Two peptides, CJC-1295 and GHRP-6, have suggested promise as growth hormone release regulators. Studies suggest they may synergize when presented together, potentially increasing growth hormone production and secretion.
Ghrelin is a naturally occurring peptide that scientists believe may promote the release of growth hormones and aid in maintaining their concentrations; GHRP-6 peptide is a synthetic six-amino-acid counterpart of ghrelin. [i] Scientists hypothesize it may accomplish similar action as the ghrelin hormone through stimulating GHS-R1a, or the receptor for growth hormone secretagogue. Despite its apparent affinity for the receptors, GHRP-6 seems to be a structurally distinct opioid analog of the peptide Met-enkephalin rather than a homolog of ghrelin. However, studies have suggested that it may not have the opioid action for which these enkephalins are known. Therefore, GHRP-6 has been classified as a synthetic hexapeptide in the class of growth hormone secretagogues (GHSs).
CJC-1295, or tetra-substituted GRF (1-29), is a peptide analog of the naturally occurring growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) that is thought to stimulate the production of growth hormones. [ii] It is structurally comparable to the first 29 amino acids of GHRH, the shortest chain that may bind to the GHRH receptors. Four modified amino acids from GHRH’s original 29 are responsible for the major structural differences between CJC-1295 and GRF (1-29). These alterations to the peptide’s 2, 8, 15, and 27th amino acids are posited to make it more resistant to breakdown by dipeptidyl peptidase-4. The exact changes may be as follows:
- D-alanine is substituted with L-alanine at the second position, which is thought to improve the molecule’s stability.
- Changing the eighth position from asparagine to glutamine may decrease asparagine rearrangement and amide hydrolysis.
- The 15th position is changed from glycine to alanine, which is thought to increase bioactivity.
- The inhibition of methionine oxidation is speculated to result from replacing the 27th-position methionine with the amino acid leucine.
While both versions of the CJC-1295 peptide have a similar impact, adding DAC (also called the drug affinity complex) seems to extend the peptide’s activity. When combined with DAC, CJC-1295 may have a more sustained impact than alone. Possible explanations include the DAC’s capacity to bind to plasma proteins. Connecting a lysine derivative, N-epsilon-3-maleimidopropionamide, to the C terminus of CJC-1295 constitutes the DAC element. It is possible that fusing this modified amino acid sequence with the DAC element may improve the pharmacokinetics of CJC-1295, possibly increasing its coexistence with plasma proteins to about 8 days while maintaining a notable affinity towards GHRH receptors, similar to that suggested by CJC-1295 without DAC.
CJC-1295 and GHRP-6 Peptide Blend: Growth Hormone
Male research models were observed in one research experiment [iii]. Two research groups were studied, with half receiving a placebo and the other half receiving the CJC-1295 peptide. All research models had blood drawn before and after the peptide exposure. Based on these data, researchers speculated that the peptide could have led to a 7.5-fold rise in the research models’ growth hormone levels relative to the placebo group. One week after the peptide was present, the growth hormone levels appeared to have increased gradually and then stabilized.
In a different research experiment [iv], research models were given the peptide. All models were randomly assigned to one of two groups: those who received the peptide and those who received a placebo. After the experiment was over and blood samples were analyzed, it was suggested that the levels of growth hormones in the research models seemed to be concentration-dependent, increasing by as much as a factor of 10.
Madalina Ionescu et al. said, “The significant enhancement of trough GH levels by constant GHRH stimulation implicates the significance of this effect on increasing IGF-I. Long-acting GHRH preparations may aid research models with intact pituitary GH secretory capability.”
CJC-1295 and GHRP-6 Peptide Blend: Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism causes growth hormone levels to drop below normal. Subjects with hypothyroidism were given GHRP-6 peptide, GHRH peptide, or a combination of peptides (such as CJC-1295 and GHRP-6) in experimental research conducted in 1997 [v]. Growth hormone levels in models given the mixture seemed much greater than those given the individual peptides. Somatostatin, which may suppress growth hormone release, may be an antagonist of the GHRP-6 peptide’s impact. This explains why the peptide blend seemed to work better. A considerable increase in the GH response was speculated in these research models when GHRP-6 was linked with GHRH, which may suggest a function for somatostatin. This was hypothesized by F R Pimentel-Filho et al. As suggested by findings, thyroid hormones may influence GH’s release in response to GHRH and GHRP-6. However, further research is needed to understand this theory better.
CJC-1295 and GHRP-6 Peptide Blend: Cellular Repair
Animals used in experiments were made to experience multi-organ failure. The GHRP-6 peptide was given alone or in tandem with the epidermal growth factor (EGF). Data from the lab suggested that the peptide may have affected the gut epithelial cells of these animals, with the potential impact of tripling the rate of cellular migration. Furthermore, it seemed to mitigate the negative impact of such a failure by as much as 85%. [vi]
CJC-1295 & GHRP-6 blend for sale is available at Core Peptides for academics interested in further researching the potential of this blend.
References
[i] Berlanga-Acosta, Jorge, et al. “Synthetic Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptides (GHRPs): A Historical Appraisal of the Evidences Supporting Their Cytoprotective Effects.” Clinical Medicine Insights. Cardiology vol. 11 1179546817694558. 2 Mar. 2017, doi:10.1177/1179546817694558. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5392015/
[ii] National Center for Biotechnology Information (2023). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 91976842, CJC1295 Without DAC. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/CJC1295-Without-DAC.
[iii] Ionescu M, Frohman LA. Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Dec;91(12):4792-7. doi: 10.1210/jc.2006-1702. Epub 2006 Oct 3. PMID: 17018654. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17018654/
[iv] Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, Gagnon C, Castaigne JP, Frohman LA. Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Mar;91(3):799-805. doi: 10.1210/jc.2005-1536. Epub 2005 Dec 13. PMID: 16352683. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16352683/
[v] Pimentel-Filho FR, Ramos-Dias JC, Ninno FB, Façanha CF, Liberman B, Lengyel AM. Growth hormone responses to GH-releasing peptide (GHRP-6) in hypothyroidism. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1997 Mar;46(3):295-300. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9156038/
[vi] Cibrián D, Ajamieh H, Berlanga J, León OS, Alba JS, Kim MJ, Marchbank T, Boyle JJ, Freyre F, Garcia Del Barco D, Lopez-Saura P, Guillen G, Ghosh S, Goodlad RA, Playford RJ. Use of growth-hormone-releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6) for the prevention of multiple organ failure. Clin Sci (Lond). 2006 May;110(5):563-73. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16417467/
