Treatment for Intestinal Permeability by Roy Jamron

Celiac.com 07/01/2006 - With the likelihood that increased intestinal permeability in celiacs caused by gluten damage to the intestinal mucosa leads to a high prevalance of liver damage as well as an increase in food allergy and possible other medical conditions, emphasis on healing the intestinal mucosa should be given an elevated priority. Simply going on a gluten-free diet and waiting months or years for the intestine to heal may not be enough.

Friendly commensal gut bacteria are an important part of the intestinal barrier, and thus probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, or supplemental
probiotic capsules, do help diminish the amount of endotoxins released by pathogenic gut bacteria getting through the barrier. Liver disease studies confirm the benefit of probiotics by reducing inflammation and infection. However, to date, there is no product currently available which can enhance the repair and regeneration process of the mucosal epithelia.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
Undergoing current clinical studies in Crohns patients, Teduglutide may enhance mucosal healing, but requires multiple daily injections:

Cell Prolif. 2004 Dec;37(6):385-400.
Teduglutide ([Gly2]GLP-2) protects small intestinal stem cells from
radiation damage.
Booth C, Booth D, Williamson S, Demchyshyn LL, Potten CS.
Abstract:
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New Crohns Disease Drug Induces Remission Through Mucosal Healing
By Martha Kerr
(Free article, free Medscape registration may be required.)
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A while back I posted an abstract about a protein called R-spondin1 which is "a specific and potent stimulator of the human epithelial cells that line the gastrointestinal tract and mouth." R-spondin1 is a product being developed by Nuvelo, Inc. of San Carlos, CA designated as NU206. The press release describing NU206 is:
Nuvelo Announces NU206 Publication in Science (August 18, 2005)
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An article discussing the discovery and potentials of R-spondin1 is available in the New England Journal of Medicine, and free full text of
that article is available at the address below:
NEJM.-Volume 353:2297-2299 November 24, 2005 Number 21
Inducing Intestinal Growth
Clara Abraham, M.D., and Judy H. Cho, M.D.
Free Full Text Reprint of NEJM article:
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Nuvelo has recently announced plans for the "initiation of a Phase 1 study of NU206, which is being developed for the treatment of cancer therapy-induced mucositis in the second half of 2006." Obviously the benefits of NU206 go beyond that of cancer therapy. Healing the epithelial tissues of celiacs with NU206 may rapidly eliminate increased intestinal permeability and other associated conditions. Nuvelo had a live webcast of its annual shareholder meeting this Wednesday, May 24, at 11:00 am PDT. No new information on NU206 was provided at the meeting other than that plans to initiate the NU206 Phase 1 study are proceding.

Replay of Nuvelo Webcast:
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