What is GHRP-6? A ghrelin receptor hexapeptide

GHRP-6 is a synthetic peptide of six amino acids, Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-6, and it acts at the ghrelin receptor. It came first in the family of growth hormone secretagogues, and it is sold as a lyophilized powder for laboratory research at 873.01 g/mol.

The molecule is small, so a milligram of it is a large number of molecules, and its mass sits close to two of its relatives. That puts more weight on the identity line of its lab report. What follows covers what GHRP-6 is made of, where it sits among the other ghrelin agonists, what its size means for concentration at the bench, how it is sold in Canada, and what its report should show.

What GHRP-6 is made of

GHRP-6 is a chain of six residues: histidine, D-tryptophan, alanine, tryptophan, D-phenylalanine and lysine, with the end of the chain amidated. Two of the six residues carry the D-configuration rather than the L-configuration, and the catalog lists the molecule as a synthetic hexapeptide.

The name is an abbreviation. GHRP stands for Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide, and the number labels the analog in that series. GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 are both hexapeptides, so the digit cannot be the residue count.

Where GHRP-6 sits in the family

GHRP-6 and its relatives act at the same receptor, the ghrelin receptor, also written GHS-R1a. Four peptides in the catalog bind it, and mass is the fastest way to tell them apart.

GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 are 55.05 g/mol apart, and GHRP-6 and hexarelin are 14 g/mol apart. A mass spectrometer resolves both gaps at this size, so the observed mass on a report says which of the three is in the vial. The 14 g/mol gap is the narrow one, so check the observed mass on the report rather than the label.

GHRP-2 vs GHRP-6 vs ipamorelin sets out the family in full, including what separates the selective agonists from the broadly acting ones.

The ghrelin receptor is one point on the growth hormone axis, not the whole of it. CJC-1295, sermorelin and tesamorelin act at the GHRH receptor instead, which is why a ghrelin agonist gets paired with a GHRH analog rather than replaced by one. Is CJC-1295 the same as ipamorelin? covers that pairing. AOD-9604 sits elsewhere again, as a modified fragment of growth hormone itself, and AOD-9604 in Canada covers what is sold of it.

What GHRP-6's size means at the bench

At 873.01 g/mol, GHRP-6 is one of the lighter peptides in the catalog, and the milligram figure on the label converts to a large molecule count. A 5 mg vial holds about 5.7 micromoles; the same mass of a 5,000 g/mol peptide holds about one. The difference decides how far a vial goes if your work is in molar units.

Concentration is the vial's mass divided by the volume of water you add, and molarity follows from the molecular weight. Adding 1 mL to a 5 mg vial gives 5 mg/mL, and 2 mL gives 2.5 mg/mL. The amount of peptide in the vial never changes, only the concentration.

Once water is in the vial, the handling rules are the same as for any peptide: run the bacteriostatic water down the glass instead of onto the powder, swirl it rather than shake it, and keep dry powder in the freezer with the solution in the fridge. How to reconstitute a lyophilized peptide covers the technique.

Is GHRP-6 available in Canada?

GHRP-6 is sold in Canada as a research chemical for in-vitro laboratory use, not as a drug or a supplement, and it is not approved by Health Canada for any use in people or animals. The catalog carries it as a lyophilized vial in two sizes, 5 mg for $24.99 and 10 mg for $39.99.

What keeps a research peptide on the right side of the line in Canada is intended use, not the molecule itself. Marketing or selling it for human consumption is what is not permitted, which is a different question from whether the material can be supplied for the bench. Are research peptides legal in Canada? sets out the distinction, and this page is general information, not legal advice.

What a GHRP-6 lab report should show

The identity check on GHRP-6 matters more than on most peptides, because hexarelin sits 14 g/mol away and GHRP-2 sits 55.05 g/mol away. A report for a GHRP-6 vial should carry four things:

• An observed mass near 873.01 g/mol, printed next to the expected value
• HPLC purity at 99% or higher, the release spec a batch has to meet before it ships
• A batch number that matches the code on the vial in your hand
• A named, independent lab, with the test date on the document

How to read a peptide lab report walks through each field and what a recycled or generic report looks like. Every pepuro vial carries a QR code that opens the third-party report for its own batch, and any batch code can be typed into the tracking page as well.

Every GHRP-6 vial from pepuro ships free, from our Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver distribution centers, the same business day your e-Transfer clears, with a QR code on the vial that opens its independent, third-party lab report.

For research use only. Not for human or animal consumption.