If you have been reading about pentapeptide and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Updated 2025-08-17. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide classified as a growth hormone secretagogue. Its sequence, Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, combines three non-proteinogenic residues with a C-terminal amide. The N-terminal aminoisobutyric acid unit and the two aromatic D-amino acids distinguish it from peptides assembled only from standard L-amino acids. Its formula is C38H49N9O5, corresponding to an average mass near 711.9 Da. At neutral pH the molecule carries a net positive charge, a property that shapes its behaviour in chromatographic and electrophoretic systems.
The compound was developed at Novo Nordisk during the 1990s as part of a programme seeking secretagogues with improved selectivity. It was described in the peer-reviewed literature in 1998 alongside related pentapeptides from the same series. Investigators advanced it because it raised growth hormone output in animal models while leaving other pituitary hormones comparatively unaffected. The development code NNC 26-0161 appears in earlier reports, and ipamorelin later became the common designation in published work.
Material supplied for research use is normally a white to off-white lyophilized powder. The solid is hygroscopic and is handled in a low-humidity environment to limit water uptake. Bulk quantities are frequently shipped in sealed vials under inert gas. Once reconstituted in water or a neutral buffer, the solution is less stable than the dry powder and is usually divided into single-use aliquots.
Long-term storage of the dry powder is typically at minus twenty degrees Celsius or lower, protected from light and moisture. Solutions are commonly kept frozen and thawed only once, because repeated freeze-thaw cycles can promote aggregation and loss of measurable peptide content. Buffers near neutral pH are preferred over strongly acidic or strongly basic conditions. Shipping at ambient temperature is acceptable for short periods when the powder remains sealed and desiccated.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C38H49N9O5 | Pentapeptide with C-terminal amide |
| Average mass | Approximately 711.9 Da | Value derived from the formula |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typically supplied as a lyophilised solid |
| Solubility | Soluble in water and aqueous acetonitrile | Dissolution aided by acidic diluents |
| Common synonyms | Ipamorelin; NNC 26-0161 | Code name used in early reports |
Purity assessment for this peptide relies mainly on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. A C18 column with a water-acetonitrile gradient containing trifluoroacetic acid separates the target from truncated sequences and oxidation products. Detection near 214 nm exploits the amide backbone, while the aromatic side chains allow additional monitoring close to 280 nm. Reported purity values depend on the method, so a certificate of analysis carries weight only when gradient, column and integration parameters are given.
Mass spectrometry confirms identity and reveals structural deviations that chromatography alone can miss. Positive-mode electrospray ionisation generally yields multiply charged ions whose deconvoluted mass is checked against the theoretical value. Amino acid analysis, and enzymatic digestion with subsequent fragment mapping, provide independent confirmation of sequence and of the terminal amide. Analysts take care to separate the target from deletion sequences, which may differ by one residue and therefore by only a small mass increment.
Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide first described in the 1990s by researchers at Novo Nordisk during a program to develop selective growth hormone secretagogues. Its sequence is Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, incorporating two non-natural residues, alpha-aminoisobutyric acid and D-2-naphthylalanine. The C-terminus is amidated, and the material is supplied as a white lyophilized powder. The molecular formula is C38H49N9O5 and the monoisotopic mass is approximately 711.85 daltons. The short chain and modified residues give it greater resistance to enzymatic degradation than many larger peptide hormones.
At the molecular level, ipamorelin acts as an agonist at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a, the same G protein-coupled receptor that binds ghrelin. Receptor activation couples to Gq/11 signaling, raising intracellular calcium through inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol, which in turn promotes exocytosis of growth hormone from pituitary somatotroph cells. Ipamorelin binds this receptor with high affinity and shows weak activity at other secretagogue-related targets in vitro. Its action requires the intact receptor and is not reversed by growth hormone-releasing hormone antagonists.
=== Biomedical aspects === Due to increased blood glucose levels, methylglyoxal has higher concentrations in diabetics and has been linked to arterial atherogenesis. Damage by methylglyoxal to low-density lipoprotein through glycation causes a fourfold increase of atherogenesis in diabetics. Methylglyoxal binds directly to the nerve endings and by that increases the chronic extremity soreness in diabetic neuropathy.
=== Trials for cardiovascular health === In March 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration expanded the indication for semaglutide (brand name Wegovy) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease and who are either obese or overweight. This was based on a placebo-controlled randomized double-blind trial, which was sponsored by Novo Nordisk, on the efficacy and safety of semaglutide for this indication. 17,604 participant were randomly assigned to receive either semaglutide (Wegovy) or placebo. Participants in both groups also received standard-of-care medical treatment (e.g., management of blood pressure and cholesterol) and healthy lifestyle counseling (including diet and physical activity). The trial reported cumulative occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events, a primary end-point event of the trial, for 569 of the 8803 patients in the semaglutide group, which were 6.5% of the participants, and for 701 of the 8801 patients in the placebo group, which were 8% of the participants, showing relative 18.8% less major adverse cardiovascular events, such as death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke, occurring for participants who had received semaglutide in the trial relative to those who had received placebo over the course of around 48 months, or 34.2±13.7 months, which was the mean (±SD) total duration of the participants in either group's exposure to the placebo or semaglutide during the trial.
