Study summary · research use only
Small molecule mimetics of GHRP-6
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review article discusses the search for small-molecule mimetics of growth hormone-releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6). The authors recount Bowers' 1981 report that enkephalin-derived xenobiotic peptides showed growth hormone (GH) secretory activity, and that GHRP-6 released GH by a pathway distinct from growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). They describe how this discovery motivated a search for smaller, orally active mimetics and mechanistic study, and review recent developments in small-molecule GH secretagogues from a medicinal-chemistry perspective, discussing various structural classes reported in the literature.
Abstract
In 1981, Bowers reported that xenobiotic peptides, derived from the Leu- and Met- enkephalins, demonstrated novel growth hormone (GH) secretory activity. The most potent peptide reported, GH releasing peptide-6 (GHRP-6), was shown to release GH by a different pathway to the known signalling peptide, growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH). The discovery of a peptidyl GH secretagogue laid the foundation for the search for smaller, orally active mimetics of GHRP-6, as well as for its mechanism of action. This review focuses on the recent developments in the field of small molecule GH secretagogues from a medicinal chemistry perspective, and discusses various structural classes of mimetics recently reported in the literature.
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