VIP Peptide Guide

VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide) is an endogenous 28-amino acid neuropeptide with potent mast cell-stabilizing, anti-inflammatory, and gut-healing effects. It is best known in clinical peptide therapy as a cornerstone of the Shoemaker CIRS protocol and as an emerging treatment for mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), chronic Lyme, and long COVID-associated neuroinflammation.

Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is a 28-amino acid neuropeptide secreted throughout the nervous system, gut, lungs, and immune cells. It signals through VPAC1 and VPAC2 receptors coupled to cAMP, producing profound anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and barrier-protective effects across nearly every organ system. VIP is naturally produced by neurons in the enteric nervous system, respiratory tract, and brain — acting as a neuroimmune master regulator.

In CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) and MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), VIP levels are often deficient — contributing to unregulated mast cell degranulation, elevated TGF-beta, high VEGF, and leaky gut. Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker's CIRS protocol uses intranasal VIP as the final step to restore neuroregulatory balance after biotoxin removal, with measurable normalization of inflammatory cytokine panels in responders.

Beyond CIRS and MCAS, VIP peptide is investigated for pulmonary arterial hypertension (reduces pulmonary vascular resistance via VPAC2), inflammatory bowel disease (gut mucosal healing), autoimmune arthritis (T-regulatory cell induction), and post-COVID neuroinflammation. Its safety profile via intranasal route is well-established with flushing as the primary dose-limiting side effect.