Scientific guidelines for preclinical research on potentised preparations manufactured according to current pharmacopoeias—the PrePoP guidelines

Abstract
Objective: Pharmacopoeias regulate the manufacture of potentised pharmaceutical preparations used in\r\ndifferent branches of complementary and integrative medicine. The physicochemical properties and\r\nbiological activity of these preparations are often investigated in preclinical research, yet no guidelines\r\nfor experimental research currently exist in this area. The present PrePoP guidelines aim to provide\r\nrecommendations to promote high-quality, statistically sound, and reproducible preclinical research on\r\npotentised preparations.\r\nMethods: Input was gathered from researchers nominated by the relevant scientific societies using a\r\nsimplified Delphi consensus approach covering the most relevant aspects of basic research methodology\r\nin the field including appropriate controls, sample preparation and handling, and statistics. After three\r\nrounds of feedback, a consensus was finally reached on the most important aspects and considerations\r\nfor conducting high-quality research on potentised preparations.\r\nResults: We present a series of recommendations on a range of topics including experimental controls,\r\n\r\nsystem stability, blinding and randomisation, environmental influences, and procedures for the prepara-\r\ntion of potentised samples and controls, and we address some specific challenges of this research field.\r\n\r\n

Author
Fateme Mirzajani

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joim.2024.06.005

ISSN

Publish Date: 2024-05-15