GHRP-6's effects on actively repairing cardiac tissue following a heart attack.

Journal Context: MDPI Pharmaceuticals (Published March 2026) | Identifiers: DOI: 10.3390/ph19030468 / PMID: 41922314

Methodology: Evaluation of laboratory rat models subjected to permanent left descending coronary artery ligation to simulate localized heart damage. Treatment arms received daily systemic GHRP-6 ($0.4\ \text{mg/kg}$) for 7 days post-surgery, followed by echocardiographic tracking and high-resolution mitochondrial proteomic assays.

Key Findings: GHRP-6 administration significantly reduced myocardial interstitial fibrosis and scar tissue accumulation, preserving left ventricular wall thickness. Proteomic analysis confirmed that GHRP-6 directly upregulates pathways governing fatty acid $\beta$-oxidation and antioxidant defenses inside the mitochondria, preventing localized cell death (apoptosis) and improving overall cardiac ejection fractions independently of growth hormone's systemic anabolic effects.