Sermorelin

What it is

Sermorelin is the shortest piece of growth hormone releasing hormone that keeps full activity: amino acids 1 to 29. It is the unmodified parent sequence from which CJC-1295 and similar analogs were designed. Its half-life is only minutes.

How it works

It binds the GHRH receptor in the pituitary and triggers release of the body's own growth hormone, keeping the normal feedback controls in place.

What the research shows

• It was used clinically to test and treat growth hormone deficiency in children.
• Small studies in older adults explored effects on growth hormone levels and body composition with mixed results.

Regulatory status

FDA-approved in the 1990s as Geref. The manufacturer stopped making it in 2008 for business reasons, not because of a safety finding. It remains available in the US mainly through compounding pharmacies with a prescription.

Storage and handling

Lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder is most stable sealed, dry and protected from light. Laboratory practice is to keep unopened vials frozen at about -20 °C for long-term storage, or refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C for shorter periods. After reconstitution, keep the solution refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C, avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles and use aseptic technique for every draw. Formal stability data in solution has not been published for most research peptides, so follow the supplier's label and certificate of analysis.

Reconstitution math

To work out concentration, volume and U-100 syringe units for any vial size, use the reconstitution calculator with Sermorelin selected. Always confirm the vial content against the label and the batch's certificate of analysis.

Key references

• Walker RF. Sermorelin: a better approach to management of adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency? Clin Interv Aging. 2006.
• Search PubMed for Sermorelin studies

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