GHK peptide prevents sleep deprived learning impairment in aging mice

Abstract

Sleep deprivation is known to cause memory impairment and is associated with inflammation and cell damage linked to neurodegenerative diseases. GHK (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine) is a naturally occurring tripeptide found in mammalian plasma. GHK has anti-inflammatory activity and can pass through the blood-brain barrier suggesting the potential to prevent neuroinflammation associated with sleep deprivation. In this study, mice were injected with 15 mg/kg GHK per day for five days and sleep deprived on the last two days of treatment. Sleep-deprived mice treated with GHK did not show the acute learning impairment seen in sleep-deprived mice treated with saline. GHK prevented an increase in MCP-1 and nitrotyrosine levels in the hippocampus of sleep-deprived mice suggesting that inflammatory and reactive nitrogen/oxygen species activity could be therapeutic targets for learning impairment associated with short-term sleep deprivation.
Keywords: GHK peptide, sleep deprivation, learning impairment, neuroinflammation, nitrotyrosine