The Protease Inhibitor Darunavir Prevents Esophagitis and Impairments in Esophageal Barrier Function in a Mouse Model of GERD
. GERD induced inflammation, with significant increases in edema, MPO, KC, DIS, histological changes and HIF-2α, and disrupted barrier function, reducing ZO-1 and OCLD levels. All these alterations were significantly reversed in darunavir-treated animals. These findings demonstrate that darunavir, a clinically available drug with anti-pepsin properties, inhibits GERD-induced inflammation and HIF-2α activation, preserving tight junction proteins and mucosal integrity. Thus, darunavir could be repurposed as a novel therapeutic option for GERD.
Authors
- Alexandre Havt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4546-2976)
- Álvaro Xavier Franco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3600-7290)
- Humberto Barbosa da Costa Filho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2085-6773)
- Thiago M. Sales (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7984-0480)
- Stuart Jon Spechler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5635-5386)
- Antonio Carlos Pereira de Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0136-5944)
- Pedro Marcos Gomes Soares (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0606-2539)
- Lara Mara Gomes Da Silva
- a de Castro Lopes
- Marcellus Henrique Loiola Ponte de Souza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2376-3433)
- Lucas Antônio Duarte Nicolau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9904-2168)
- CN Monteiro
- Marco Antônio de Freitas Clementino
- Ananda Moara Lima Daniel
- Rhonda Frances Souza
- Antonia Beatriz Alves Ferreira
- Sarah Antonieli Carneiro Alicrim
Institutions
- Universidade Federal do Ceará (BR)
- Baylor University Medical Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology
- Published
- 2026-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpgi.00058.2025
- Primary Topic
- Gastroesophageal reflux and treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico