Growth hormone - releasing hormone antagonists induce autophagy in cancer cells.
Sigdel. Madan M; Fakir. Saikat S; Sarker. Md Matiur Rahman MMR; Barabutis. Nektarios N
Key Findings
- The GHRH antagonist JV‑1‑36 raised levels of several autophagy‑related proteins (ATG‑5, ATG‑3, ATG‑7, ATG‑16L1) in GHRH‑receptor‑positive cancer cells (MDA‑MB‑468 and A549).
- Cancer cells lacking GHRH receptors (MCF‑7) showed no autophagy response to the antagonist.
- The authors suggest that the anti‑cancer benefits of GHRH antagonists may be linked to autophagy activation.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers using sermorelin (a GHRH agonist), this study offers little direct guidance, as it examines a blocker, not a stimulator, and only in cell cultures. It does highlight that manipulating the GHRH pathway can affect autophagy, but translating this to human longevity or performance protocols would require far more research.
Summary
A lab study found that a peptide that blocks growth‑hormone‑releasing hormone (GHRH) can trigger the cell‑clean‑up process called autophagy in certain cancer cells that have GHRH receptors, but it does nothing in cells without those receptors.
Abstract
GHRH antagonists (GHRHAnt) were developed to suppress cancers and have been associated with robust anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. The mechanisms involved in those effects are not completely understood. MDA-MB-468 and A549 cancer cells, which express GHRH receptors, were treated with GHRHAnt JV-1-36, to evaluate the effects of that compound in autophagy. JV-1-36 induces autophagy in MDA-MB-468 and A549 cells since exposure to the aforementioned peptide elevated the expression levels of the autophagy-related protein (ATG) - 5, ATG - 3, ATG - 7, and ATG-16L1. In contrast, MCF-7 cells - which do not express GHRH receptors - did not respond to GHRHAnt. Our findings suggest that the beneficial effects of GHRHAnt in cancers may involve autophagy. Further studies will attempt to delineate the underlying mechanisms.
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/j.ghir.2025.101668
53