Gut & Inflammation

The endogenous 28-amino-acid 'hunger hormone' from the stomach — the natural ligand of GHS-R1a, the receptor that GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin, ipamorelin, and MK-677 all target. A research peptide and pharmacology reference, not a self-administered compound.

An endogenous gut-and-brain peptide hormone released by intestinal I-cells that triggers gallbladder contraction, pancreatic enzyme secretion, and meal-ending satiety via vagal CCK-1 receptors.

An FDA-approved 14-amino-acid oral peptide that activates intestinal guanylate cyclase-C to treat chronic idiopathic constipation and IBS-C in adults, plus functional constipation in children 6-17.

A thymic peptide approved in multiple countries for immune modulation, particularly in hepatitis and as a vaccine adjuvant.

An FDA-approved immunomodulatory peptide mixture for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).

An FDA-approved GLP-2 analogue that promotes intestinal growth, used for short bowel syndrome.

The pituitary hormone that tells the adrenal gland to make cortisol — available as the synthetic 1-24 fragment (cosyntropin) for adrenal testing and as a long-acting gel (Acthar) for a handful of inflammatory indications.

The endogenous 33-amino-acid intestinotrophic hormone co-released with GLP-1 from intestinal L-cells — the physiological template behind the FDA-approved short bowel syndrome drug teduglutide.

An FDA-approved synthetic decapeptide that selectively antagonizes the bradykinin B2 receptor, used as on-demand subcutaneous treatment for acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adults.

An 11-amino-acid endogenous tachykinin neuropeptide encoded by the TAC1 gene that acts primarily at the neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor — the first identified peptide neurotransmitter and a central mediator of pain transmission, neurogenic inflammation, and the vomiting reflex.

A 27-amino-acid peptide hormone produced by S cells of the duodenal mucosa — historically the first hormone ever identified (Bayliss & Starling, 1902, who coined the word 'hormone' to describe it). Secretin stimulates pancreatic bicarbonate-rich fluid secretion, modulates gastric acid via somatostatin, and is FDA-approved as a synthetic diagnostic reagent (ChiRhoStim) for pancreatic-function testing, gastrinoma evaluation, and secretin-stimulated MRCP imaging.

A 22-amino-acid gut hormone produced by M cells of the proximal small-intestinal mucosa, isolated and named by John Christopher Brown's group in Vancouver between 1966 and 1971, signaling through a single G-protein-coupled receptor (MLNR/GPR38) to drive the gastric phase III of the migrating motor complex during fasting.

A 36-amino-acid hormone of the PP-fold family produced by the F-cells (PP-cells) of the pancreatic islets, isolated by James Kimmel at the University of Kansas in 1975 and characterized as a postprandial vagally-mediated anorectic hormone that signals preferentially through the Y4 receptor — together with peptide YY and neuropeptide Y, it forms the canonical PP-fold/NPY family of feeding-related peptides.

A synthetic peptide that regulates intestinal tight junctions, in clinical trials for celiac disease and studied for leaky gut conditions.

A 25-amino-acid antimicrobial peptide secreted by the liver that serves as the master hormone of systemic iron homeostasis. By binding and internalizing the iron-efflux transporter ferroportin, hepcidin restricts iron release from enterocytes and macrophages into the circulation — and is central to the pathophysiology of anemia of inflammation, hereditary hemochromatosis, and polycythemia vera.

An endogenous 9-amino-acid vasoactive peptide generated by kallikrein cleavage of kininogen; the primary effector of the kinin-kallikrein system, driving vasodilation, vascular permeability, pain, and the molecular basis of hereditary angioedema and ACE-inhibitor cough.

A thymic peptide complex studied for immune system restoration, particularly in aging populations and immunocompromised states.

A naturally occurring neuropeptide with anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and immune-modulating properties. Early clinical data exists for pulmonary hypertension; other therapeutic uses remain under investigation.

An endogenous somatostatin-family neuropeptide identified in 1996 by Luis de Lecea and J. Gregor Sutcliffe at the Scripps Research Institute, expressed in cortical and hippocampal GABAergic interneurons and signaling through all five somatostatin receptors plus the ghrelin receptor and a separate cortistatin-preferring binding site, with distinctive roles in slow-wave sleep, neuronal depression, and immune anti-inflammatory regulation that distinguish it from somatostatin despite extensive pharmacological overlap.

