurious models, acute and chronic, BPC 157 consistently advances healing after severe injuries in various tissues spontaneously unable to heal; stimulates egr-1 and naB2 genes; exhibits high safety (LD1 not achieved)). Hypothesis, that BPC 157 (since formed constitutively in the gastric mucosa, stable in human gastric juice, along with significance of NO-synthase and the basal formation of NO in stomach mucosa, greater than that seen in other tissues) exhibits a general, effective competing both with L-arginine analogues (i. e., L-NAME) and L-arginine, and that this has some physiologic importance (NO-generation), later, practically supports its beneficial effects illustrating BPC 157 and NOsystem mutual (with L-NAME/L-arginine; alone and together) relations in (i) gastric mucosa and mucosal protection, following alcohol lesions, in cytoprotection course, NO-generation, and blood pressure regulation; (ii) alcohol acute/chronic intoxication, and withdrawal; (iii) cardiovascular disturbances, chronic heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, and arrhythmias; (iv) disturbances after hypokalemia and hyperkalemia, and potassium-cell membrane dysfunction; and finally, in (v) complex healing failure, proved by the fistulas healing, colocutaneous and esophagocutaneous. However, how this advantage of modulating NO-system (i. e., particular effect on eNOS gene), may be practically translated into an enhanced clinical performance remains to be determined.

Commonly, the angiogenic growth factors signify healing. However, gastrointestinal ulceration is still poorly understood particularly with respect to a general pharmacological/pathophysiological role of various angiogenic growth factors implemented in growth factors wound healing concept. Thereby, we focused on the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157, a peptide given always alone vs. standard peptidergic angiogenic growth factors (EGF, FGF, VEGF), and numerous carriers. Further, we reviewed how the gastrointestinal tract healing could be generally perceived (i) in terms of angiogenic growth factors, and/or (ii) through the healing of extragastrointestinal tissues healing, such as tendon, ligament, muscle and bone, and vice versa. Respected were the beneficial effects obtained with free peptides or peptides with different carriers; EGF, FGF, VEGF, and BPC 157, their presentation along with injuries, and a healing commonality, providing their implementation in both gastrointestinal ulcer healing and tendon, ligament, muscle and bone healing. Only BPC 157 was consistently effective in all of the models of acute/chronic injury of esophagus, stomach, duodenum and lower gastrointestinal tract, intraperitoneally, per-orally or locally. Unlike bFGF-, EGF-, VEGF-gastrointestinal tract studies demonstrating improved healing, most of the studies on tendon, muscle and bone injuries provide evidence of their (increased) presentation along with the various procedures used to produce beneficial effects, compared to fewer studies in vitro, while in vivo healing has a limited number of studies, commonly limited to local application, diverse healing evidence with diverse carriers and delivery systems. Contrary to this, BPC 157 - using same regimens like in gastrointestinal healing studies - improves tendon, ligament and bone healing, accurately implementing its own angiogenic effect in the healing. Thus, we claim that just BPC 157 represents in practice a pharmacological and pathophysiological role of various peptidergic growth factors.

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