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Key Takeaways
There is understandable excitement around the potential uses of peptides, but it’s important not to overlook an important fact: there’s no way to avoid the pleiotropic nature of peptides; they act broadly – you will activate additional pathways, regardless of the intended target Avoid peptides (especially for growth hormone) if you have a tumor or cancer – growth hormone and IGF-1 are indiscriminate in terms of tissue they promote the growth of; you might increase the size and vascularization of the tumor Be very careful with sourcing peptides to avoid contamination; ideally, only use under guidance of a physician and obtained through a pharmaceutical company or compounding pharmacy Potential therapeutic uses of peptides: faster wound healing and tissue repair, increased deep sleep, increased growth hormone and IGF-1, recalibration of circadian rhythm The rationale for peptide use as therapeutic for longevity is rooted in the idea that we want to mimic helpful hormones and proteins that are present early in life during more youthful years full of vitality Be cautious when using peptides! Work with a physician very well versed in the space, there are risks
Introduction
Dr. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His lab focuses on neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance.
In this episode of Huberman Lab, learn all about peptides! Andrew Huberman explains the major categories and types of peptides for therapeutic purposes, tissue rejuvenation, longevity, muscle growth & fat loss, and more.
Host: Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab)
7:44 – What Is A Peptide?
A peptide is a protein made up of chain amino acids Amino acids are the building blocks of peptides and other proteins Visual: a peptide looks like beads on a string; its order determines its function Therapeutic peptides have a host of functions depending on things like cell type. the time of day or night they’re present, and downstream effects of peptides (which receptor it ultimately binds)
Therapeutic peptides are rarely targeted and specific – this impacts everything from dosage, effect on the body, negative side effects Commonly known peptides in the body: insulin, oxytocin
12:06 – Therapeutic Peptide Sourcing
The safest way to source peptides: physician prescription which gives you security they’re safer, FDA-approved, and clinically tested
Many uses are off-label Why sourcing matters: black market peptides (or peptides not directly from a compound pharmacy or pharma company) are often contaminated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which can trigger an immune response
14:48 – Therapeutic Peptide: BPC-157
BPC-157 is a synthetic peptide that resembles a peptide that exists naturally in the gut but is involved in wound healing and repair by aiding tissue repair and cell turnover Uses: BPC-157 encourages cell turnover and migration and cell blood supply which also assists with healing by calling in new vasculature and promoting the growth of new vasculature
Other benefits: (1) quite safe with low lethality; (2) upregulates growth hormone Route of administration: subcutaneous or intramuscular injection Dosing: Typical doses are 300-500mcg a few times per week, cycled on and off
Start with a minimum effective dose and increase over time Worth noting, that although this is one of the more studied peptides, most data has come from animal studies Risks: it’s not without its side effects – avoid BPC-157 if you have an existing tumor, or cancer, or are concerned about cancer; it does increase vasculature which can grow tumors
37:00 – Therapeutic Peptides: Thymosin Beta-4, TB-500
Thymosin beta-4 is naturally produced by the body from the thymus (present in children then disappears)
Why? Children recover quicker and with less scaring than adults Benefits of thymosin beta-4: can increase rate and thoroughness of wound healing and repair; tissue rejuvenation and repair
Often taken in combination with BP-157; thymosin beta-4 promotes the growth and infiltration of different cell types associated with tissue rejuvenation and repair Thymosin beta-4 does not appear to impact the growth pathway, just rejuvenation, and repair Again, most data comes from animal studies TB-500 is a truncated version of thymosin beta-4 which acts similarly but has a different mode of action and lasts a little longer
41:00 – Peptides For Tissue Repair & Growth
Some peptides released in the body can have specific effects on growth hormone, increases in metabolism, muscle growth, and fat loss Growth hormone is naturally made in the pituitary gland and extends through the stalk of the brain; it gets input from the hypothalamus
We secrete the majority of growth hormones when we sleep – which is part of why babies, kids, and teenagers sleep so much After age 30 the amount of growth hormone is reduced; this relates to vitality, energy, metabolism IGF-1 is released by the liver in response to growth hormone; it helps regulate blood sugar in addition to other benefits of growth hormone Growth hormone is typically administered by injection at night Risks: growth hormone is indiscriminate concerning which tissue it grows – avoid if you have a tumor; it can decrease natural secretions of growth hormone and downstream IGF-1
