# Linking GERD and the Peptide Bombesin: A New Therapeutic Strategy to Modulate Inflammatory, Oxidative Stress and Clinical Biochemistry Parameters

## TL;DR

This study explores how the peptide bombesin can help treat GERD by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, similar to existing treatments like omeprazole.

## Contribution

The study introduces bombesin as a novel therapeutic agent for modulating inflammation and oxidative stress in GERD.

## Key findings

- Bombesin reduced gastric pain and inflammatory markers in GERD-induced mice.
- Bombesin diminished oxidative and nitrosative stress markers similarly to omeprazole.
- Bombesin modulated gastric pH by restoring gastric homeostasis.

## Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) represents one of the most prevalent foregut illnesses, affecting a large portion of individuals worldwide. Recent research has shown that inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, and enzymes are crucial for causing esophageal mucosa alterations in GERD patients. It seems likely that the expression of various cytokines in the esophageal mucosa also induces oxidative stress by increasing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). As humoral agents and peptidergic neurotransmitters that may support the enterogastric axis, bombesin and its related bombesin-like peptide, GRP (gastrin releasing peptide), have not been fully investigated. Therefore, considering all these assumptions, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of bombesin in reestablishing biochemical markers linked with inflammation and oxidative/nitrosative stress in GERD pathological settings. C57BL/6 mice were alternatively overfed and fasted for 56 days to induce GERD and then treated with bombesin (0.1, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg intraperitoneally) once daily for 7 days, and omeprazole was used as the positive control. After 7 days of treatment, gastric pain and inflammatory markers were evaluated. Abdominal pain was significantly reduced following bombesin administration, which was also successful in diminishing inflammatory and oxidative/nitrosative stress markers in a manner overlapping with omeprazole. Moreover, bombesin was also able to appreciably modulate gastric pH as a result of the restoration of gastric homeostasis. Overall, these observations indicated that the upregulation of bombesin and interconnected peptides is a promising alternative approach to treat GERD patients.