Octreotide acetate

An octapeptide that mimics natural somatostatin pharmacologically, that is 200 times more potent than somatostatin; has also been shown to produce analgesic effects, most probably acting as a partial agonist at the mu opioid receptor. (In Vivo) :Octreotide-treated groups show a significant reduction in the tumor volume when compared with saline group. Octreotide-PPSG (1.4 mg/kg, i.p.) shows greater antitumor effect than Octreotide-soln (100 μg/kg, i.p.) . Octreotide-treatments results in significant inhibitory effect on the expression levels of SSTR2 and SSTR5 in primary HCC-bearing rats compared with the saline group. Octreotide-PPSG appears to inhibit the expression of SSTR2 and SSTR5 to a greater extent than that of Octreotide-soln treated group. A test dose of octreotide acetate significantly decreases the serum gastrin level to approximately one third of the baseline in 2 hr and the effect lasted approximately for 6 hr. On day 21, treatment with sustained-release formulation of octreotide acetatea (5 mg intramuscular, q 4 wk) is initiated.