In a rat study, continuously delivering the peptide KP-102 straight into the brain for six days made the animals eat more and gain weight, and it worked just as well even when the rats were exposed to stressful foot‑shocks.

The effects of a 6-day intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of KP-102, a growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP), on food intake and body weight gain were observed in free-feeding rats that were or were not subjected to intermittent electric footshock stress during the 6 days. Food intake and body weight were significantly lower in rats exposed to a 60-min period of footshock twice a day for 6 days compared to non-stressed rats. A 6-day, i.c.v. infusion of KP-102 significantly and steadily increased food intake and body weight in free-feeding non-stressed rats compared to control rats receiving saline i.c.v. In rats exposed to intermittent footshock stress during the 6-day infusion, KP-102 treatment stimulated feeding behavior and resulted in significantly higher body weight compared to stressed rats that received i.c.v. infusion of saline. These results indicate that during a 6-day continuous i.c.v. infusion of GHRP, KP-102, food intake and body weight steadily increased without attenuation of the GHRP effect in both non-stressed rats and those subjected to intermittent stress.