What Is GHRH? Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone
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GHRH (growth hormone-releasing hormone)

Also called GHRH, GRF, growth hormone-releasing factor, GHRH analog · Reviewed

Definition: GHRH (growth hormone-releasing hormone, also called GRF) is a hormone made in the hypothalamus, part of the brain. It acts on the pituitary to make and release growth hormone in pulses. A GHRH analog is a made-up version that switches on the same receptor, such as tesamorelin.

What it does

The Egrifta SV label describes GHRH as a hypothalamic peptide that acts on the pituitary to stimulate the synthesis and pulsatile release of growth hormone, which is both anabolic and lipolytic. Tesamorelin is built on the 44 amino acid sequence of human GRF with a small chain added at one end.

GHRH is one of two routes to GH release. The other runs through the receptor for ghrelin, which GHRPs use. See growth hormone secretagogue for both side by side.

Worked example: two GHRH analogs, very different half-lives

Tesamorelin vs CJC-1295

  1. Egrifta SV label: tesamorelin mean half-life 8 minutes in healthy adults. The label dose is once daily.
  2. Teichman 2006: CJC-1295 estimated half-life 5.8 to 8.1 days in healthy adults.
  3. 5.8 days = 5.8 × 24 × 60 = 8,352 minutes. 8,352 ÷ 8 = about 1,000 times longer than tesamorelin, at the low end.
  4. After one CJC-1295 shot, mean GH rose 2- to 10-fold for 6 days or more in that study.

Tesamorelin is FDA approved (Egrifta SV) for reducing excess belly fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy. We found no FDA label for CJC-1295; its human data come from small, short studies.

Why it matters when you track doses

The Egrifta SV label says it raises IGF-1 and asks for IGF-1 levels to be monitored. Logging lab dates next to dose history makes those checks easier to read.

Read more on Dose Track: Tesamorelin guide · CJC-1295 guide · Sermorelin guide

General education drawn from labels and published studies, not personal medical advice. Your prescriber, pharmacist and the label that came with your product are the final word.
Growth hormone secretagogueA growth hormone secretagogue is a compound that makes your pituitary gland release more of its own growth… GHRP (growth hormone-releasing peptide)A GHRP (growth hormone-releasing peptide) is a small synthetic peptide that makes the pituitary release… GhrelinGhrelin is a peptide hormone first purified from the stomach. It raises appetite and triggers growth… IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) is a hormone that carries out many of the effects of growth hormone… Receptor agonistA receptor agonist is a drug that binds to a receptor on a cell and switches it on, so the cell responds…

Frequently asked questions

Is GHRH the same as growth hormone?+
No. GHRH is the signal from the brain that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone. Growth hormone is the hormone the pituitary releases.
Is tesamorelin a GHRH analog?+
Yes. The Egrifta SV label describes tesamorelin as a synthetic analog of human growth hormone-releasing factor that binds and stimulates its receptors.

Sources

  1. Egrifta SV (tesamorelin) US prescribing information, sections 1, 2, 11 and 12, DailyMed
  2. Teichman SL et al. CJC-1295, a long-acting GHRH analog, in healthy adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006. PMID 16352683
  3. Kojima M et al. Ghrelin is a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach. Nature 1999. PMID 10604470

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