A cationic antimicrobial peptide derived from N-terminal proteolytic cleavage of lactoferrin (the iron-binding glycoprotein abundant in milk, saliva, tears, and neutrophil granules) — bovine lactoferricin (Lfcin-B, residues 17-41) is a 25-amino-acid amphipathic peptide identified by Bellamy and colleagues in 1992 as the bactericidal core of lactoferrin, with broad-spectrum activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, plus apoptosis-inducing activity in tumor cell lines.

A family of opioid-active peptides released by gastrointestinal digestion of bovine beta-casein, isolated by Brantl, Henschen, Teschemacher, and colleagues at the Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie in 1979 — the seven-residue beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7) is the most studied member, central to the long-running A1 versus A2 milk debate, and the canonical example of an exogenous food-derived (exorphin) opioid peptide.

A synthetic peptide derived from a protective protein found in gastric juice, widely discussed for tissue repair and recovery.

A tripeptide fragment of alpha-MSH with potent anti-inflammatory properties, studied for inflammatory bowel disease and skin conditions.

A naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide that plays a key role in innate immune defense.

A zinc-dependent thymic peptide involved in T-cell maturation, studied for immune restoration and anti-inflammatory applications.

A naturally occurring immunopeptide that controls T cell migration into inflamed tissues. Discovered at the University of Birmingham, PEPITEM shows preclinical promise for inflammatory arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, psoriasis, bone loss, and age-related immune decline.

A synthetic immunomodulatory dipeptide (Glu-Trp) isolated from the thymic peptide complex Thymalin, studied for T-cell differentiation, anti-aging immune restoration, and anti-inflammatory activity as part of the Khavinson bioregulator system.

A stabilized form of BPC-157 combined with arginine, offering enhanced stability and potentially improved oral bioavailability.

A synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala) from the Khavinson system, studied for chromatin decondensation, hepatoprotection, and immune cell reactivation in aging.

An immunomodulatory tetrapeptide derived from human IgG, used in cosmeceuticals as Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to suppress skin inflammation (IL-6) and support anti-aging skin repair.

A synthetic tripeptide bioregulator (Glu-Asp-Gly) from the Khavinson system, studied for respiratory and bronchial mucosal health, anti-inflammatory gene regulation, and stress protection in lung tissue.

A milk-derived hexapeptide from bovine beta-casein with immunomodulatory, anticancer, and hepatoprotective properties studied primarily in ovarian cancer and liver disease models.

An endogenous tetrapeptide cleaved from thymosin β4 with broad antifibrotic activity across the heart, kidney, lung, and liver — historically developed as the chemoprotective drug goralatide and more recently studied as a biomarker of ACE-inhibitor activity.

A synthetic immunomodulatory dipeptide (Lys-Glu) isolated from the thymic peptide complex Thymalin, studied by the Khavinson group for T-cell support, gene-expression modulation, and lifespan endpoints in aging rodents.

A synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator (Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu) from the Khavinson system, studied for bronchial epithelial maintenance, mucin gene regulation, and adjunct use in chronic bronchitis and COPD within the Russian bioregulator framework.

An amphibian skin-derived cationic antimicrobial peptide from the Phyllomedusa sauvagii frog, studied in vitro for antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral membrane-disrupting activity. "DS5" is an ambiguous label across the peptide literature; this entry covers dermaseptin S5 specifically.

A synthetic short peptide (commonly cited as Glu-Asp-Pro, EDP) from the Khavinson program at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, positioned as the thymus / immune-system tissue-targeted bioregulator and the synthetic counterpart to the natural-extract preparation Thymalin — used within the Khavinson framework for age-related immune decline, with the thinnest peer-reviewed footprint in the bioregulator catalog.

A 5-residue active fragment of the 49-residue thymic peptide thymopoietin, characterized in the late 1970s and 1980s as an immunomodulator with effects on T-cell maturation. Used historically as an investigational and limited-clinical agent (Timunox in some markets) for chronic immune dysfunction including atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis, with the short plasma half-life (Tischio 1979) limiting practical clinical translation.

A 5-residue peptide derived from splenopoietin (the spleen-derived counterpart to thymopoietin) and characterized in the late 1980s and 1990s as an immunomodulator alongside the closely related thymopentin (TP-5). Singh and Biswas's 1998 Immunology Research review established splenopentin and thymopentin as paired immunomodulatory pentapeptides; the molecule has remained research-tier without clinical translation.

A synthetic tripeptide bioregulator (Glu-Asp-Leu) from the Khavinson system, studied for liver tissue support, hepatoprotection, and gastrointestinal health.