Compound Profiles
Ipamorelin: The First Selective Growth Hormone Secretagogue in Research
Healthy Aminos Research Team · · 6 min read
Molecular Profile
[Ipamorelin](/peptides/growth-hormone/ipamorelin) is a synthetic pentapeptide with the sequence Aib-His-D-2Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2. MW: 711.85 Da (CAS: 170851-70-4). It incorporates non-natural amino acids including alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) and D-2-naphthylalanine (D-2Nal), which contribute to its receptor selectivity and metabolic stability.
Ipamorelin activates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a), also known as the ghrelin receptor, on anterior pituitary somatotroph cells.
Published Research
### Selectivity Profile
[Raun et al. (1998)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9849822/) characterized ipamorelin's selectivity in a comparative study against GHRP-6 and other GHS compounds. The study demonstrated that ipamorelin stimulated GH release with potency comparable to GHRP-6 but without the significant elevations in ACTH, cortisol, and prolactin observed with non-selective GHS compounds. This selectivity profile distinguished ipamorelin as the first truly selective GHS.
### Bone Research
[Johansen et al. (1999)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10373343/) examined ipamorelin's effects on bone growth parameters in rat models. The study reported dose-dependent observations on longitudinal bone growth and body weight measurements over a multi-week treatment period.
### Human Clinical Trial
[Beck et al. (2014)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25331030/) published results from a phase 2 human clinical trial examining ipamorelin in the context of postoperative gastrointestinal recovery. This represents one of the few human clinical datasets for this compound, providing safety and tolerability data.
Research Status
Ipamorelin has both preclinical and limited clinical data. Its selectivity profile — GH release without significant effects on other pituitary hormones — is well-documented. The compound is not FDA-approved.
Also explore [Tesamorelin](/peptides/growth-hormone/tesamorelin) (GHRH analog) for complementary GH pathway research.
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