Ipamorelin

Lu Z, Ngan MP, Liu JYH, Yang L, Tu L, Chan SW, et al.

Physiology & behavior

In a ferret model of cisplatin-induced gastrointestinal distress, ipamorelin acted as a growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHSR1a) agonist and inhibited electrically-stimulated contractions of isolated ileal tissue in vitro; peripheral administration attenuated the reduction in body weight seen in the delayed phase of the model, though it did not alter cisplatin-induced emesis.

Gouda M, Ganesh CB

Animal reproduction science

In a cichlid fish model (Oreochromis mossambicus), twenty-one days of ipamorelin acetate administration increased primary and secondary spermatocyte and spermatid counts, elevated serum luteinizing hormone and 11-ketotestosterone, and increased testicular androgen receptor expression, indicating that ghrelin-receptor agonism can modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular reproductive axis in this teleost model.

Venkova K, Mann W, Nelson R, Greenwood-Van Meerveld B

The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics

In a rat model of postoperative ileus, ipamorelin (a selective agonist at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor) was administered intravenously; a single administration shortened time to first bowel movement, and repeated administration over the perioperative period increased fecal pellet output, food intake, and body-weight gain relative to control, supporting a receptor-mediated role for ghrelin-receptor agonism in gastrointestinal motility recovery in this model.

Andersen NB, Malmlöf K, Johansen PB, Andreassen TT, Ørtoft G, Oxlund H

Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society

In an adult rat model, co-administration of the growth hormone secretagogue ipamorelin alongside glucocorticoid (methylprednisolone) increased periosteal bone formation rate roughly four-fold and increased maximal tetanic tension of the calf muscle relative to glucocorticoid administration alone, indicating a counter-regulatory effect on glucocorticoid-induced catabolism in bone and skeletal muscle in this model.

Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, Thøgersen H, Madsen K, Ankersen M, et al.

European journal of endocrinology

This foundational pharmacology paper characterized ipamorelin (Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) as a pentapeptide growth hormone secretagogue: in primary rat pituitary cell culture, anesthetized rats, and conscious swine, it stimulated growth hormone release via a GHRP-type receptor (distinct from the GHRH receptor) with potency and efficacy comparable to GHRP-6, while unlike GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 it did not elevate ACTH, cortisol, or other pituitary hormones, establishing it as a receptor-selective secretagogue in these preclinical models.