Growth hormone axis
CJC-1295 vs Ipamorelin: Research Comparison
CJC-1295 and ipamorelin both lead to growth hormone release from the pituitary, through different receptors. CJC-1295 is a GHRH analogue that acts on the GHRH receptor. Ipamorelin is a small synthetic peptide that acts on the ghrelin receptor.
Side-by-side comparison
| Attribute | CJC-1295 | Ipamorelin |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | GHRH(1-29) analogue, sold with or without DAC | Synthetic five-amino-acid peptide |
| Receptor | GHRH receptor | Ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) |
| Developer | ConjuChem | Novo Nordisk |
| Human half-life | About six to eight days for the DAC version; none reported without DAC | About two hours (Gobburu et al., 1999) |
| Human data | Short hormone-level studies of the DAC version in healthy adults | Pharmacokinetic study in healthy men; phase 2 trial after bowel surgery found no clear difference from placebo |
Detailed analysis
CJC-1295 is the first 29 amino acids of human GHRH with four substitutions, and it is sold in two versions. The version with DAC bonds to albumin and, in healthy adults, raised growth hormone for six days or more after a single administration (Teichman et al., 2006). The version without DAC, also called Modified GRF 1-29, has almost no published data of its own.
Ipamorelin (NNC 26-0161) was developed by Novo Nordisk in the 1990s. It acts on the ghrelin receptor, the same target as GHRP-6. In pigs it released growth hormone without raising ACTH or cortisol, unlike GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 (Raun et al., 1998); this selectivity was shown in pigs, and human data on other hormones are limited. In healthy men it produced a short burst of growth hormone with a half-life of about two hours (Gobburu et al., 1999). A phase 2 placebo-controlled trial in 114 adults after bowel surgery found no clear difference from placebo on its main measure (Beck et al., 2014).
Neither is a licensed medicine, and long-term human safety data are lacking for both.
Key differences
- ·CJC-1295 acts on the GHRH receptor; ipamorelin acts on the ghrelin receptor.
- ·Human studies of CJC-1295 used the DAC version, which circulates for days; ipamorelin's half-life in healthy men was about two hours.
- ·Ipamorelin did not raise ACTH or cortisol in pigs; human data on this are limited.
- ·Ipamorelin's phase 2 trial after bowel surgery found no clear difference from placebo.
Research summary
CJC-1295 evidence is rat studies and short hormone-level studies of the DAC version in healthy adults (Teichman et al., 2006). Ipamorelin evidence is pig and rat studies (Raun et al., 1998), a pharmacokinetic study in healthy men and one phase 2 trial in a surgical setting (Beck et al., 2014). Supplied for laboratory research use only.