Targeting gastrin for the treatment of acute gastric GVHD
Gawron J, Czech M, Ruckert T, et al. Gastrin for the Treatment of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease of the Stomach. Blood. 2026; (doi: 10.1182/blood.2025031080).
Experiments with mice and observations in humans justify clinical trial evaluation of pentagastrin as an intervention against acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), researchers report. A potentially fatal complication following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, particularly among patients with steroid-refractory disease, aGVHD results in elevated levels of gastric pH in the stomach. This change is the result of the loss of parietal cells (PCs) and G-cells that manufacture gastrin, an enteroendocrine hormone. Stomach biopsies of patients developing aGVHD reveal an association between low gastrin levels and decreased survival. However, aGVHD mice treated with pentagastrin improved survival through restored PCs, the return of stomach pH to normal levels, mended stem cell deficits, and reduced aGVHD damage.