Growth Hormone Secretagogue Research Peptides

This page is the category guide to the growth hormone secretagogue research peptides we supply. It describes the class as a whole — what these compounds are, the receptor families that define them, and how the individual materials relate to one another — and links through to the detailed guides and specifications for each compound. It is written for researchers comparing materials at the class level; for compound-level detail, follow the links to the individual guides and catalogue entries throughout.

Everything here is factual and educational. It summarises how this group of compounds is described in published research and handled as laboratory material. It is not guidance for the use of any material in humans or animals, and it makes no claim about safety, performance or outcomes. For background on how research compounds are classified and supplied, see Understanding Research Compounds.

A growth hormone secretagogue is, in research terms, a compound studied for its action on the growth-hormone axis — specifically at the receptors that signal for growth hormone to be released. Two distinct receptor routes are studied under this umbrella: the growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) receptor, and the ghrelin receptor, which is also known as the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R). Peptides in this class are grouped by which of these routes they are designed to engage.

The compounds discussed here are short, defined synthetic peptides supplied as lyophilised material and handled as research compounds. For the underlying chemistry, see What Is a Peptide? and Understanding Peptide Sequence Notation. The receptor descriptions below are factual classifications drawn from published research; they describe receptor activity investigated in the laboratory and are not statements about any effect in a person or animal.

Within this class, compounds are commonly grouped by the receptor route they act at. The two families below cover the materials in our catalogue.

GHRH analogues

These are based on growth-hormone-releasing hormone and act at the GHRH receptor. They differ mainly in their sequence basis. Sermorelin is the native GHRH(1-29) fragment — the shortest portion that retains the full hormone’s receptor activity, and the reference sequence for the family. CJC-1295 (no DAC) is a stabilised, modified version of that same GHRH(1-29) fragment, sometimes called modified GRF (1-29). Tesamorelin is a longer GHRH(1-44) analogue carrying a small N-terminal modification.

Growth-hormone-releasing peptides (GHRPs) and ghrelin-receptor agonists

This is a separate family that acts at the ghrelin receptor (the growth hormone secretagogue receptor) rather than the GHRH receptor. Ipamorelin is the GHRP in our catalogue — a synthetic pentapeptide studied at the ghrelin receptor. Because GHRH analogues and GHRPs engage different receptors, the two families are frequently compared in receptor-pharmacology research.

The table below compares the secretagogue research peptides currently in our catalogue on a factual basis — the family each belongs to, its sequence basis and the receptor it is designed to engage. It is a comparison of how the materials are described and handled, not of any effect. Each is supplied as a lyophilised vial; follow the links for the full compound guides and product specifications.

Each compound has its own set of factual guides — an introductory profile, a research overview of areas of published study, and a storage & handling guide for the material.

• What Is Sermorelin?
• What Is CJC-1295?
• What Is Tesamorelin?
• What Is Ipamorelin?

Across the class, published study tends to concentrate on receptor pharmacology: how each peptide binds and activates its target receptor, and how the GHRH-receptor and ghrelin-receptor routes compare when studied under controlled conditions. Because the two families act at different receptors, they are often examined side by side as tools for probing the signalling that drives growth-hormone release in model systems. Cell-based assays feature heavily, since they let receptor activity be measured directly.

These are areas of published study rather than recommended uses; they describe where the compounds appear in the research literature, not any established result or any property of the material in application. The detail for each compound, including reported findings and stated limitations, is covered in its own research overview, linked from the guides above.

Across the class the practical considerations are the same as for any lyophilised research peptide: confirm the material against its specification on receipt, keep it in the stated storage conditions, and maintain clear records. The specification supplied with a given material is always the definitive reference for that material. For the general principles, see Peptide Storage Guidelines, Peptide Reconstitution Considerations and How to Read a Certificate of Analysis. Each compound’s own storage & handling guide, linked from its profile above, covers any points specific to that material, and the general approach to what a specification contains is described in Understanding Research Material Specifications.

The materials described here are available in the catalogue, each with its full specification and storage information: Sermorelin, CJC-1295 (no DAC), Tesamorelin and Ipamorelin. The complete range can be viewed in the research catalogue, and our overall approach to material consistency is described on the Quality page.

For laboratory research use only. Not for human or animal consumption. The material on this page is educational and factual: it summarises how a class of research compounds is described in published study and handled in the laboratory. It is not guidance for the use of any material in humans or animals, and nothing here should be read as a claim about safety, performance or outcomes. Where a product specification is provided with a material, that document is the definitive reference and takes precedence over any general information given here.