GLQGE

GLQGE is a cyclic pentapeptide (Glycine-Leucine-Glutamine-Glycine-Glutamic acid) developed by the Max Planck Society and Heidelberg University for the treatment of fibrotic diseases, including liver and pulmonary fibrosis. GLQGE acts as an agonist of the collagen-binding integrins α10β1 and α11β1. By engaging these integrins, GLQGE mimics the cell-matrix interactions that suppress fibrotic signaling. In hepatocytes, GLQGE-mediated activation of α11β1 integrin suppresses TGF-β expression, while in fibroblasts, it directly inhibits activation, reducing alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression and collagen type I production. Preclinical studies in mouse models of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis and bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis have demonstrated that GLQGE significantly reduces extracellular matrix accumulation, collagen deposition, and fibrotic progression.

Other names

Gly-Leu-Gln-Gly-GluGlycine-Leucine-Glutamine-Glycine-Glutamic acidcyclic GLQGEcyclic Glycine-Leucine-Glutamine-Glycine-Glutamic acid