Ipamorelin 10 mg Research Peptide

What is ipamorelin?

Ipamorelin is a synthetic five-residue peptide, Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, developed as a growth hormone (GH) secretagogue. This product is a 10 mg PEPTYVA vial for laboratory research use only. It is not a medicine and is not for human or veterinary use.

It was introduced in a 1998 paper titled "Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue". The developers found it within a series of compounds that lack the central Ala-Trp dipeptide of GHRP-1, which is why it is shorter than the classic GH-releasing hexapeptides.

How is ipamorelin studied in research?

Ipamorelin acts through the GHRP-type receptor now known as the ghrelin receptor, not through the GHRH receptor. In primary rat pituitary cells it released GH with potency and efficacy similar to GHRP-6, and antagonist studies confirmed the receptor route.

Its main research interest is selectivity. In conscious swine, ipamorelin did not raise ACTH or cortisol beyond the levels seen after GHRH, while GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 increased both. None of the secretagogues tested in that model changed FSH, LH, prolactin or TSH.

Ipamorelin has also been examined in a rodent model of postoperative ileus, the slowing of gut motility after abdominal surgery, which is the setting later chosen for its human trials.

What does the current evidence show?

Human data are limited to pharmacology and two mid-stage trials. In a 1999 randomized study in healthy male volunteers, ipamorelin showed a terminal half-life of about 2 hours and produced a single episode of GH release that peaked at about 40 minutes. Variability between individuals was larger for the GH response than for the pharmacokinetic measures.

Its development target was postoperative ileus. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial with 114 analyzed adults after bowel resection, time to the first tolerated meal did not differ significantly from placebo. A second Phase 2 trial (NCT01280344, 320 enrolled) was completed in 2014, and its registry record posts no summary data.

Efficacy has not been established for any use, and Drugs@FDA lists no ipamorelin product.

How does ipamorelin differ from GHRP-2 and GHRP-6?

All three act on the ghrelin receptor, but ipamorelin is a pentapeptide while GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 are hexapeptides. In the 1998 swine work, the GH response to ipamorelin came without the ACTH and cortisol rise seen with the two GHRPs. GHRP-2 also differs in regulatory terms, since it is approved in Japan as a diagnostic agent. Ipamorelin is also the smallest of the three: PubChem lists 711.9 g/mol, against 818.0 g/mol for GHRP-2 and 873.0 g/mol for GHRP-6 (free bases).

What is the regulatory status of ipamorelin?

Ipamorelin is not an approved medicine in the US. On September 29, 2023, FDA placed ipamorelin acetate in Category 2 for 503B outsourcing facilities, its list of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks in compounding. FDA cites immunogenicity concerns and serious adverse events, including death, reported in a published gastric motility study.

In Mexico, this PEPTYVA vial is sold as laboratory research material only and is not a registered medicine.

Documentation

Each ipamorelin vial is labelled with a PEPTYVA lot number, and the Certificate of Analysis (COA) for that lot states identity and purity. Ask for it through our contact page; the Quality & Documentation page shows how COAs and lot numbers connect.

Storage and handling

Ipamorelin vials should stay sealed in the original packaging until laboratory use. Protect them from light, moisture and heat, keep them at the temperature printed on the PEPTYVA label, and check the seal when the order arrives.