GHRP-6
Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-6, Growth hormone-releasing hexapeptide, His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2
Ghrelin and electrical stimulating the lateral hypothalamus area regulated the discharges of gastric distention neurons via the dorsal vagal complex in cisplatin-treated rats.
Liu. Yang Y; Yan. Meixing M; Guo. Yaoyao Y; Niu. Zhenzhen Z; Sun. Runzhou R; Jin. Hong H; Gong. Yanling Y
Key Findings
- Ghrelin directly excites gastric distention neurons in the dorsal vagal complex.
- The ghrelin‑receptor antagonist [D‑Lys‑3]‑GHRP‑6 fully blocks this excitatory effect.
- Cisplatin treatment reduces the responsiveness of these neurons to both ghrelin and lateral hypothalamus stimulation.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the data suggest that ghrelin‑targeting peptides like GHRP‑6 can influence gut‑related neural activity, which might relate to nausea or appetite control. However, the study is in rats, uses a receptor blocker rather than a therapeutic dose, and offers no direct dosing or protocol guidance for humans.
Summary
The study shows that injecting ghrelin into a brain area that controls the gut (the dorsal vagal complex) makes stomach‑stretch‑sensing neurons fire more, and that this effect is blocked by a ghrelin‑receptor blocker called [D‑Lys‑3]‑GHRP‑6. In rats treated with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, which causes nausea, the ghrelin‑driven activation is weaker. Electrical stimulation of a nearby brain region (the lateral hypothalamus) also boosts these neurons, but less so after cisplatin, and the boost can be partially stopped by the same GHRP‑6 blocker.
Abstract
Cisplatin is an important antineoplastic drug and has side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and dyspepsia. The detailed mechanisms for its side effects are yet not well be illustrated. Our purpose was to investigate the discharges of gastric distention (GD) sensitive neurons regulated by ghrelin and electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus area (LHA) via the dorsal vagal complex (DVC) in cisplatin-treated rats. Extracellular discharge recording was performed to observe the effects of ghrelin and electrical stimulation of the LHA on discharges of GD neurons in the DVC. GD neurons were recorded in DVC in saline-treated and cisplatin-treated rats and identified as GD-excitatory (GD-E) neurons, which are excited by gastric distension, and GD-inhibitory (GE-I) neurons, which are inhibited by gastric distension. Microinjection of ghrelin into the DVC increased the firing frequency of most GD neurons, while the ratios of excited GD-E and GD-I neurons in cisplatin-treated rats were significantly lower than those in saline-treated rats. The excitatory effect of ghrelin was eliminated completely by DVC pretreatment with ghrelin receptor antagonist [D-Lys-3]-GHRP-6. After electrical stimulation of the LHA, the firing frequency of these neurons significantly increased. This excitatory effect was weaker in cisplatin-treated rats than in saline-treated rats and could be partly blocked by DVC pretreatment with [D-Lys-3]-GHRP-6. GD neurons in the DVC could be excited by microinjecting ghrelin into the DVC and electrical stimulation of the LHA, respectively. The excitatory effect was attenuated by cisplatin injected intraperitoneally.
Study Information
pubmed
2019
2019-03-23T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.03.014
6
55