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GHRP-6

Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-6, Growth hormone-releasing hexapeptide, His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2

A synthetic hexapeptide that stimulates growth hormone secretion by mimicking ghrelin and binding to GHS receptors in the pituitary gland.

Quick Stats
Studies 702
Trials 0
Formula C46H56N12O6
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Utility 2
pubmed May 21, 2009

Growth hormone-releasing peptide 6 protection of hypothalamic neurons from glutamate excitotoxicity is caspase independent and not mediated by insulin-like growth factor I.

Delgado-Rubín. A A; Chowen. Julie A JA; Argente. Jesús J; Frago. Laura M LM

In a lab study, the peptide GHRP‑6 helped protect brain cells from damage caused by too much glutamate, a chemical that can over‑excite neurons. It did this by blocking a cell‑death route that doesn't involve the usual caspase enzymes, and it worked without needing the growth factor IGF‑1.

Utility 2
pubmed Jun 19, 2008

Endogenous ghrelin and 5-HT regulate interdigestive gastrointestinal contractions in conscious rats.

Taniguchi. Hiroshi H; Ariga. Hajime H; Zheng. Jun J; Ludwig. Kirk K; Mantyh. Christopher C; Pappas....

The study shows that the hormone ghrelin (which GHRP‑6 mimics) helps trigger strong stomach contractions between meals, while serotonin (5‑HT) does the same in the small intestine. Blocking ghrelin stops these stomach movements, and blocking a specific serotonin receptor stops intestinal movements.

Utility 2
pubmed Feb 16, 2007

Decreased ghrelin-induced GH release in thyrotoxicosis: comparison with GH-releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) and GHRH.

Nascif. Sergio Oliva SO; Correa-Silva. Silvia Regina SR; Silva. Marcos Roberto MR; Lengyel. Ana-Mari...

The study shows that people with an overactive thyroid (thyrotoxicosis) have a blunted growth hormone (GH) response to ghrelin, GHRP‑6, and GHRH compared to healthy individuals. Ghrelin still raises blood sugar in both groups, while GHRP‑6 does not affect glucose levels.

Utility 2
pubmed Jan 9, 2012

Interaction between PEO-PPO-PEO copolymers and a hexapeptide in aqueous solutions.

Jia. Lianwei L; Guo. Chen C; Xiang. Junfeng J; Wang. Ning N; Yang. Liangrong L; Tang. Yalin Y; Liu....

Scientists studied how a special block‑copolymer (PEO‑PPO‑PEO) sticks to the peptide GHRP‑6 in water. They found the polymer and peptide bind together in a 1:1 ratio, and that polymers with more ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO) units bind stronger. This suggests these polymers could be used to carry GHRP‑6 into the body more effectively.

Utility 2
pubmed 2007

A single growth hormone determination 30 minutes after the administration of the GHRH plus GHRP-6 test is sufficient for the diagnosis of somatotrope dysfunction in patients who have suffered traumatic brain injury.

Castro. A I AI; Lage. M M; Peino. R R; Kelestimur. F F; Dieguez. C C; Casanueva. F F FF

The study shows that after giving a combined dose of GHRH and the peptide GHRP-6, the body’s growth hormone spikes within the first half‑hour. Measuring growth hormone just once at 30 minutes works almost as well as tracking the whole hormone curve for spotting a deficiency in people who had a brain injury.

Utility 2
pubmed Apr 20, 2007

Ghrelin and GHRP-6 enhance electrical and secretory activity in GC somatotropes.

Dominguez. Belisario B; Felix. Ricardo R; Monjaraz. Eduardo E

The study shows that giving ghrelin or the synthetic peptide GHRP-6 to pituitary cells in a dish makes those cells fire more often and release more growth hormone. This happens because the peptides increase the flow of positive ions into the cells, which boosts their electrical activity. Blocking those ion channels reduces the hormone release, confirming their role.

Utility 2
pubmed 2004

Postprandial changes in plasma GH and insulin concentrations, and responses to stimulation with GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) and GHRP-6 in calves around weaning.

Katoh. K K; Furukawa. G G; Kitade. K K; Katsumata. N N; Kobayashi. Y Y; Obara. Y Y

In young calves that still drink milk, feeding raises their natural growth hormone and insulin levels, while older, weaned calves on solid food don’t see the same boost. Giving the peptide GHRP‑6 makes growth hormone spike in both age groups, but the spike is bigger in the younger calves. Only the older calves show a temporary rise in insulin after GHRP‑6.

Utility 2
pubmed Dec 7, 2011

Fast conventional Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis: a comparative study of different activators.

Chantell. Christina Ann CA; Onaiyekan. Michael Abayomi MA; Menakuru. Mahendra M

The study tested several chemical helpers (activators) used in the standard lab method for building peptides, looking at how fast they work. Some newer activators (HDMC, PyClock, COMU, HCTU, HATU) still give good results even when the reaction time is cut down to about 2 × 1 minute, while others (PyOxim, TFFH) need longer times. PyBOP works okay for easy sequences but struggles with tougher ones when the reaction is sped up.

Utility 2
pubmed Feb 12, 2004

Identification and functional characterization of two alternatively spliced growth hormone secretagogue receptor transcripts from the pituitary of black seabream Acanthopagrus schlegeli.

Chan. Chi-Bun CB; Cheng. Christopher H K CH

Researchers found two versions of the ghrelin (growth hormone secretagogue) receptor in a fish. The full‑length version (GHSR‑1a) reacts to GHRP‑6 and triggers cell signals, while the shorter version (GHSR‑1b) does not respond and can weaken the signal when both are present. This shows that receptor variants can affect how GHRP‑6 works.

Utility 2
pubmed May 1, 2005

Prevalence of hypopituitarism and growth hormone deficiency in adults long-term after severe traumatic brain injury.

Leal-Cerro. Alfonso A; Flores. Juan M JM; Rincon. Marilo M; Murillo. Francisco F; Pujol. Mercedes M;...

In people who survived a severe head injury, about 6% have a genuine lack of growth hormone, similar to other pituitary hormone problems. The researchers used a combo of GHRH and GHRP‑6 to test how much GH the pituitary can still make, and compared it with other standard tests.

Utility 2
pubmed 2003

Acute decrease in circulating T3 levels enhances, but does not normalise, the GH response to GHRP-6 plus GHRH in thyrotoxicosis.

Nascif. S O SO; Senger. M H MH; Ramos-Dias. J C JC; Lengyel. A M J AM

The study shows that in people with an overactive thyroid, the growth‑hormone boost you get from the combo of GHRP‑6 and GHRH is weaker than normal. Dropping the thyroid hormone T3 a bit (using a drug called iopanoic acid) makes the GH response a little better, but it still doesn't reach the levels seen in healthy people.

Utility 2
pubmed 2012

Modulation of ghrelin axis influences the growth of colonic and prostatic cancer cells in vitro.

Lawnicka. Hanna H; Mełeń-Mucha. Gabriela G; Motylewska. Ewelina E; Mucha. Sławomir...

In lab tests, the ghrelin‑related peptide D‑Lys‑GHRP‑6 (a ghrelin receptor blocker) and the two natural forms of ghrelin can either slow down or speed up the growth of colon and prostate cancer cells, depending on the dose. The effects are mixed and sometimes only show up at very high concentrations that are far above typical human use.

Utility 2
pubmed Mar 1, 2010

Effects of ghrelin, growth hormone-releasing peptide-6, and growth hormone-releasing hormone on growth hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol release in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

de Sá. Larissa Bianca Paiva Cunha LB; Nascif. Sergio Oliva SO; Correa-Silva. Silvia Regina SR;...

The study looked at how the hormone‑releasing peptide GHRP‑6 (and ghrelin) affect growth hormone, ACTH, and cortisol in people with type‑1 diabetes compared to healthy folks. It found that both groups respond similarly – the peptides still boost growth hormone, and they don’t change ACTH or cortisol differently. In short, having type‑1 diabetes doesn’t seem to blunt the hormone‑releasing effects of GHRP‑6.

Utility 2
pubmed Jul 6, 2005

Stimulation of neurogenesis in rat nucleus of the solitary tract by ghrelin.

Zhang. Weizhen W; Hu. Yuexuan Y; Lin. Theodore R TR; Fan. Yongyi Y; Mulholland. Michael W MW

A study in rats found that giving ghrelin, a stomach hormone, can boost the creation of new nerve cells in a part of the brain called the nucleus of the solitary tract. The effect was seen both in live animals and in cultured brain cells, and it depended on dose and time. Blocking the ghrelin receptor stopped the effect, showing the action is direct.

Utility 2
pubmed Apr 26, 2009

Ghrelin and GHRP-6-induced ACTH and cortisol release in thyrotoxicosis.

Nascif. Sergio Oliva SO; Molica. Patrícia P; Correa-Silva. Silvia Regina SR; Silva. Marcos Robe...

In people with an overactive thyroid, their baseline stress hormones (cortisol and ACTH) are already higher. When given ghrelin or the peptide GHRP‑6, the thyroid‑overactive group showed a bigger jump in ACTH (especially with ghrelin) compared to healthy people, but their cortisol rise was about the same. This suggests that excess thyroid hormone makes the body’s ACTH response to ghrelin‑type signals stronger, while the adrenal glands can still keep up with cortisol production.

Utility 2
pubmed Jun 15, 2012

A novel GH secretagogue, A233, exhibits enhanced growth activity and innate immune system stimulation in teleosts fish.

Martinez. Rebeca R; Ubieta. Kenia K; Herrera. Fidel F; Forellat. Alina A; Morales. Reynold R; de la...

A new 10‑amino‑acid peptide called A233 can trigger growth‑hormone release in fish and also boost parts of the fish's innate immune system. The effects disappear when a known GHRP‑6 blocker is used, suggesting the peptide works through the same receptor. In live fish larvae, A233 helped them grow faster and increased several immune‑related proteins.

Utility 2
pubmed Feb 17, 2009

Upregulation of voltage-gated Na+ channels by long-term activation of the ghrelin-growth hormone secretagogue receptor in clonal GC somatotropes.

Dominguez. Belisario B; Felix. Ricardo R; Monjaraz. Eduardo E

The study shows that long‑term exposure to the peptide GHRP‑6 makes somatotrope cells (the cells that make growth hormone) produce more sodium channels on their surface, which can help the cells release more growth hormone. This effect needs calcium entering the cell through L‑type channels and involves several protein‑kinase signaling pathways.

Utility 2
pubmed Feb 1, 2006

Evidence for a role of the GHS-R1a receptors in ghrelin inhibition of gastric acid secretion in the rat.

Sibilia. V V; Muccioli. G G; Deghenghi. R R; Pagani. F F; De Luca. V V; Rapetti. D D; Locatelli. V V...

The study shows that ghrelin reduces stomach acid production by acting on the GHS‑R1a receptor, and that a synthetic blocker called D‑Lys(3)‑GHRP‑6 can stop this effect. It also finds that a short version of the neuropeptide cortistatin (CST‑8) can block ghrelin’s action, while the longer form (CST‑14) does not.

Utility 2
pubmed Apr 3, 2007

Ghrelin and its unacylated isoform stimulate the growth of adrenocortical tumor cells via an anti-apoptotic pathway.

Delhanty. P J D PJ; van Koetsveld. P M PM; Gauna. C C; van de Zande. B B; Vitale. G G; Hofland. L J...

The study found that the hormone ghrelin (both its normal and a common inactive form) can make adrenal gland cancer cells grow faster by stopping them from dying, and that a synthetic peptide called GHRP‑6 can block this growth‑boosting effect. This suggests ghrelin may act like a self‑fuel for adrenal tumors, while GHRP‑6 can act as an antagonist in this specific context.

Utility 2
pubmed Aug 20, 2009

Exploring side-chain diversity by submonomer solid-phase aza-peptide synthesis.

Sabatino. David D; Proulx. Caroline C; Klocek. Sophie S; Bourguet. Carine B CB; Boeglin. Damien D; O...

Scientists made a new, easier way to create modified versions of the peptide GHRP-6. One of these new versions (called 7a) folds into a shape that makes it bind a different receptor (CD36) a thousand times better than the original peptide. The study is mostly about chemistry, not about how to use the peptide in humans.