A novel pentadecapeptide, BPC 157, blocks the stereotypy produced acutely by amphetamine and the development of haloperidol-induced supersensitivity to amphetamine.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Preclinical animal research (rats and mice)
PubMed 9547930 · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(97)00277-1
What was done
In rats, researchers evaluated the effects of the gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on amphetamine-induced (10 mg/kg i.p.) stereotypy and acoustic startle response, administered either prophylactically (10 µg/kg i.p.) or therapeutically (10 ng/kg i.p. during maximum excitability). In mice, researchers tested whether co-administering BPC 157 with the dopamine antagonist haloperidol (5.0 mg/kg i.p.) prevented the development of behavioral supersensitivity (climbing behavior) during subsequent amphetamine challenges (20 mg/kg i.p. on days 1, 2, 4, and 10).
What was found
The abstract reports no exact numerical values, statistical tests, or effect sizes. It qualitatively reports that BPC 157 caused a marked attenuation of amphetamine-induced stereotypy and acoustic startle response, reversed stereotypic behavior when given at peak excitability in rats, and produced an almost complete reversal of haloperidol-induced dopamine supersensitivity in mice.
Why it matters
This study provides preclinical evidence that BPC 157 can modulate dopamine-mediated neurobehavioral effects, attenuating both acute dopamine agonist stimulation and antagonist-induced dopamine receptor supersensitivity in rodents.
Limits
The study is entirely preclinical in rodent models, so clinical relevance to humans is unknown. The abstract does not disclose sample sizes, exact behavioral scores, variance, or p-values, and specific molecular mechanisms of the dopamine interaction were not detailed in the abstract.
Cited by
- partial In mouse studies, BPC-157 prevents mice from getting hyperactive or experiencing withdrawal from methamphetamines.