=== Ion Physics Corporation === Ion Physics Corporation (IPC), an HVEC subsidiary, conducted the first commercial research in ion implantation, a technique that became essential to semiconductor manufacturing worldwide. IPC originated in 1959 as a joint venture with B.F. Goodrich to develop ion propulsion for spacecraft. The venture delivered an experimental ion engine to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for testing. After HVEC bought out Goodrich in 1962, the subsidiary was renamed Ion Physics Corporation and pivoted toward ion bombardment techniques for fabricating solar cells and other semiconductor devices. Using Van de Graaff accelerators to implant ions into silicon wafers, IPC achieved several advances by the mid-1960s: a new efficiency record for silicon solar cells, the first bipolar transistor made from ion-implanted junctions, and annealing processes to repair crystal damage caused by bombardment. In 1969, Fairchild Semiconductor contracted with HVEC for a low-energy ion accelerator. Peter Rose, HVEC's research director, built a functional prototype in six weeks from stockroom parts. The machine demonstrated that ion implantation could precisely control the placement and quantity of dopant atoms in silicon—offering finer control over transistor characteristics than traditional diffusion techniques. IPC itself failed to commercialize the technology. After three executives resigned in late 1969, Rose was appointed president, but the subsidiary continued to struggle. In 1971, Rose left to found Extrion Corporation with HVEC backing and IPC closed the same year.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
(1996), the MatrixFillmore Bar (1998), PlumpJack Wines shop Noe Valley branch (1999), PlumpJackSport retail clothing (2000), and a second Balboa Café at Squaw Valley (2000). Newsom's investments included five restaurants and two retail clothing stores. Newsom's annual income was greater than $429,000 from 1996 to 2001. In 2002, his business holdings were valued at more than $6.9 million. Newsom gave a monthly $50 gift certificate to PlumpJack employees whose business ideas failed, because in his view, "There can be no success without failure." Newsom sold his share of his San Francisco businesses when he became mayor in 2004. He maintained his ownership in the PlumpJack companies outside San Francisco, including the PlumpJack Winery in Oakville, California, new PlumpJack-owned Cade Winery in Angwin, California, and the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn. He is the president in absentia of Airelle Wines Inc., which is connected to the PlumpJack Winery in Napa County. Newsom earned between $141,000 and $251,000 in 2007 from his business interests. In February 2006, he paid $2,350,000 for his residence in the Russian Hill neighborhood, which he put on the market in April 2009 for $3,000,000. At the time of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse in March 2023, it was acknowledged that at least three of Newsom's wine companies—PlumpJack, Cade, and Odette—were Silicon Valley Bank clients.
==== Aquaporin ==== The currently known aquaporins cluster loosely together as do the known glycerol facilitators. MIP family proteins are believed to form aqueous pores that selectively allow passive transport of their solute(s) across the membrane with minimal apparent recognition. Aquaporins selectively transport glycerol as well as water while glycerol facilitators selectively transport glycerol but not water. Some aquaporins can transport NH3 and CO2. Glycerol facilitators function as solute nonspecific channels, and may transport glycerol, dihydroxyacetone, propanediol, urea and other small neutral molecules in physiologically important processes. Some members of the family, including the yeast Fps1 protein (TC# 1.A.8.5.1) and tobacco NtTIPa (TC# 1.A.8.10.2) may transport both water and small solutes.
=== Insects and fish === It is attractive to males of various species of orchid bees, which apparently gather the chemical to synthesize pheromones; it is commonly used as bait to attract and collect these bees for study. It also attracts female cucumber beetles. Eugenol and isoeugenol, which both are floral volatile scent compounds, are catalyzed by a single type of enzyme in the genus Gymnadenia and the gene encoding for this enzyme is the first functionally characterized gene in these species. Eugenol is an ingredient in some insecticides. Clove oil is common as an anesthetic for use on aquarium fish as well as on wild fish when sampled for research and management purposes. Where readily available, it presents a humane method to euthanize sick and diseased fish either by direct overdose or to induce sleep before an overdose of eugenol.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is a synthetic five-amino-acid peptide that acts as a growth hormone secretagogue. Three of its residues are non-standard amino acids, and the chain ends in an amide rather than a free acid. The molecule is small enough that it can be characterised by routine peptide analytical techniques.
It has not received marketing approval as a medicine in the United States or the European Union. Supplied material is generally described and handled as a research chemical. Regulatory treatment varies by jurisdiction, and some countries restrict growth hormone secretagogues under sports or medicines legislation.
Earlier secretagogues were associated with broader hormonal responses, including measurable changes in cortisol and prolactin. Reports on this peptide describe a narrower profile in which growth hormone release is the most prominent effect. The observation is influential because it shapes how the compound is compared with other members of the same receptor family.
Dry powder is held at minus twenty degrees Celsius or colder, away from light and moisture. Sealed vials under inert gas limit degradation during storage.