GHRP-6 Protects Heart and Organs from Chemotherapy Damage

Doxorubicin is a potent chemotherapy drug widely used against various cancers, but its efficacy is often limited by severe side effects, particularly cardiotoxicity (damage to the heart muscle) and extra-myocardial damages affecting other vital organs. These adverse effects can lead to treatment discontinuation and long-term health complications, highlighting an urgent need for protective strategies. This study investigates whether Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-6 (GHRP-6) can mitigate doxorubicin-induced organ damage by activating cellular prosurvival pathways.

The administration of GHRP-6 significantly attenuated the detrimental effects of doxorubicin across multiple organs. In the doxorubicin-only group, severe damage was observed, characterized by elevated oxidative stress and apoptosis (programmed cell death) markers. GHRP-6 treatment led to a remarkable 45% reduction in cardiac tissue damage and a 30% decrease in liver enzyme elevations compared to the doxorubicin-only group, demonstrating broad protective effects. Furthermore, GHRP-6 increased the expression of key prosurvival proteins like Akt and ERK1/2 by 2.5-fold and 1.8-fold respectively, suggesting activation of protective cellular pathways. This was accompanied by a 60% decrease in apoptotic cell markers and a p<0.01 improvement in overall organ function scores in the GHRP-6 treated animals.