Compound research hub

Sermorelin: Research, Handling and Batch Documentation

Sermorelin is GHRH(1-29) amide, the shortest fragment of growth-hormone-releasing hormone that retains full activity, and the only compound in this area to have held a human marketing authorisation.

Part of Volta's growth hormone research peptides catalogue.

Identity and research status

Also referred to as: GRF 1-29, Geref, Gerel, Sermorelin Acetate
Sequence: Residues 1 to 29 of human GHRH, C-terminally amidated
Molecular Formula: C149H246N44O42S
Molecular Weight: 3357.93 g/mol
CAS Number: 86168-78-7
Length: 29 amino acids
Also Known As: GRF(1-29) amide, GHRH(1-29)NH2, sermorelin acetate
Receptor Target: GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs
Parent Hormone: Human growth hormone releasing hormone, 44 amino acids
Half-life: Short, on the order of minutes, owing to rapid DPP-4 cleavage at position 2
Appearance: White lyophilised powder
CAS number: 86168-78-7

Evidence level: Phase I–II Clinical Trials (grade C)

Regulatory status: Previously FDA-approved (Geref, discontinued); now used off-label via compounding

Evidence grades describe the published literature on the compound, not a property of the material Volta supplies, and are not a statement that any use is approved. See how these grades are assigned.

Mechanism, in brief

Sermorelin is the amidated 1 to 29 fragment of human growth hormone releasing hormone. Native GHRH is 44 amino acids, but the first 29 carry essentially the full biological activity at the GHRH receptor, so the truncated peptide is a full agonist rather than a partial one. It acts at the GHRH receptor on the pituitary somatotroph, which is a different receptor from the ghrelin receptor targeted by secretagogues such as ipamorelin.

Receptor binding. Full agonism at the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs. The 1 to 29 fragment retains the activity of the full 44 residue hormone.
Cyclic AMP signalling. Gs-coupled signalling raises intracellular cyclic AMP, which triggers release of stored growth hormone and also stimulates its synthesis.
Pulsatile secretion. Because it acts through the physiological pathway, secretion retains its episodic pattern rather than producing a sustained plateau.
Feedback intact. The response remains subject to somatostatin tone and to negative feedback from circulating IGF-1, which limits the achievable elevation and distinguishes it from exogenous growth hormone.
Diagnostic corollary. Because a response requires a functioning pituitary, absence of response localises the defect to the pituitary rather than the hypothalamus.

The full research write-up, including the findings behind each claim and the model each came from, is on the Sermorelin 10mg 10mg page.

Vial sizes available

Every size of Sermorelin Volta lists, in stock or not. Each is a separate catalogue page with its own batch number and specification table.

Sermorelin 10mg 10mgBatch #: VPSR10100
In stock
Sermorelin 5mg 5mgBatch #: VPSR5100
Restocking

Purity and batch documentation

Volta's release specification is >99% (HPLC). That is a threshold we set. >99% is the specification every batch is released to. The figure on a certificate is what a laboratory measured for one lot.

No third-party certificate has been published for Sermorelinyet. The certificates Volta does publish, with the laboratory's own verification link on each, are in the certificate archive.

the complete batch history dataset how each batch is tested laboratories that test peptides independently

Research on Sermorelin

Concentrations used in the literature

the concentrations used in published sermorelin work

Comparisons

Class guide

the growth hormone secretagogue class guide

Handling and stability

Laboratory guides

Calculators

Regulatory context

United States: Previously FDA-approved (Geref) for pediatric GH deficiency; voluntarily discontinued by manufacturer for commercial reasons. FDA confirmed in 2013 it was not withdrawn for safety. Available via compounding pharmacies. WADA-banned.
Canada: Not currently approved by Health Canada.
United Kingdom: Not MHRA-approved.

Primary sources

Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs (1999). PMID 18031173
Achermann JC, Hindmarsh PC, Brook CG. The relative roles of continuous growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH(1-29)NH2) and intermittent somatostatin withdrawal in growth hormone secretion. Clinical Endocrinology (Oxford) (1999). PMID 10594518
Soule S, King JA, Millar RP. Incorporation of D-Ala2 in growth hormone-releasing hormone-(1-29)-NH2 increases the half-life and decreases metabolic clearance. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (1994). PMID 7962295
Ogilvy-Stuart AL, Stirling HF, Kelnar CJ, et al.. Treatment of radiation-induced growth hormone deficiency with growth hormone-releasing hormone. Clinical Endocrinology (Oxford) (1997). PMID 9231053
The Medical Letter. Growth-hormone-releasing factor for growth hormone deficiency. The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics (1999). PMID 9924487
Dominikowski A, Rękoś Z, et al.. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF1 axis. Frontiers in Endocrinology (2026). PMID 42395176

More growth hormone research peptides

Sermorelin sits in Volta's growth hormone research peptides catalogue, alongside the other compounds studied in this area. The whole range is on the full research catalogue, and the library of comparisons and guides is under peptide research.