Researchers are continually looking for unique pathways to treat digestive diseases, such as constipation and irritable bowel syndrome.
Linaclotide is a novel therapy that works on a transmembrane protein in the lining of the gut called guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C).
Specific gut hormones utilize GC-C to regulate intestinal fluid secretion. Linaclotide is unique in that it exerts its effect locally in the intestine while having minimal systemic exposure.
Thirty-six women suffering from IBS with constipation (IBS-C) were examined in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, which consisted of a five-day baseline and a five-day treatment period. The endpoints were gastrointestinal transit and bowel function. Patients who received linaclotide experienced a significant acceleration of ascending colon emptying and overall colonic transit as well as a significant improvement in stool consistency, stool frequency, ease of passage and time to first bowel movement. The degree to which stool was loosened was strongly dependent on the dosage of linaclotide administered.
“Among the study participants, linaclotide was able to improve a range of bowel functions, which are typically impaired in patients with IBS-C,” said Viola Andresen, M.D., of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and lead author of this study. “Clearly additional studies are warranted, but we remain optimistic that this treatment may hold promise for people with constipation-predominant IBS.”