Teduglutide (brand names Gattex in the US and Revestive in Europe) is a 33-membered poly peptide and

glucagon-like peptide-2 Glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) is a 33 amino acid peptide with the sequence HADGSFSDEMNTILDNLAARDFINWLIQTKITD (see Proteinogenic amino acid) in humans. GLP-2 is created by specific post-translational proteolytic cleavage of proglucagon in a process ...

(GLP-2) analog that is used for the treatment of short bowel syndrome. It works by promoting

mucosa A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It is ...

l growth and possibly restoring

gastric emptying Gastrointestinal physiology is the branch of Human body, human physiology that addresses the physical function of the Human gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The function of the GI tract is to process ingested food by mechanical a ...

and secretion. In Europe it has been granted

orphan drug An orphan drug is a pharmaceutical agent developed to treat medical conditions which, because they are so rare, would not be profitable to produce without government assistance. The conditions are referred to as orphan diseases. The assignment of ...

status and is marketed under the brand Revestive by Nycomed. It was approved by the United States under the name Gattex on 21 December 2012, where it was given status as an orphan drug.

Medical uses

Up to a certain point, the gut can adapt to partial resections that result in short bowel syndrome. Still,

parenteral A route of administration in pharmacology and toxicology is the way by which a drug, fluid, poison, or other substance is taken into the body. Routes of administration are generally classified by the location at which the substance is applied. ...

substitution of water, minerals and vitamins (depending on which part of the gut has been removed) is often necessary. Teduglutide may reduce or shorten the necessity of such infusions by improving the intestinal mucosa and possibly by other mechanisms.

Adverse effects

Common adverse effects in clinical studies included abdominal discomfort (49% of patients), respiratory infections (28%), nausea (27%) and vomiting (14%), local reactions at the injection site (21%), and headache (17%).

Chemistry and mechanism of action

Teduglutide differs from natural GLP-2 by a single amino acid: an alanine is replaced with a glycine. This blocks breaking down of the molecule by

dipeptidyl peptidase Dipeptidyl peptidase is a type of enzyme classified under EC 3.4.14. Types include: * Cathepsin C, dipeptidyl peptidase-1 * Dipeptidyl-peptidase II * DPP3, dipeptidyl peptidase-3 * DPP4, Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 * DPP6, dipeptidyl peptidase-6 * ...

and increases its half-life from seven minutes (GLP-2) to about two hours, while retaining its biological actions. These include maintenance of the intestinal mucosa, increasing intestinal blood flow, reducing gastrointestinal motility and

secretion 440px Secretion is the movement of material from one point to another, such as a secreted chemical substance from a cell or gland. In contrast, excretion is the removal of certain substances or waste products from a cell or organism. The classical ...

of gastric acid.

References

{{Other alimentary tract and metabolism products Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system and metabolism Orphan drugs Peptides Takeda Pharmaceutical Company brands