Spinal Instability in Rats Counteracted by Pentadecapeptide BPC 157

To induce spinal instability, we focused on bilateral facetectomy in rats and possible therapeutic benefit with the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 given in the drinking water. Recently, using a well‐designed rat model (L2‐L3 compression), we demonstrated that the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 improved the spinal cord injury (FASEB J 2015, 29, 617.5), concluding that under the conditions of one single application, given soon after spinal cord injury, motor function was markedly recovered, axonal and neuronal necrosis was counteracted, as was demyelination and cyst formation. Previously shown to counteract the consequence of peripheral (sciatic) nerve transection/anastomosis, improve nerve healing (Regul Pept. 2010 Feb 25;160(1–3):33–41.), brain trauma (Regul Pept. 2010;160(1–3):26–32.), and various encephalopathies (Curr Pharm Des. 2018;24(18):1990–2001), BPC 157 (LD1 not achieved) was implemented as an anti‐ulcer peptide in inflammatory bowel disease trials and now in a multiple sclerosis trial(Curr Pharm Des. 2018;24(18):1990–2001). In this study, the bilateral paravertebral muscles attached to the L3–L4 segment were peeled from the lumbar spine to expose the posterior bony elements. The rats then underwent complete resection of bilateral L3–L4 facet joints without neural tissue injuries. The medication was given in drinking water (BPC 157 10 ng/kg, 0.16 ng/mL, 12 ml/rat/day) through next 8 weeks, while controls received drinking water only. Radiological assesment of rat spines acquired at 1 week or 8 weeks was conducted (Figure 1). At 1 week, controls and BPC 157 animals exhibited no gross deformity observed in any plane, disk spaces seem unaffected, neural foramen at operated level is slightly widened, though BPC 157 drinking animals had higher bone density overall. At 8 weeks, both groups exhibited no gross deformity observed in any plane, unaffected disk spaces, widened neural foramen at the operated level is slightly widened, though there was an additional discrepancy in bone density overall between groups (BPC 157 having markedly more sclerotic and better defined bones). Also worth noting is the lack of abundant callus formation in the BPC 157 rats whereas the controls have visible callus formation in seemingly random patterns near the affected level. In addition, a significant motor disability which appears in controls immediately upon injury induction, was completely counteracted in BPC 157 drinking rats. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Republic of Croatia [grant number 108‐1083570‐3635]. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .