Hexarelin exhibits protective activity against cardiac ischaemia in hearts from growth hormone-deficient rats.
Berti. F F; Müller. E E; De Gennaro Colonna. V V; Rossoni. G G
Key Findings
- Hexarelin markedly reduced heart dysfunction after ischemia and reperfusion in growth‑hormone‑deficient rats.
- It stopped the coronary vessels from over‑reacting to angiotensin II, a hormone that can tighten blood vessels.
- Hexarelin preserved the production of a vasodilatory prostaglandin (6‑keto‑PGF1α), helping keep blood vessels relaxed.
Practical Outcomes
- The study suggests hexarelin might have heart‑protective properties beyond just boosting growth hormone, which could be interesting for longevity or cardiovascular health strategies. However, the work is limited to a specific animal model, and no human dosing or safety data are provided, so it’s not yet ready for a concrete self‑experiment protocol.
Summary
In rats that lack growth hormone, giving the peptide hexarelin helped protect the heart from damage caused by reduced blood flow and improved how the heart and blood vessels responded after the stress.
Abstract
Male rats were treated with growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone antiserum to induce selective GH deficiency. The chronic administration of hexarelin to these GH-deficient rats had a pronounced protective effect against ischaemic and post-ischaemic ventricular dysfunction. Hexarelin prevented hyper-responsiveness of the coronary vascular bed to angiotensin II and also prevented the reduction in generation of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha in perfused hearts from GH-deficient rats. The most plausible interpretation of these findings is that hexarelin acts via stimulation of specific cardiac and vascular receptors, triggering currently unknown cytoprotective mechanisms that are responsible for resistance to ischaemic insults and for the preservation of the integrity of the endothelial vasodilation function.
Study Information
pubmed
1998
10.1016/s1096-6374(98)80041-5