Effective therapy of transected quadriceps muscle in rat: Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157

Staresinic M, Petrovic I, Novinscak T, Seiwerth S, Sikiric P, et al. · Journal of Orthopaedic Research

Healing improved across the full 72-day follow-up on four independent axes: load to failure, walking recovery and extensor postural thrust, desmin-positive muscle fibres bridging the stumps with myofibril diameters returning to healthy values, and absence of the post-surgery leg contracture seen in controls.

Population

Rats with the quadriceps completely transected 1 cm proximal to the patella — a defect that does not close spontaneously

Intervention

BPC 157 10 µg, 10 ng or 10 pg/kg i.p. once daily, first dose 30 min post-transection

Comparator

Saline

Limitations

Originating Zagreb network; effect reported across a 10 pg–10 µg/kg range with no dose-response separation, which is itself unusual.