45:25 – Categories Of Peptides That Stimulate Growth Hormone
Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) peptides AKA category 1 peptides: most thoroughly tested in humans, often FDA approved, prescribed for off-label effects
Sermorelin: designed to mimic naturally released growth hormone and downstream IGF-1; FDA-approved for short stature
Administered at night; increases circulating levels of growth hormone and IGF-1; increases deep sleep but maybe at the expense of REM sleep Tesamorelin: FDA-approved drug for visceral fat in HIV patients; similar effects as sermorelin but longer-lasting CJC-1295: very long-lasting effects on increasing growth hormone and IGF-1; more risks than sermorelin and tesamorelin as it can increase fluid retention and even had a death in clinical trials Growth hormone-releasing (GHR) peptides AKA category 2 peptides encourage the release of growth hormone by mimicking or stimulating the release of ghrelin (hunger hormone)
Ipamorelin: increases ghrelin which increases hunger but does increase growth hormone release and improves deep sleep (though maybe at the expense of REM) Hexarelin: growth hormone release is greater than other peptides but it can dramatically increase prolactin which can cause low libido, and malaise; can also desensitize growth hormone receptors and decrease endogenous growth hormone GHRP-3: can potently increase growth hormone but also increases prolactin and cortisol
MK-677: oral version of GHRP-3 but has the same side effects – drastically increased growth hormone, prolactin, and cortisol Important points: (1) peptide vendors and physicians will combine growth hormone peptides – make sure you’re not redundantly hitting a pathway or increasing downstream hormones unnecessarily; (2) there are side effects, especially when using therapeutic peptides that target growth hormones
Work with a physician who is very well-versed in the peptide space
1:06:12 – Peptides For Longevity
Thymosin beta-4 (discussed above, minute 37:00) is aimed at replacing something present in youth that dissipates with age but isn’t a longevity peptide per se Epitalon/Epithalon can potentially improve longevity; it’s a peptide excreted from the pineal gland that secretes melatonin and epithalamion which has anti-inflammatory effects
Available as prescription Benefits: can recalibrate circadian rhythm changes that occur with age; important because melatonin and epithalamion levels decrease over time Logic: mimic what was present earlier in life and encourage anti-inflammatory and cellular longevity pathways
1:12:23 – Peptides For Vitality
Melanocyte-stimulating hormone-related peptides have the effect of stimulating pigmentation of the skin by activating melanocytes
There is Melanotan 1-5 depending on the mechanism pathway Risks: nausea, flushing of skin, and increased blood pressure, can exacerbate melanoma Kisspeptin turns on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and downstream hormones
Pathway: kisspeptin then GNRH then FSH then testosterone then estrogen Use: increases vitality as it relates to libido and mood and downstream hormones Note, that suppressing kisspeptin can alleviate menopause symptoms
Journal Articles
Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 accelerates healing of transected rat Achilles tendon and in vitro stimulates tendocytes growth (Journal of Orthopaedic Research) Gastric pentadecapeptide body protection compound BPC 157 and its role in accelerating musculoskeletal soft tissue healing (Cell and Tissue Research) Modulatory effects of BPC 157 on vasomotor tone and the activation of Src-Caveolin-1-endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway (Scientific Research) Stable Gastric Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and Wound Healing (Frontiers in Pharmacology) Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1): a growth hormone (Molecular Pathology) MK-677, an Orally Active Growth Hormone Secretagogue, Reverses Diet-Induced Catabolism (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism) Two-Month Treatment of Obese Subjects with the Oral Growth Hormone (GH) Secretagogue MK-677 Increases GH Secretion, Fat-Free Mass, and Energy Expenditure (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism) Kisspeptin signalling and its roles in humans (Singapore Med J) Age-Related Changes of the Pineal Gland in Humans: A Digital Anatomo-Histological Morphometric Study on Autopsy Cases with Comparison to Predigital-Era Studies (Medicina)
Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned
Dr. Natalie Crawford: Female Hormone Health, Fertility & Vitality (Podcast Notes!) Dr. Michael Eisenberg: Improving Male Sexual Health, Function & Fertility (Podcast Notes!) The Science of How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen (Podcast Notes!)
Huberman Lab : health, life, peptides, popular Notes By Maryann
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