Effect of BPC-157 on Symptoms in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis: A Pilot Study.
Lee. Edwin E; Walker. Christopher C; Ayadi. Bahram B
Key Findings
- 10 out of 12 participants reported complete symptom resolution after a single 10 mg intravesical BPC‑157 injection
- The remaining 2 participants reported 80% improvement with only minor lingering symptoms
- No adverse events were reported and all participants completed the study
Practical Outcomes
- A single bladder injection of BPC‑157 showed dramatic short‑term relief in a small, uncontrolled pilot, suggesting it could be a powerful option for refractory interstitial cystitis. However, the procedure requires a medical setting, the sample size is tiny, and there’s no long‑term safety data, so biohackers should wait for larger trials before trying it on their own.
Summary
In a tiny study of 12 women with severe bladder pain who hadn't helped from the usual drug, a one-time injection of 10 mg BPC‑157 directly into the bladder cleared symptoms in most people and caused no side effects.
Abstract
Moderate to severe interstitial cystitis (also known as bladder pain syndrome) is a disabling disease with no effective treatment. Although pentosan polysulfate is an approved treatment for interstitial cystitis, some patients on this medication experience treatment failure after one year, and its long-term use has been linked to pigmentary maculopathy. The peptide Body Protective Compound 157 (BPC-157) is a possible treatment for interstitial cystitis but is currently not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. To assess the safety and efficacy of BPC-157 manufactured by a 503A compounding pharmacy as a treatment for interstitial cystitis. Twelve women between the ages of 39 and 76 years with a mean age of 58.3 years participated in this trial at a private clinic. Of these, 10 were White, one was Asian, and one was Latina. None of the 12 women had responded to pentosan polysulfate. The women underwent cystoscopy and were treated with injections of the peptide BPC-157 (total of 10 mg) around the area of inflammation of the bladder during a single procedure. Global Response Assessment questionnaire was given to all the subjects to assess the efficacy of BPC-157. Complete resolution of symptoms after one treatment was reported in 10 of 12 patients, who rated their success at 100%. The remaining 2 of 12 patients rated their success at 80%, with most symptoms resolved but about 20% of their symptoms lingering. No one dropped out of the study, and no adverse events were reported. This therapy was successful because all 12 patients scored a 5/5 on the Global Response Assessment. This is the first report of intravesical BPC-157 (10 mg) injection to help patients with moderate to severe interstitial cystitis who did not respond to pentosan polysulfate treatment.
Study Information
pubmed
2024