Peps
What is PACAP-38?
PACAP-38 is a signaling peptide used in migraine-provocation research. The selected clinical study tested whether prior CGRP-pathway treatment prevented a migraine response to a PACAP-38 challenge.
Biological role or research focus
Migraine-provocation research.
The small provocation study does not establish therapeutic benefit of PACAP-38 or a definitive clinical prevention strategy.
Role reference: PACAP38-induced migraine attacks are independent of CGRP signaling: a randomized controlled trial. · 2025 ↗
Names you may encounter
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 38 · PACAP38
Search terms can include brands, combinations, or historical names. They are not automatic product equivalents.
- Class / identity
- PACAP neuropeptide form
- Research focus
- Migraine-provocation research
- Featured evidence
- Human randomized provocation study
- Source check
- October 4, 2026
Biology & proposed mechanism
This experiment probed relationships between PACAP-associated provocation and CGRP blockade. Provoking a symptom is different from treating it with the challenge substance.
Research context & identity
The paper concerns migraine biology in people with migraine without aura. It is not evidence that PACAP-38 relieves migraine.
What does the evidence show?
Selected published evidence, with the population, findings, and limits kept together. These original summaries draw on publication abstracts; they are not a systematic review.
Human randomized provocation study · 2025
PACAP-38 challenge after eptinezumab or placebo
What did this publication test, and what did it find?
- Population / model
- 38 participants with migraine without aura, 19 in each pretreatment group.
- Study design
- Randomized eptinezumab-versus-placebo pretreatment followed by intravenous PACAP-38 challenge.
- Main finding
- Migraine occurred in 10 of 19 versus 12 of 19 participants; the difference was not significant (P=0.74). Headache was common after the challenge.
- Limits & context
- The small provocation study does not establish therapeutic benefit of PACAP-38 or a definitive clinical prevention strategy.
Read the original paper for methods, adverse events, funding, and conflicts of interest. Publisher access may require a subscription.
Further reading · 4 additional publication links
Exact-name PubMed search checked 2026-10-04. These records have not been appraised. A name match can include related compounds, combinations, or other formulations; it does not establish safety or benefit.
Biomarkers in Migraine. ↗
Neurology India · 2021 Mar-Apr · Journal Article, Review
VIP and PACAP. ↗
Results and problems in cell differentiation · 2010 · Journal Article, Review
PACAP-38 in Cluster Headache: A Prospective, Case-Control Study of a Potential Treatment Target. ↗
European journal of neurology · 2025 Sep · Journal Article, Observational Study
Read available full text ↗
Targeting the PACAP-38 pathway is an emerging therapeutic strategy for migraine prevention. ↗
Expert opinion on emerging drugs · 2024 Mar · Journal Article, Review
New editorial updates
New source discoveries
Links appear automatically. Unreviewed discoveries are not verified medical findings.
Safety & precautions
Safety & what remains unknown
Provoked headache and migraine are part of the observed response and should not be omitted from a summary.
Evidence boundaries
The small provocation study does not establish therapeutic benefit of PACAP-38 or a definitive clinical prevention strategy.
This is not a complete list of contraindications, interactions, or adverse effects. Medicine labels apply to specific products and indications; research-use listings are not interchangeable with approved medicines.
What are people discussing?
No editorial transcript note has been reviewed for this profile yet. Below are the matching video records available for exploration; title and caption matches are not verified claims.
Watch the source discussions
0 matching video records · 0 with captions indexed.
Across the full library, 30 caption files are indexed from 20,199 inventoried videos. Most transcripts remain unreviewed. Select a thumbnail or timestamp to watch inside PepsRadar. Thumbnail images load from YouTube.
No matching video has been identified in the current snapshot.
Sources & supplier listings
Listings are grouped by the vendor’s stated identity. Blends and modified derivatives are labeled separately. Inclusion is not a quality assessment or an endorsement.
We have not added a supplier for this profile. Missing products and coded listings are not filled with guesses.
Catalog checked 2026-10-04. Seller listings retain their stated intended use. Shops covered: BioLongevity Labs, BioLongevity Supplements, American Peptides, PSPeptides. This is not a market-wide comparison. Affiliate participation does not determine evidence or editorial coverage.
Questions worth asking
- Was PACAP-38 given as a migraine treatment?
- What material, population, and route were actually studied?
- The small provocation study does not establish therapeutic benefit of PACAP-38 or a definitive clinical prevention strategy.
- What adverse effects, uncertainty, and conflicts of interest does the original source report?
Frequently asked questions
Was PACAP-38 given as a migraine treatment?
No. It was used to provoke a response while investigators tested a separate pretreatment.
Does the publication verify a supplier’s product?
No. The tested material and a commercial listing need separate identity and batch checks. A research-use disclaimer does not establish clinical suitability.
References & editorial record
Source notes checked 2026-10-04. Original PepsRadar summaries. Not reviewed by a medical professional. Topic grouping is editorial navigation, not a treatment recommendation. Video notes specify which excerpts were reviewed; no full transcripts are published.