Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and anaphylactoid reaction in rats and mice after intravenous dextran and white egg administration

Anesthetized mice or rats received intravenously 6%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 90% dextran and/or white egg (1 ml/rat or 0.15 ml/mouse) into their tails. Medication (/kg b.w., 5 ml/kg) was given intraperitoneally (BPC 157 10 µg, 1 µg, 10 ng, and 10 pg/kg, chloropyramine 20 mg/kg, and cimetidine 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally, alone or in combination while controls received an equivolume of saline), immediately after challenge or, alternatively, at 5 min after or 24 or 48 h before challenge. The effect was assessed at 5, 10, 20 and 30 min after dextran and/or white egg challenge. We commonly noted prominent edema involving the face, upper and lower lip, snout, paws and scrotum (presented with extreme cyanosis), poor respiration and the number of fatalities after dextran and/or white egg application. Contrary, BPC 157 regimens (10 µg, 1 µg, 10 ng, and 10 pg/kg) effectively, may both prevent anaphylactoid reactions that may arise from dextran and/or white egg application and furthermore, rescue already advanced reactions when given after the challenge. Chloropyramine and cimetidine given alone were only moderately effective. When given together with BPC 157, the observed effect correlates with the strong effect of BPC 157 given alone.