What is Ipamorelin?
Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide and selective growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) that activates the ghrelin receptor with minimal off-target endocrine effects. Unlike earlier GHS compounds, ipamorelin does not significantly stimulate adrenocorticotropic hormone or cortisol release, offering a more targeted endocrine profile (Adeghate & Ponery 2004, Greenwood-Van Meerveld et al. 2012).
In vivo studies in adult female rats demonstrated that continuous subcutaneous infusion of ipamorelin (0.5 mg/kg/day) over 12 weeks significantly increased bone mineral content (BMC) in tibia, vertebrae, and total body. This effect was due to increased bone size rather than mineral concentration, as volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) remained unchanged (Svensson et al. 2000).
Ipamorelin also improved gastrointestinal function in a rodent model of postoperative ileus, accelerating gastric emptying and intestinal transit. Mechanistic studies identified restoration of smooth muscle contractility through cholinergic pathways (Greenwood-Van Meerveld et al. 2012). Additionally, ipamorelin stimulated insulin release from pancreatic tissue in both normal and diabetic rats, mediated via calcium channels and adrenergic and cholinergic receptors (Adeghate & Ponery 2004).
References
Adeghate, E., & Ponery, A. S. (2004). Mechanism of ipamorelin-evoked insulin release from the pancreas of normal and diabetic rats. Neuroendocrinology Letters, 25(6), 403–406. https://www.nel.edu/userfiles/articlesnew/NEL250604A01.pdf
Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B., Tyler, K., Mohammadi, E., & Pietra, C. (2012). Efficacy of ipamorelin, a ghrelin mimetic, on gastric dysmotility in a rodent model of postoperative ileus. Journal of Experimental Pharmacology, 4, 149–155. https://doi.org/10.2147/JEP.S35396
Svensson, J., Lall, S., Dickson, S. L., Bengtsson, B.-Å., Rømer, J., Ahnfelt-Rønne, I., Ohlsson, C., & Jansson, J.-O. (2000). The GH secretagogues ipamorelin and GH-releasing peptide-6 increase bone mineral content in adult female rats. Journal of Endocrinology, 165(4), 569–577. https://doi.org/10.1677/joe.0.1650569
More Information
Ipamorelin Peptide Structure
Product Usage
