Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Transl Med. Nov 28, 2026; 12(4): 124866
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.5528/wjtm.124866
Published online Nov 28, 2026. doi: 10.5528/wjtm.124866
Therapeutic peptides in inflammatory bowel disease: From mechanistic rationale to clinical translation
Hirannya Karunadasa, Abhinav Vasudevan, Department of Gastroenterology, Eastern Health, Box Hill 3128, Victoria, Australia
Abhinav Vasudevan, Eastern Clinical School, Monash University, Box Hill 3128, Victoria, Australia
Author contributions: Karunadasa H writing-original draft, review & editing; Vasudevan A conceptualisation, writing-review & editing, supervision.
AI contribution statement: AI tools were not used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Vasudevan A has received speaker consultation fees from Abbvie, Ferring and Pfizer. Karunadasa H has no declarations.
Corresponding author: Abhinav Vasudevan, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, FRACP, De
Received: June 25, 2026
Revised: August 11, 2026
Accepted: October 8, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 132 Days and 5.8 Hours
Revised: August 11, 2026
Accepted: October 8, 2026
Published online: November 28, 2026
Processing time: 132 Days and 5.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Therapeutic peptides represent a promising but still largely unproven class of agents in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Therapeutic peptides offer potential advantages over small molecules and biologic therapies and may provide clinicians with novel therapeutic options for IBD. This review highlights the rationale for peptide-based therapies in IBD, summarises key candidates across major classes of peptides and potential barriers to widespread use in IBD.