New GH secretagogues and potential usefulness in thalassemia.
Karydis. I I; Tolis. A A; Tolis. G G
Key Findings
- GHRPs (including GHRP‑2) stimulate GH release via a different receptor than natural GHRH.
- They can be given orally or intranasally, avoiding injections.
- Newer GHRPs produce a more pronounced and sustained GH release with no serious side effects, even in patients with impaired GH secretion but an intact pituitary.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, this suggests that oral or nasal GHRP‑2 could be a convenient way to raise GH levels without injections, and the safety profile appears favorable. However, the data come from thalassemia patients, so benefits for healthy individuals are inferred, not proven. Start with low doses, monitor IGF‑1 and side effects, and consider that the strongest evidence is still clinical rather than anecdotal.
Summary
The paper says that new growth‑hormone‑releasing drugs like GHRP‑2 can boost GH without injections, even when taken as a pill or nasal spray, and they seem safe. In thalassemia patients who have low GH despite a normal pituitary, these drugs give a stronger, longer‑lasting GH surge, making them a possible treatment.
Abstract
Thalassemic patients today undergo intensive transfusion and chelation regimes that offer them prolonged survival and improved quality of life. Nevertheless, they face the consequences of chronic illness and therapies which affect multiple bodily functions. Endocrine derangements involve, among others, the GH-IGF-I axis with consequent impairment of growth. In such cases, GH release, as assessed with stimulation tests, may be normal whereas ultradian GH secretion seems to be subnormal. New GH secretagogues (GHRs) are agents that stimulate pituitary GH release by acting upon different receptors than the endogenous hypothalamic secretagogue, growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). Examples are the growth hormone releasing peptides (GHRPs) GHRP-6, GHRP-1, GHRP-2, Hexarelin and the nonpeptidyl MK-0677. These can be administered by multiple routes, even per os or intranasally, thus obviating the need for injections. Their GH releasing capacity is more pronounced and prolonged than that of GHRH and their use is devoid of serious side effects. The most recently developed GHRs seem to be capable of producing sustained GH release in many cases and can thus be viewed as therapeutic candidates in cases of reduced GH secretion with intact pituitary, as seems to be the case in a group of thalassemic patients.
Study Information
pubmed
1998