| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lean Body Mass GHRH analog treatment significantly increased lean body mass in elderly men (P < 0.05) in a 4-month randomized controlled trial. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | ||||
| Muscle Strength Six weeks of nightly sermorelin led to significant improvements in 2 of 6 muscle strength tests and the abdominal crunch muscle endurance test in elderly men. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect |
Peptide
Sermorelin
Sermorelin (GHRH 1-29) is a 29-amino-acid synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) that retains full biological activity. It was FDA-approved in 1990 for diagnostic use and in 1997 for treating childhood growth hormone deficiency. Sermorelin stimulates natural GH release from the pituitary gland through the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, producing physiological GH patterns with built-in safety through somatostatin feedback regulation.
- Updated
- How we grade
- 38 studies cited
Research notice. This page is for education and research. Peptides may not be FDA-approved for human use and may only be legally available for research. Talk to a qualified clinician before considering any peptide.
- Best evidence
- Grade A
- Conditions studied
- 6
- Outcomes
- 18
- Graded outcomes
- 3771
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth Hormone Release Sermorelin nearly doubled 12-hour mean GH release in elderly men and elevated peak GH amplitude. Effects were sustained with the majority of GH release preserved at night in physiological patterns. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Large effect | 2 studies | |||
Studies that measured growth hormone release | ||||||
| IGF-1 Levels Sermorelin elevated IGF-1 levels in elderly men in a dose-dependent manner, approaching levels seen in younger men. Elevations persisted for 2 weeks after stopping treatment. | Changes; see studies | Moderate effect | 2 studies | |||
| Insulin Sensitivity A significant increase in insulin sensitivity occurred in elderly men (P < 0.05) following 4 months of GHRH analog treatment, though not in women. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | ||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height Velocity (Children) Sermorelin induced catch-up growth in GH-deficient children with significant increases in height velocity sustained during 12 months of treatment, with effects maintained for up to 36 months. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Large effect | 2 studies | |||
Studies that measured height velocity (children) | ||||||
General
- Hormone Levels: improves
- Anti-Cancer Activity: improves
- Anti-Inflammatory Activity: improves
Body Composition
- Lean Body Mass: improves
- Muscle Strength: improves
Skin Health
- Skin Thickness: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skin Thickness A significant increase in skin thickness was observed in both elderly men and women following 4 months of GHRH analog treatment. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect |
Mental Health
- General Well-Being: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Well-Being Quality of life parameters showed significant improvement in general well-being (P < 0.05) and libido (P < 0.01) in elderly men following 4 months of treatment. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect |
Cognitive Function
- Cognitive Function: improves
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Function Six months of GHRH treatment improved performance on tests of fluid intelligence including working memory, planning, selective attention, and processing speed in healthy older adults. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Small effect |
Key findings
- Growth Hormone ReleaseImproves (the measure goes up)
- IGF-1 LevelsChanges; see studies
- Height Velocity (Children)Improves (the measure goes up)
Studies cited
38 studies from PubMed
- Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Antagonists Increase Radiosensitivity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells.
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor antagonist MIA-602 attenuates cardiopulmonary injury induced by BSL-2 rVSV-SARS-CoV-2 in hACE2 mice.
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone antagonist MIA-602 inhibits inflammation induced by SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and bacterial lipopolysaccharide synergism in macrophages and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
- GHRH agonist MR-409 protects β-cells from streptozotocin-induced diabetes.
- Synthesis of potent antagonists of receptors for growth hormone-releasing hormone with antitumor and anti-inflammatory activity.
- Impact of growth hormone-releasing hormone antagonist on decidual stromal cell growth and apoptosis in vitro†.
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone agonists ameliorate chronic kidney disease-induced heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
- Effects of growth hormone-releasing hormone agonistic analog MR-409 on insulin-secreting cells under cyclopiazonic acid-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress.
- Antinflammatory, antioxidant, and behavioral effects induced by administration of growth hormone-releasing hormone analogs in mice.
- Signaling mechanisms of growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor in LPS-induced acute ocular inflammation.
- Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Receptor Antagonist Modulates Lung Inflammation and Fibrosis due to Bleomycin.
- Inhibition of experimental small-cell and non-small-cell lung cancers by novel antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone.
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor antagonists modify molecular machinery in the progression of prostate cancer.
- Induction of Apoptosis in Pterygium Cells by Antagonists of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Receptors.
- Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of GHRH antagonists in prostate cancer.
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor antagonists inhibit human gastric cancer through downregulation of PAK1-STAT3/NF-κB signaling.
- Antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor induce apoptosis specifically in retinoblastoma cells.
- New therapeutic approach to heart failure due to myocardial infarction based on targeting growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor.
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone agonists reduce myocardial infarct scar in swine with subacute ischemic cardiomyopathy.
- Antagonist of GH-releasing hormone receptors alleviates experimental ocular inflammation.
- Anti-tumor effects of peptide analogs targeting neuropeptide hormone receptors on mouse pheochromocytoma cells.
- Novel antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone inhibit growth and vascularization of human experimental ovarian cancers.
- New agonist- and antagonist-based treatment approaches for advanced prostate cancer.
- Activation of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) receptor stimulates cardiac reverse remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI).
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone antagonists inhibit growth of human ovarian cancer.
- GHRH antagonist MZ-5-156 increases the expression of AMPK in A549 lung cancer cells.
- Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency
- Lipopeptide antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone with improved antitumor activities.
- PEGylation of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GRF) analogues.
- Human growth hormone-releasing hormone hGHRH(1-29)-NH2: systematic structure-activity relationship studies.
- New analogs of human growth hormone-releasing hormone (1-29) with high and prolonged antagonistic activity.
- Growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide-6 requires endogenous hypothalamic GH-releasing hormone for maximal GH stimulation.
- Endocrine and metabolic effects of long-term administration of [Nle27]growth hormone-releasing hormone-(1-29)-NH2 in age-advanced men and women
- Treatment of radiation-induced growth hormone deficiency with growth hormone-releasing hormone.
- Growth response to growth hormone-releasing hormone(1-29)-NH2 compared with growth hormone.
- Perinatal growth hormone (GH) physiology: effect of GH-releasing factor on maternal and fetal secretion of pituitary and placental GH.
- Growth hormone releasing hormone.
- Super-active analogs of growth hormone-releasing factor (1-29)-amide.