Storing VIP: Best Practices
⚠️ Critical: VIP has an extremely short serum half-life of approximately 1–2 minutes due to rapid enzymatic degradation by DPP-4 and other peptidases. This peptide is significantly more labile than most other research peptides. Handle with care and use promptly after reconstitution.
❄️ Lyophilized Powder Storage
Store lyophilized VIP at -20°C (−4°F) in a desiccated environment, protected from light. Under these conditions, the powder remains stable for extended periods. Do not subject to repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
💧 Reconstitution & Use
Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water for injection. Due to VIP’s extremely short half-life (~1–2 minutes in serum), reconstituted solutions should be used immediately. Avoid storage of reconstituted VIP in solution form unless using stabilizing formulations.
🧴 Stability Considerations
VIP is rapidly degraded by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and other serum peptidases. Research delivery systems such as sterically stabilized micelles (SSM), liposomes, and inhalation formulations are employed in preclinical and clinical settings to extend bioavailability. Compounded nasal spray formulations should be stored in a cool, dry place.
📊 Quality Verification
Each vial is accompanied by a Certificate of Analysis (COA) detailing purity verification via RP-HPLC (reverse-phase C18 columns with gradient elution) and Mass Spectrometry (MS). Purity levels are typically >95%. This product is for research use only (RUO).
References
- Said SI, Mutt V. Polypeptide with broad biological activity: isolation from small intestine. Science, 169(3951), 1217–1218, 1970.
- Said SI, Rosenberg RN. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide: abundant immunoreactivity in neuronal cell lines and normal nervous tissues. Science, 192(4242), 907–908, 1976.
- Langer I, Jeandriens J, Couvineau A, et al. Signal transduction by VIP and PACAP receptors. Biochem Soc Trans, 50(1), 2022.
- Youssef JG, Lavin P, Schoenfeld DA, et al. The Use of IV Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (Aviptadil) in study subjects With Critical COVID-19 Respiratory Failure. Crit Care Med, 50(11), 1545–1554, 2022.
- Domschke S, Domschke W, Bloom SR, et al. Vasoactive intestinal peptide in man: pharmacokinetics, metabolic and circulatory effects. Gut, 19(11), 1049–1053, 1978.
- Harmar AJ, Arimura A, Gozes I, et al. International union of pharmacology. XVIII. Nomenclature of receptors for vasoactive intestinal peptide and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide. Pharmacol Rev, 50(2), 265–270, 1998.
- Leuchte HH, Baezner C, Baumgartner RA, et al. Inhalation of vasoactive intestinal peptide in pulmonary hypertension. Eur Respir J, 32(5), 1289–1294, 2008.
- Delgado M, Pozo D, Ganea D. The significance of vasoactive intestinal peptide in immunomodulation. Pharmacol Rev, 56(2), 249–290, 2004.
- Couvineau A, Laburthe M. VPAC receptors: structure, molecular pharmacology and interaction with accessory proteins. Br J Pharmacol, 166(1), 42–50, 2012.
- Hou X, Yang H, Bhatt VR, et al. VIP/VPAC signaling in pancreatic islet β-cells and glucose homeostasis. J Mol Endocrinol, 68(3), R65–R75, 2022.
- Smalley SG, Barrow PA, Foster N. Immunomodulation of innate immune responses by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP): its experimental potential in inflammatory disease. Clin Exp Immunol, 157(2), 225–234, 2009.
- Constantin S, Bhattarai JP, Bhatt R, et al. VIP signaling in GnRH neurons involves dual Gs/AC and Gq/PLC pathways. J Neuroendocrinol, 36(4), e13392, 2024.
- Hou X, et al. VIP/VPAC signaling in pancreatic islet β-cells: PKA and Epac pathways drive glucose-dependent insulin secretion. J Mol Endocrinol, 2022.
- Moody TW, Nuche-Berenguer B, Jensen RT. Vasoactive intestinal peptide/pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide, and their receptors and cancer. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes, 23(1), 38–47, 2016.
- Mathioudakis AG, Chatzimavridou-Grigoriadou V, Evangelopoulou E, Mathioudakis GA. Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Inhaled Agonists: Potential Role in Respiratory Therapeutics. Hippokratia, 17(1), 12–16, 2013.
- Kudo T, Tahara Y, Gamble KL, et al. Vasoactive intestinal peptide produces long-lasting changes in neural activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. J Neurophysiol, 110(5), 1097–1106, 2013.
- Said SI. Vasoactive intestinal peptide in the lung. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 527, 450–464, 1988.
- An S, Tsai C, Bhatt R, et al. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide phase-shifts the circadian clock via cAMP/PKA dependent pathway. J Biol Rhythms, 26(4), 313–326, 2011.
- Mosley RL, Lu Y, Olson KE, et al. A Synthetic Agonist to Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Receptor-2 Induces Regulatory T Cell Neuroprotective Activities in Models of Parkinson’s Disease. Front Cell Neurosci, 13, 421, 2019.
- Brown SM, Barkauskas CE, Grund B, et al. Intravenous aviptadil and remdesivir for investigation of COVID-19-associated hypoxaemic respiratory failure (TESICO). Lancet Respir Med, 11(9), 791–803, 2023.
- Delgado M, Ganea D. Neuroprotective effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease by blocking microglial activation. FASEB J, 17(8), 944–946, 2003.
- Jayawardena D, Guzman G, Gill RK, et al. Expression and localization of VPAC1, the major receptor of vasoactive intestinal peptide along the length of the intestine. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, 313(1), G16–G25, 2017.
- Virgolini I, Raderer M, Kurtaran A, et al. Vasoactive intestinal peptide-receptor imaging for the localization of intestinal adenocarcinomas and endocrine tumors. N Engl J Med, 331, 1116–1121, 1994.
- Zhang K, Aruva MR, Shanthly N, et al. PET imaging of VPAC1 expression in experimental and spontaneous prostate cancer. J Nucl Med, 49(1), 112–121, 2008.
- Prasse A, Zissel G, Lützen N, et al. Inhaled vasoactive intestinal peptide exerts immunoregulatory effects in sarcoidosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 182(4), 540–548, 2010.
- Youssef JG, Said SI, et al. Rapid clinical recovery from critical COVID-19 with respiratory failure in a lung transplant patient treated with intravenous vasoactive intestinal peptide. Preprints, 2020.
- Esendagli D, Sarı N, Akhan S, et al. Inhaled Aviptadil Is a New Hope for Recovery of Lung Damage due to COVID-19. Med Princ Pract, 34(2), 191–200, 2025.
- Dewan B, Shinde S. Aviptadil in acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with covid-19 infection. Eur J Pharm Med Res, 9(6), 243–253, 2022.
Related Research Questions
Want the complete research review?
View Full VIP Research Page→FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY
This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Products are furnished for in-vitro studies only and are not medicines, drugs, or supplements. Not approved by the FDA to prevent, treat, or cure any condition.