Description
Sermorelin is a synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) studied in controlled laboratory environments for its interaction with pituitary signaling pathways and its upstream approach to growth hormone signaling activation.
Chemical Information
- Chemical Name: Sermorelin (GHRH 1-29 NH2; growth hormone-releasing hormone N-terminal fragment)
- Also Known As: GRF(1-29); GHRH(1-29); Geref (withdrawn from market in 2008 for commercial reasons, not safety concerns)
- Compound Class: Synthetic 29-amino acid GHRH analog; GHRHR full agonist; shortest GHRH fragment retaining full biological GH-releasing activity
- Sequence: Tyr-Ala-Asp-Ala-Ile-Phe-Thr-Asn-Ser-Tyr-Arg-Lys-Val-Leu-Gly-Gln-Leu-Ser-Ala-Arg-Lys-Leu-Leu-Gln-Asp-Ile-Met-Ser-Arg-NH2
- Molecular Formula: C149H246N44O42S
- Molecular Weight: approximately 3,357 Da
- CAS Number: 86168-78-7
Applications
- GHRHR full agonism studies with minimal active fragment. Sermorelin is the shortest GHRH sequence that retains complete GHRHR activation capacity. Its 11-12 minute plasma half-life provides the shortest receptor engagement window in the GHRH analog series. As a result, it enabled the study of how activation duration affects GH pulse amplitude, downstream IGF-1 responses, and somatostatin feedback timing relative to longer-acting analogs (CJC-1295 No DAC ~30 minutes; tesamorelin ~30-38 minutes; CJC-1295 DAC ~6-8 days)
- GHRHR upregulation versus desensitization research. Unlike most GPCR agonists that desensitize their receptor under chronic exposure, sermorelin produces GHRHR upregulation (Garcia et al., Endotext/NCBI 2019). Researchers studying GHRHR regulation use sermorelin to probe this pharmacologically unusual sensitization mechanism. Then they examine GHRHR mRNA expression, receptor protein density, and cAMP response amplitude under acute versus chronic exposure conditions
- Pulsatile GH secretion modeling. Sermorelin’s short half-life produces discrete GH pulses that are temporally separated and subject to somatostatin-mediated trough formation between doses. This makes it the appropriate GHRH tool for experiments examining pulsatile GH release dynamics where sustained receptor activation (CJC-1295 DAC) would eliminate the physiologically relevant pulsatile pattern
- DPP-4 cleavage vulnerability as an experimental variable. The Tyr-Ala N-terminus is cleaved by DPP-4 between positions 2 and 3 in plasma; sermorelin serves as the unprotected reference compound in experiments examining how DPP-4 activity affects GHRH analog stability and GH-releasing potency, compared to DPP-4-resistant analogs (CJC-1295 No DAC with amino acid substitutions; tesamorelin with trans-3-hexenoic acid N-terminal protection)
- Somatotroph pituitary reserve functional assessment models. Sermorelin was FDA-approved (Geref, withdrawn 2008 for commercial reasons) as a GHRHR stimulation test for assessing residual pituitary GH secretory capacity. In preclinical somatotroph cell models, intact GHRHR populations respond to sermorelin with measurable GH output while impaired somatotroph function produces blunted responses
Storage and Handling
Store lyophilized powder at -20C for long-term stability, or at 2-8C for short-term use. Protect from heat, moisture, and direct light. The methionine residue at position 27 is susceptible to oxidation, and the Tyr-Ala N-terminus is susceptible to DPP-4 cleavage in biological media. Store reconstituted solutions at 2-8C and use promptly. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Compliance Notice
Sermorelin is for laboratory research use only. They are not for human or veterinary use and carry no therapeutic, diagnostic, or clinical indication. FDA has not evaluated this product. By purchasing this product, the buyer confirms that they will follow appropriate institutional safety procedures and use it exclusively for controlled research.
