peptide wiki

Hexarelin

aka Examorelin

Growth Hormone Secretagogues

Mechanism

Hexarelin (His-D-2MeTrp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) is a synthetic hexapeptide growth hormone secretagogue developed by Mediolanum (Italy) in the 1990s. It is a potent ghrelin-receptor (GHSR-1a) agonist that also binds the CD36 scavenger receptor, giving it a cardioprotective signal distinct from other GHRPs. It is not FDA-approved for any indication and remains a research-only compound; its clinical development for GH deficiency and cardiac indications did not reach approval. A defining feature versus other GHRPs is rapid, pronounced tachyphylaxis with chronic daily dosing.

Identification

CAS number140703-51-1
Molecular formulaC47H58N12O6
Typical dose1–2 mcg/kg subcutaneous (human research studies); 1–100 mcg/kg subcutaneous (animal studies)
Half-life~76 minutes (IV, pharmacokinetic study)

Vendors selling Hexarelin

VendorSizePriceListed purityTrust
Moglabs 5 mg $38.00 96
Peptide Tech 2 mg $29.99 94
Skye Peptides 5 mg $44.00 90
Qihang Peptide 87
Peptidegurus 2 mg 84
Peptidegurus 5 mg 84
MedGe Peptides 5 mg $75.00 82
Nox Amino 10 mg $65.00 55
Peptiatlas 51
DongCheng Peptide 46
HongDa Peptide $54.00 43
zztai Peptide Ltd 43
MJT peptides 5 mg $92.00 39
Ruo Bio 5 mg $36.00
AMC Essentials 5 mg $32.99
Atomik Labz 5 mg $40.00
Biotech Peptides 5 mg $49.00
Core Peptides 5 mg $47.00
Genetic Peptide 5 mg $60.00
Genetic Peptide 10 mg $60.00
Genetic Peptide 15 mg $60.00
Kimera Chems $46.99
Modern Research Peptides 2 mg $27.99
Paramount Peptides 5 mg $47.00
Solution Peptides 5 mg $40.00

Research

Hexarelin promotes the survival of retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve transection
Chow KBS. · Indian journal of pharmacology (2026) · animal

Objective Hexarelin is a growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a agonist with a potent anti-apoptotic effect. We studied the neuroprotective effect of hexarelin on the survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the retina following optic nerve transection (ONT).

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The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration
Dominikowski A, Rękoś Z, Olejarz M, Szczepanek-Parulska E, Domin R, RuchaŁa M. · Frontiers in endocrinology (2026) · review

Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) marketed as "research compounds" include unregulated peptides intended to modulate the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH-IGF-1) axis.

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Therapeutic Peptides in Aesthetic, Metabolic and Endocrine Conditions: Effects, Safety, Clinical Applications, and Future Perspectives
Renke G, Chinellato L. · International journal of molecular sciences (2026) · review

Therapeutic peptides are short chains of amino acids used to treat metabolic and endocrine conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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Identification of alexamorelin consumption biomarkers using human hepatocyte incubations and high-resolution mass spectrometry
Pobee E, Daziani G, Gameli PS, Basile G, Carlier J, Tini A. · Journal of analytical toxicology (2025) ·

Alexamorelin is a synthetic peptide and growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) with potential performance-enhancing properties, making its use and abuse a topic of interest in clinical research and doping monitoring.

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Cisplatin-Induced Muscle Wasting and Atrophy: Molecular Mechanism and Potential Therapeutic Interventions
Huang KC, Chiang YF, Ali M, Hsia SM. · Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle (2025) · review

Platinum-based chemotherapeutics, particularly cisplatin, are crucial in the treatment of various malignancies due to their strong antitumor effects. However, a significant side effect of cisplatin is muscle atrophy, which severely impairs physical strength, diminishes quality of life and complicates cancer therapy.

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Pharmacological targeting of the hyper-inflammatory response to SARS-CoV-2-infected K18-hACE2 mice using a cluster of differentiation 36 receptor modulator
Gauvin J, Huynh DN, Dubuc I, Lê C, Tugores R, Flamand N, Flamand L, Lubell WD, Ong H, Marleau S. · Frontiers in pharmacology (2024) ·

The scientific and medical community faced an unprecedented global health hazard that led to nearly 7 million deaths attributable to the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

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Role of CD36 in central nervous system diseases
Feng M, Zhou Q, Xie H, Liu C, Zheng M, Zhang S, Zhou S, Zhao J. · Neural regeneration research (2024) · review

CD36 is a highly glycosylated integral membrane protein that belongs to the scavenger receptor class B family and regulates the pathological progress of metabolic diseases.

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Hexarelin alleviates apoptosis on ischemic acute kidney injury via MDM2/p53 pathway
Guan C, Li C, Shen X, Yang C, Liu Z, Zhang N, Xu L, Zhao L, Zhou B, Man X, Luo C, Luan H, Che L, Wang Y, Xu Y. · European journal of medical research (2023) · animal

Introduction Hexarelin exhibits significant protection against organ injury in models of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury (IRI). Nevertheless, the impact of Hexarelin on acute kidney injury (AKI) and its underlying mechanism remains unclear.

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Protective Effects of Hexarelin and JMV2894 in a Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line Expressing the SOD1-G93A Mutated Protein
Meanti R, Licata M, Rizzi L, Bresciani E, Molteni L, Coco S, Locatelli V, Omeljaniuk RJ, Torsello A. · International journal of molecular sciences (2023) ·

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable motor neuron disease whose etiology remains unresolved; nonetheless, mutations of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) have been associated with several variants of ALS.

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Revealing the interaction between peptide drugs and permeation enhancers in the presence of intestinal bile salts
Hossain S, Kneiszl R, Larsson P. · Nanoscale (2023) ·

Permeability enhancer-based formulations offer a promising approach to enhance the oral bioavailability of peptides.

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Hexarelin attenuates abdominal aortic aneurysm formation by inhibiting SMC phenotype switch and inflammasome activation
Jiang B, Wang M, Li X, Ren P, Li G, Wang Y, Wang L, Li X, Yang D, Qin L, Xin S. · Microvascular research (2022) · animal

Hexarelin, a synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptide, is shown to be protective in cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infraction and atherosclerosis. However, the functional role of hexarelin in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remains undefined.

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Using Synchrotron Radiation Imaging Techniques to Elucidate the Actions of Hexarelin in the Heart of Small Animal Models
Waddingham MT, Tsuchimochi H, Sonobe T, Asano R, Jin H, Ow CPC, Schwenke DO, Katare R, Aoyama K, Umetani K, Hoshino M, Uesugi K, Shirai M, Ogo T, Pearson JT. · Frontiers in physiology (2021) · animal

The majority of the conventional techniques that are utilized for investigating the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in preclinical animal models do not permit microlevel assessment of in situ cardiomyocyte and microvascular functions.

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