Beneficial effect of the insulin sensitizer (HSP inducer) BGP-15 on olanzapine-induced metabolic disorders.

Olanzapine is a widely used atypical antipsychotic, with well known metabolic side effects such as weight gain, insulin resistance and blood glucose abnormalities. It has been previously shown in a phase II clinical trial that BGP-15, an amidoxim derivative has insulin-sensitizing effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of BGP-15 for the treatment of olanzapine-induced metabolic side effects, in healthy volunteers. Thirty-seven (37) subjects (ages 18-55 years) with normal glucose metabolism were randomly assigned to 17 days of once-daily treatment with 400mg of BGP-15 or placebo and 5mg of olanzapine for 3 days followed by 10mg for 14 days. Total body and muscle tissue glucose utilization was determined by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp technique. As expected the 17-day olanzapine treatment provoked insulin resistance and body weight gain (p<0.05) in both groups. Administration of BGP-15 significantly reduced olanzapine-induced insulin resistance. The protective effect of BGP-15 on insulin stimulated glucose utilization had the highest magnitude in the values calculated for the muscle tissue (p=0.002). In healthy individuals BGP-15 was safe and well tolerated during the whole study period. It is suggested that BGP-15 can be a successful insulin sensitizer agent to prevent side effects of olanzapine treatment.

Improvement of insulin sensitivity by a novel drug, BGP-15, in insulin-resistant patients: a proof of concept randomized double-blind clinical trial.

The efficacy and safety of the new drug, BGP-15, were compared with placebo in insulin-resistant patients in a 28-day dose-ranging study. Forty-seven nondiabetic patients with impaired glucose tolerance were randomly assigned to 4 weeks of treatment with 200 or 400 mg of BGP-15 or placebo. Insulin resistance was determined by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp technique and homeostasis model assessment method, and beta-cell function was measured by intravenous glucose tolerance test. Each BGP-15 dose significantly increased whole body insulin sensitivity (M-1, p=0.032), total body glucose utilization (M-2, p=0.035), muscle tissue glucose utilization (M-3, p=0.040), and fat-free body mass glucose utilization (M-4, p=0.038) compared to baseline and placebo. No adverse drug effects were observed during treatment. BGP-15 at 200 or 400 mg significantly improved insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant, nondiabetic patients during treatment compared to placebo and was safe and well-tolerated. This was the first clinical study demonstrating the insulin-sensitizing effect of a molecule, which is considered as a co-inducer of heat shock proteins.

BGP-15, a hydroximic acid derivative, protects against cisplatin- or taxol-induced peripheral neuropathy in rats.

The neuroprotective effect of BGP-15 against peripheral sensory neuropathy was studied in rats that were exposed to short-term cisplatin or taxol administration. The changes of nerve conduction velocity were determined in situ after treating the Wistar rats with BGP-15 (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg po daily doses throughout the experiment), cisplatin (1.5 mg/kg ip daily dose for 5 days), or taxol (5.0 mg/kg ip daily dose every other day in a 10-day interval) alone or giving the test compound in combination with cisplatin or taxol. Electrophysiological recordings were carried out in vivo by stimulating the sciatic nerve at both sciatic notch and ankle site. Neither motor nor sensory nerve conduction velocity was altered by any dose level of BGP-15 tested. Both anticancer drugs decreased the sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). BGP-15 treatment prevented the impairment of SNCV either in part or totally in the cisplatin- or taxol-treated groups. This neuroprotective potential of BGP-15 could be well correlated with its recently described poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase- inhibitory effect and its ability to protect against the damages induced by the increased level of reactive oxygen species in response to anticancer treatment.