Peptide encyclopedia
4 of 20 peptides match the filters. Each entry carries mechanism, route of administration, half-life, legal status in your jurisdiction, and the primary sources backing every claim.
- Compounds
- 20
- Source links
- 39
- Therapeutic classes
- 9
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Reset all01·GH secretagogue
CJC-1295
Also: CJC-1295 with DAC, DAC:GRF, et al.
CJC-1295 is a tetrasubstituted analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) — the active fragment of native GHRH — engineered for resistance to enzymatic degradation and, in the DAC ("drug affinity complex") variant, for covalent binding to plasma albumin. The four amino-acid substitutions (D-Ala², Gln⁸, Ala¹⁵, Leu²⁷) protect against DPP-IV cleavage and proline isomerization; the DAC moiety — a maleimidopropionic acid linker on Lys³⁰ — covalently binds the cysteine-34 residue of circulating albumin, dramatically extending plasma half-life ([Teichman et al., *J Clin Endocrinol Metab* 2006, 91:799–805](https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2005-1536)). Receptor mechanism is the same as Tesamorelin: GHRH-receptor agonism on pituitary somatotrophs, pulsatile GH release, hepatic IGF-1 production. The non-DAC form, often labeled "Modified GRF (1-29)" or "Mod GRF 1-29," shares the four substitutions but lacks the albumin tether and clears in roughly thirty minutes — a short pharmacological window suited to per-pulse dosing rather than tonic stimulation.
Research use only
02·GH secretagogue
Ipamorelin
Also: NNC 26-0161
Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide built around two non-natural amino acids (Aib at the N-terminus, D-2-naphthylalanine and D-phenylalanine in the core) that binds the growth-hormone-secretagogue receptor — the ghrelin receptor, GHSR-1a — on pituitary somatotrophs ([Raun et al., *Eur J Endocrinol* 1998, 139:552–561](https://doi.org/10.1530/eje.0.1390552)). Receptor agonism triggers a pulsatile release of growth hormone, which drives hepatic IGF-1 production downstream. Mechanistically this differs from Tesamorelin and CJC-1295: those are GHRH analogs binding the GHRH receptor; Ipamorelin mimics ghrelin instead. The pentapeptide structure is also small enough that it crosses some tissue compartments more readily than the larger 44-amino-acid GHRH analogs.
Research use only
03·GH secretagogue
MK-677
Also: Ibutamoren, Ibutamoren mesylate, et al.
MK-677 (ibutamoren) is a non-peptide spiropiperidine designed by Merck as an orally bioavailable agonist of the growth-hormone-secretagogue receptor — the ghrelin receptor, GHSR-1a — on pituitary somatotrophs ([Nass et al., *Ann Intern Med* 2008, 149:601–611](https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-9-200811040-00003)). Receptor agonism triggers pulsatile growth hormone release in the same downstream pathway as Ipamorelin, with the practical advantage that it is absorbed orally and clears with a half-life that supports once-daily dosing. Strictly speaking, MK-677 is not a peptide — it is a small molecule that mimics ghrelin's receptor activity. This site labels it "peptide-adjacent" because the GH-axis function it serves is the same one biohackers approach via the injectable peptides on this list, and excluding it would make the GH-secretagogue conversation less complete than it should be.
Research use only
04·GH secretagogue
Tesamorelin
Also: Egrifta, Egrifta SV, et al.
Tesamorelin is a 44-amino-acid analog of human growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) with a trans-3-hexenoyl modification on the N-terminal Tyr¹ that confers resistance to dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase-IV degradation ([Ferdinandi et al., *Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol* 2007, 100:49–58](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-7843.2007.00008.x)). Once injected subcutaneously, it binds the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs and triggers pulsatile growth hormone release, which in turn drives IGF-1 production in the liver. Plasma half-life is roughly 26 to 38 minutes — short enough that GH and IGF-1 stay broadly within their normal pulsatile pattern rather than being chronically elevated, which is the safety story the FDA reviewed.
Prescription only