TESAMORELIN: 10 mg ($50)
Overview
Tesamorelin is a modified copy of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the signal the brain uses to prompt the pituitary gland. A small chemical group added to one end makes the molecule considerably more resistant to breakdown than the natural version, which means the signal given to the pituitary is more sustained, causing a more prolonged release of growth hormone. Its clinical trials showed a reduction in visceral fat — the fat packed around the organs inside the abdomen. Studies also report that lean body mass increases on tesamorelin.
In plain terms
The hypothalamus, at the base of the brain, releases GHRH as an instruction to the pituitary gland directly beneath it. The pituitary reads that instruction and responds by releasing growth hormone into the blood. Natural GHRH is dismantled by enzymes within minutes, which keeps the signal brief and tightly controlled.
Tesamorelin is the full-length natural sequence with a small fatty acid group attached to the front end. That addition blocks the enzyme that would normally cut the molecule apart first, so the signal persists substantially longer than the natural version. Researchers use it as a tool for studying the same pathway on a more workable timescale — the signal is the body's own, just harder to degrade. Because it acts upstream at the pituitary rather than replacing growth hormone directly, the downstream response remains under the body's existing feedback control.
Technical description
Tesamorelin is a 44-amino-acid analogue of human GHRH(1–44) bearing a trans-3-hexenoyl group at the N-terminal tyrosine. This modification confers resistance to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) cleavage at the Tyr1–Ala2 bond, the primary route of endogenous GHRH inactivation.
The compound is a full agonist at the GHRH receptor (GHRHR) on pituitary somatotrophs, signaling via Gs, adenylyl cyclase, and cAMP-dependent protein kinase A. Stimulated somatotropin release remains subject to somatostatin tone and IGF-1 negative feedback, distinguishing its pharmacodynamic profile from exogenous recombinant growth hormone administration.
- Full name
- N-trans-3-hexenoyl-GHRH(1–44) amide
- Synonyms
- TH9507, Egrifta (brand)
- CAS number
- 218949-48-5
- Molecular formula
- C221H366N72O67S
- Molecular weight
- 5135.9 g/mol
- Receptor target
- GHRHR (class B GPCR)
- Key modification
- N-terminal trans-3-hexenoyl (DPP-4 resistance)
- Appearance
- White lyophilized powder
- Storage
- Lyophilized: −20 °C, protected from light. Reconstituted: 2–8 °C.
Regulatory status
Tesamorelin is an FDA-approved prescription pharmaceutical marketed as Egrifta, indicated for a specific clinical population under medical supervision. Approved status applies to the pharmaceutical product manufactured and released under cGMP with regulatory oversight. Material supplied for laboratory research is a separate article, is not the approved drug product, and is not manufactured, tested, or released under pharmaceutical standards.