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Sermorelin references

The full reading list follows these starting points. Some of the most interesting papers answer a narrower question than their titles might suggest.

Childhood growth and stimulation tests

The multicenter growth trial and pediatric review establish the childhood treatment context. For the diagnostic question, compare the reduced responses in GH-deficient children with the GHRH and GHRP-2 stimulation study.

Adult hormones and modified analogues

The older-men native peptide study is the starting point for the hormone-restoration result. The [[Nle27] analogue study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9141536/), PEG-conjugated GHRH study and tesamorelin cognition trial used modified medicines. Those drug names come first for me, before any comparison of outcomes.

Experiments worth revisiting

The native peptide pharmacokinetic study puts fast clearance beside a longer GH response. The continuous-infusion childhood experiment follows a response that faded. For antibodies, the comparative pediatric trial, longer childhood follow-up and monkey experiment ask related questions in different settings. The acute off-target hormone study and animal heart-repair paper deserve their own population labels.

Commentary, history and detection

The physiological argument for sermorelin sits beside the caution on secretagogues for aging. Broader context comes from the GHRH review, the post-discontinuation diagnostic review and FDA compounding guidance. Analytical studies and the more recent safety reviews remain in the complete list below.

  1. Thorner M, Rochiccioli P, Colle M, Lanes R, Grunt J, Galazka A, Landy H, Eengrand P, Shah S. Once daily subcutaneous growth hormone-releasing hormone therapy accelerates growth in growth hormone-deficient children during the first year of therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996;81(3):1189-96. ↗
  2. Corpas E, Harman SM, Pineyro MA, Roberson R, Blackman MR. Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone-(1-29) twice daily reverses the decreased GH and insulin-like growth factor-I levels in old men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1992;75(2):530-535. ↗
  3. Wilton P, Chardet Y, Danielson K, Widlund L, Gunnarsson R. Pharmacokinetics of growth hormone-releasing hormone(1-29)-NH2 and stimulation of growth hormone secretion in healthy subjects after intravenous or intranasal administration. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 1993;388:10-15. ↗
  4. Walker RF. Sermorelin: a better approach to management of adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency? Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(4):307-308. ↗
  5. Blackman MR. Use of growth hormone secretagogues to prevent or treat the effects of aging: not yet ready for prime time. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(9):677-9. ↗
  6. Baker LD, Barsness SM, Borson S, Merriam GR, Friedman SD, Craft S, Vitiello MV. Effects of growth hormone-releasing hormone on cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults: results of a controlled trial. Arch Neurol. 2012;69(11):1420-1429. (SMART trial, NCT00257712.) ↗
  7. Khorram O, Laughlin GA, Yen SS. Endocrine and metabolic effects of long-term administration of [Nle27]growth hormone-releasing hormone-(1-29)-NH2 in age-advanced men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82:1472-9. ↗
  8. Lanes R, Carrillo E. Long-term therapy with a single daily subcutaneous dose of growth hormone releasing hormone (1-29) in prepubertal growth hormone deficient children. Venezuelan Collaborative Study Group. J Pediatr Endocrinol. 1994;7:303-8. ↗
  9. Mowles TF, Stricker P, Felix AM, et al. Effect of human growth hormone-releasing factor and a potent analog on antibody formation in African green monkeys. Horm Metab Res. 1991;23:530-4. ↗
  10. Vance ML, Evans WS, Kaiser DL, et al. The effect of intravenous, subcutaneous, and intranasal GH-RH analog, [Nle27]GHRH(1-29)-NH2, on growth hormone secretion in normal men: dose-response relationships. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1986;40:627-33. ↗
  11. Gelander L, Lindstedt G, Selstam G, et al. Effects of acute intravenous injection of two growth hormone-releasing hormones (GHRH 1-40 and 1-29) on serum growth hormone and other pituitary hormones in short children with pulsatile growth hormone secretion. Horm Res. 1989;31:213-20. ↗
  12. Bagno L, et al. New therapeutic approach to heart failure due to myocardial infarction based on targeting growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor. Oncotarget. 2015;6(13):10846-10859. ↗
  13. Thomas A, et al. Qualitative identification of growth hormone-releasing hormones in human plasma by means of immunoaffinity purification and LC-HRMS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2016;408(13):3457-3464. ↗
  14. Vittone J, Blackman MR, Busby-Whitehead J, et al. Effects of single nightly injections of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) in healthy elderly men. Metabolism. 1997;46(1):89-96. ↗
  15. Granata R, Leone S, Zhang X, Gesmundo I, Steenblock C, Cai R, Sha W, Ghigo E, Hare JM, Bornstein SR, Schally AV. Growth hormone-releasing hormone and its analogues in health and disease. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2025. (Review.) ↗
  16. Munafo A, Nguyen TX, Papasouliotis O, et al. Polyethylene glycol-conjugated growth hormone-releasing hormone is long acting and stimulates GH in healthy young and elderly subjects. European journal of endocrinology. 2005;153:249-56. ↗
  17. Chen RG, Shen YN, Yei J, et al. A comparative study of growth hormone (GH) and GH-releasing hormone(1-29)-NH2 for stimulation of growth in children with GH deficiency. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). Supplement. 1993;388:32-5; discussion 36. ↗
  18. Tauber MT, Pienkowski C, Pigeon P, et al. Growth hormone (GH) profiles in response to continuous subcutaneous infusion of GH-releasing hormone(1-29)-NH2 in children with GH deficiency. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). Supplement. 1993;388:28-30; discussion 31. ↗
  19. Coutinho LFD, DE Oliveira Neves LF, Camilo RP. A new era of doping? Use of peptide and peptide-analog drugs in recreational and professional sport and bodybuilding: a critical review. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness. 2026. ↗
  20. Mendias CL, Awan TM. Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). 2026. ↗
  21. Villegas Meza AD, et al. Injectable Peptides in Sports Medicine: A Structured Narrative Review of Evidence, Safety, and Antidoping Implications. JBJS reviews. 2026;14. ↗
  22. Esposito S, et al. Advances in the detection of growth hormone releasing hormone synthetic analogs. Drug Test Anal. 2021. ↗
  23. Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs. 1999;12(2):139-157. ↗
  24. Ko FY, Chen WP, Lin CY. Defective response of plasma growth hormone to growth hormone releasing factor in growth hormone deficient children. Zhonghua Min Guo Xiao Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi. 1992;33:243-50. ↗
  25. Tuilpakov AN, et al. Growth hormone (GH)-releasing effects of synthetic peptide GH-releasing peptide-2 and GH-releasing hormone (1-29NH2) in children with GH insufficiency and idiopathic short stature. Metabolism. 1995;44:1199-204. ↗
  26. Yuen KC, Biller BM, Molitch ME, Cook DM. Clinical review: Is lack of recombinant growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone in the United States a setback or time to consider glucagon testing for adult GH deficiency? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(8):2702-2707. ↗
  27. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Interim Policy on Compounding Using Bulk Drug Substances Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Guidance for Industry). FDA Guidance for Industry. 2025. ↗