Compounds & Therapies
5-Amino-1MQ — NNMT Inhibitor
5-Amino-1-methylquinolinium iodide (5-amino-1MQ) is a small-molecule inhibitor of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), the enzyme that methylates nicotinamide using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a methyl donor. Two metabolic problems flow from…
AOD-9604
Failed Drug Candidate With Misleading GRAS Status
ARA-290 (Cibinetide)
Innate Repair Receptor Agonist in Phase 2 Development
BPC-157
Emerging Peptide for Tissue Repair Research
BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound-157): A Practical Guide
Overview BPC-157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide (15 amino acids; sequence: GEPPPGKPADDAGLV) derived from a naturally occurring partial sequence found
Cartalax — Khavinson Short-Peptide Bioregulator for Cartilage
Cartalax (Ala-Glu-Asp, AED tripeptide) is one of approximately fifteen short-peptide bioregulators developed by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology beginning in the 1970s. The Khavinson…
Cerebrolysin
Cerebrolysin is a parenteral pharmaceutical preparation of low-molecular-weight peptides and free amino acids derived from enzymatically processed porcine brain tissue. Manufactured by EVER Pharma since the 1970s, it is approved in more than 40…
CJC-1295
Long-Acting GHRH Analog for GH Secretion Research
CJC-1295: A Practical Guide
Overview CJC-1295 is a synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) — the hypothalamic peptide that stimulates somatotroph cells
Dihexa
Angiotensin IV Analog With No Human Safety Data
DSIP — Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide
Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) is a small (nine amino acid) neuropeptide first identified in 1977 by Monnier and colleagues in Switzerland, isolated from the cerebral venous blood of rabbits exposed to electrical stimulation that induced…
Epitalon
Unproven Telomerase Activator From Russia
Epitalon (Epithalon): A Practical Guide
Overview Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly; 4 amino acids) originally developed by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, Russian Academy of Sciences, beginning in the 1980s. It is a synthetic analog of…
Follistatin (FST-344)
Follistatin is a glycoprotein that binds and neutralizes myostatin (GDF-8), activin A, and several bone morphogenetic proteins. Because myostatin is the dominant brake on skeletal-muscle growth, blocking myostatin produces dramatic muscle…
GHK-Cu (Copper Peptide)
Cosmetic Peptide With Topical Benefits and Injectable Research Status
GHK-Cu (Copper Tripeptide): A Practical Guide
Overview GHK-Cu (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II)) is a naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide first isolated from human plasma albumin by Loren Pickart in 1973. GHK is present in human plasma (200 ng/mL at age 20, declining to 80 ng/mL by age 60), saliva, and urine, and is…
GHRP-2 (Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2): A Practical Guide
Overview GHRP-2 (D-Ala-D-β-Nal-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) is a synthetic hexapeptide and potent agonist of the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a). It was developed by Cyril Bowers and colleagues at Tulane University in the early 1990s as part of the research effort that defined the ghrelin receptor family…
GHRP-6: A Practical Guide
Overview GHRP-6 (His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) is a synthetic hexapeptide and the first-generation agonist of the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a), developed by Cyril Bowers and colleagues at Tulane University in the 1980s. It was the peptide whose study ultimately led to the discovery of the…
Hexarelin
Hexarelin is a synthetic hexapeptide growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP) developed in the early 1990s as part of the GHRP-2/GHRP-6/hexarelin family. At equivalent doses, hexarelin produces growth hormone pulses larger than GHRP-2 or GHRP-6,…
IGF-LR3 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Long Arg3)
Potent Modified IGF-1 With Extreme Abuse Potential
Ipamorelin
Selective GH Secretagogue for Research Use
Ipamorelin: A Practical Guide
Overview Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide (5 amino acids: Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) and a
Kisspeptin
Investigational Reproductive Peptide in Active Research
KPV (Lysine-Proline-Valine)
Tripeptide Fragment With Zero Human Evidence
LL-37
Human Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptide (Preclinical Only)
MOTS-c (Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12S rRNA Type-c): A Practical Guide
Overview MOTS-c is a 16-amino acid peptide encoded not in the nuclear genome but in the mitochondrial genome — specifically within the 12S ribosomal RNA gene of mitochondrial DNA. It was identified in 2015 by Changhan David Lee and colleagues at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology…
MOTS-c (Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide)
Preclinical Mitochondrial Peptide With Theoretical Metabolic Benefits
N-Acetyl Semax and N-Acetyl Selank
Semax (a synthetic analog of the N-terminal fragment of ACTH 4-10) and Selank (a synthetic analog of tuftsin) were developed by Russian scientific research institutes beginning in the 1980s-1990s. Both are registered medications in Russia for…
Pinealon
Pinealon (Glu-Asp-Arg) is a synthetic tripeptide developed by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is part of the broader Khavinson 'short peptide' bioregulator program, which has…
PT-141 (Bremelanotide)
FDA-Approved Melanocortin Agonist (Women Only)
PT-141 (Bremelanotide): A Practical Guide
Overview PT-141 (bremelanotide; synthetic amino acid sequence: Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-OH) is
Selank
Russian-Approved Anxiolytic Peptide (Tuftsin Analog)
Semax
Russian-Approved Neuroprotective Peptide (ACTH Analog)
Sermorelin
FDA-Approved GHRH Analog (Discontinued Commercially, Available via Compounding)
Sermorelin: A Practical Guide
Overview Sermorelin is a synthetic 29-amino acid peptide corresponding to the first 29 residues of human growth hormone-releasing hormone (hGHRH). It was the first GHRH analog developed for clinical use and remains the most extensively studied GHRH peptide with FDA approval history — it was…
SS-31 (Elamipretide)
Investigational Mitochondrial Protective Peptide in Active Development
TB-500 (Thymosin Beta-4 Fragment): A Practical Guide
Overview TB-500 is a synthetic peptide corresponding to the 17-amino-acid actin-binding domain of thymosin beta-4
TB-500 (Thymosin Beta-4)
Actin-Binding Peptide Under Scrutiny
Tesamorelin
FDA-Approved GHRH Analog for HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy
Thymosin Alpha-1
Approved in 35+ Countries (Except US, EU, UK, Australia, Canada)
Thymosin Beta-4 (Tβ4): A Practical Guide
Overview Thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) is a 43-amino acid, naturally occurring protein ubiquitously expressed in nearly all mammalian cells (except red blood cells) and present at high concentrations in platelets, wound fluid, and tissue in active regeneration. It is the most abundant member of the…
Thymulin: A Practical Guide
Overview Thymulin (also known as FTS — facteur thymique sérique, or serum thymic factor) is a nonapeptide (9 amino acids; pyroglutamate-Ala-Lys-Ser-Gln-Gly-Gly-Ser-Asn) produced by thymic epithelial cells (TECs) in the thymus gland. First isolated by Bach and colleagues in France in the 1970s…
VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide)
Endogenous Neuropeptide With Limited Clinical Evidence for CIRS