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Catalog/Sermorelin

Sermorelin

Also known as GRF 1-29 · Geref

Truncated GHRH(1-29) — historically the first GHRH analog approved by the FDA.

Overview

Sermorelin is the first 29 amino acids of endogenous GHRH and was approved by the FDA in 1990 (subsequently discontinued commercially) for diagnostic and pediatric GH deficiency use.

Background

Sermorelin is the first 29 amino acids of endogenous GHRH — the shortest fragment that retains full GH-releasing activity. As a GHRH-receptor agonist it prompts the pituitary to release the body’s own growth hormone.

It was FDA-approved in 1990 (Geref) for diagnostic evaluation of pituitary GH reserve and for pediatric GH deficiency, but was later discontinued commercially. It remains a widely referenced GHRH analog in research.

Mechanism

GHRH receptor agonism.

Key research findings

  • GHRH-receptor agonism — binds GHRHR on pituitary somatotrophs, activating adenylyl cyclase / cAMP to drive endogenous GH synthesis and release.
  • Physiologic pulsatility — the short half-life is a design feature, producing a discrete GH pulse that preserves somatostatin negative feedback rather than sustained elevation.
  • GH-axis evaluation — historically used to test pituitary GH reserve; a former approved use in pediatric GH deficiency, since discontinued.
  • Compared to CJC-1295 — the same GHRH(1-29) backbone; CJC-1295 stabilizes and (with DAC) extends it for multi-day action, trading pulsatility for duration.
  • Discontinued commercially — referenced today as a research compound.

How Sermorelin is made

Behind every vial of Sermorelin is the same exacting pipeline every research peptide runs — but the chemistry plays out differently for this molecule. Here is how Sermorelin, specifically, is brought into being.

  1. On paper first

    On paper, Sermorelin is C149H246N44O42S — about 3,358 daltons of precisely arranged atoms. Before a single bond is made, the target sequence, salt form, and purity threshold are written down as the contract the finished material must meet.

  2. Built residue by residue

    Assembling Sermorelin means roughly 29 coupling cycles on the synthesizer — one protected residue added at a time, which is also 29 chances for an incomplete coupling to seed a deletion impurity.

  3. Purity is won here

    The crude mixture — Sermorelin plus its deletions and side products — is then separated on preparative HPLC, and where the cut is taken decides the difference between a genuinely pure peptide and a barely-passable one. It also contains oxidation-prone methionine or tryptophan residues, another family of impurities the chromatography has to resolve away.

  4. Proven, then protected

    A real batch of Sermorelin proves itself: identity confirmed by mass spectrometry against its ~3,358 Da, purity read directly off an analytical HPLC trace, water and counterion content measured. That batch-specific certificate of analysis is the only honest way to know what is actually in a vial of Sermorelin — and a short, cold, accountable chain of custody is how that purity survives the trip to your bench.

Walk the full synthesis pipeline

Handling, storage & why purity is hard

Producing Sermorelin to a genuine purity spec means solid-phase synthesis, preparative HPLC purification, and batch quality control — none of it cheap, and none of it something you can verify by eye.

Don't judge a vial by its cake. A fluffy, good-looking lyophilized powder reflects bulking agents and freeze-drying parameters — not purity. Insist on a batch-specific certificate of analysis.

How peptides are made — the full pipeline

Research areas

  • GH axis evaluation
  • Pediatric GH deficiency (historical)

Research-area guides

Latest research

Recent clinical trials and publications mentioning Sermorelin, pulled automatically from ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed and refreshed daily. Listings are unfiltered search results, not curated endorsements.

Frequently asked questions

What is sermorelin?+

Sermorelin is GHRH(1-29), the shortest active fragment of growth-hormone-releasing hormone, historically approved to assess and treat GH deficiency.

Is sermorelin still FDA-approved?+

It was approved in 1990 (Geref) but later discontinued commercially. It is referenced today largely as a research compound.

How does it differ from CJC-1295?+

CJC-1295 is a stabilized, longer-acting modification of the same GHRH(1-29) backbone; sermorelin is the unmodified fragment with a short half-life.

Is this medical advice?+

No — this page is a research and educational reference.

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Ask the Agent about Sermorelin

Dosing protocols, mechanism, comparisons, and the latest trials — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.