Sikiric · Acta pharmacologica Sinica 2002 · Controlled animal laboratory study · n=?

Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 attenuates chronic amphetamine-induced behavior disturbances.

Cited 28 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Preclinical animal laboratory experiment

PubMed 11978191 · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

Rats were administered amphetamine (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) daily on days 1 to 5, followed by intermittent challenges on days 8, 16, and 46. Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (10 µg/kg or 10 ng/kg, ip) or saline (5.0 mL/kg, ip) was administered only once at the beginning of the experiment simultaneously with the initial amphetamine dose. Animals were observed for stereotyped behavior and heightened startle response for 120 minutes following amphetamine administration (10 seconds every 5 minutes).

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical values, baseline scores, or exact statistical metrics. Control rats showed behavioral changes consistent with tolerance and reverse tolerance across the testing period. Following initial administration, 10 µg/kg BPC 157 attenuated stereotyped behavior, whereas the 10 ng/kg dose did not reach statistical significance. Upon subsequent amphetamine challenges on days 2–5, 8, 16, and 46, both BPC 157 doses showed persistent attenuation of stereotyped behavior, mitigated heightened startle responses, and reduced abnormal excitability.

Why it matters

This study suggests that a single initial dose of BPC 157 may persistently alter behavioral signs of dopamine-mediated tolerance and reverse tolerance in an amphetamine-exposed rodent model.

Limits

The abstract does not state the sample size (n), quantitative scores, effect sizes, or exact p-values. As an animal model evaluating behavioral scoring, results cannot be directly generalized to human dopamine pharmacology or clinical substance use disorders.

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