Helminthic therapy and peptide therapy
Peptide therapeutics have played a notable role in medical practice since the advent of insulin therapy in the 1920s. By June 2018, over 60 peptides had been approved for clinical use (for example, BPC 157 and Copper peptide GHK-Cu), and more are being developed. [1]
An increasing number of people who are hosting therapeutic helminths are considering combining this therapy with the use of one or more of the therapeutic peptides, but there are currently few reports of experience with a combination of the two therapies.
Early indications are that most, if not all of the therapeutic peptides are safe for use alongside the currently available therapeutic helminths, including the most vulnerable of these, NA. For example, BPC-157, [2] GHK-Cu, TA-1 and TB4/TB500 appear to be worm-safe.
Many of the peptides do affect the immune system, so the outcome of a combined helminth-peptide therapy is mostly unknown at this point and will also depend on a patient’s underlying health conditions. There is one report of BPC157 negatively impacting hay-fever [3] - possibly due to histamine up-regulation - and the TA-1 peptide may cause a TH2 to TH1 shift in immune regulation, with the opposite being true for the VIP peptide, which is why it is important for individuals to carry out their own research and use an individual health condition-specific approach.
Some peptides can affect the microbiome, i.e. the bacteria/fungi/virus communities in the gut. Those peptides are also more likely to have a negative effect on helminths, much like antibiotics. The antimicrobial peptide, LL-37 is one example where caution is advised.
Anecdotal reports
