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Medical notice — For research and educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Consult a licensed physician before using any peptide or compound.

Hexarelin

gh-releasecardioprotectionrecovery
Regulatory status — Research use only — not approved for human use

Hexarelin is a synthetic hexapeptide growth hormone secretagogue that acts as an agonist at the GHS-R1a receptor. All current evidence is derived from animal models and in vitro studies; no human clinical trials exist for any indication. Preliminary preclinical data suggest potential roles in neuroprotection, cardioprotection, metabolic regulation, and anti-inflammatory signaling, but none of these findings have been validated in humans.

Evidence coverage

33/38 claims verified by independent fact-checker.

Pepteligence regenerates entries quarterly and when new high-tier evidence appears.

Quick facts

Half-life
—
Typical dose
See research context
Route
[insufficient evidence in research packet — routes used in animal studies include subcutaneous injection; no human route of administration data exist]
Frequency
[insufficient evidence in research packet]
Cycle length
—
Evidence strength
Animal models

Suggested labs for this peptide class — educational reference only; not medical advice.

TL;DR

  • Half-life: — — dosed —.
  • Administered via —.
  • Evidence base: animal model studies.
  • Primary goals: gh-release, cardioprotection, recovery.
EVIDENCE HIERARCHYRCTsObservationalAnimal studiesAnecdotal

Primarily animal data

How we evaluate evidence →

How it works

GHRH analogues stimulate pulsatile GH release from the pituitary, elevating IGF-1 and promoting fat oxidation.

Hexarelin acts as an agonist at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a) [1] [2] [3]. In vitro evidence indicates that hexarelin inhibits hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in Neuro-2A cells via modulation of the MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways [4]. Animal studies indicate that hexarelin alleviates apoptosis in ischemic acute kidney injury via the MDM2/p53 pathway in rat ischemia-reperfusion models [3]. Preliminary animal evidence suggests hexarelin targets neuroinflammatory pathways to preserve cardiac morphology and function in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice [5], and in vitro data indicate it may protect cardiac H9C2 cells from angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy via regulation of autophagy [7]. Animal studies indicate hexarelin modulates PTEN to attenuate coronary artery ligation-induced heart failure in rats [6]. Mechanistic animal data suggest hexarelin increases intestinal permeability of peptide drugs, with effects varying by peptide size and formulation [11] [12] [13]. Animal studies further indicate that activation of GHS-R1a by hexarelin may reduce fat accumulation and improve insulin sensitivity in obese mice [9]. All mechanistic data are Tier 3 (animal or in vitro); no human pharmacodynamic studies are available.

What the research says

Research summary content coming soon. Check the references section for indexed studies.

100%50%25%0%00h1t½0h2t½0h3t½0h4t½0h
Approximate plasma concentration over 4 half-lives (0h × 4 = 0h)

Protocol lifecycle

BeforeDuringAfter

Before — Pre-cycle readiness

Readiness checklist

Medical supervision
  • Discuss with a licensed physician given the complete absence of human clinical trial safety data.
  • Disclose all current medications; hexarelin may alter intestinal permeability of co-administered peptides based on animal data [11].
Evidence awareness
  • Understand that all evidence for hexarelin is Tier 3 (animal models and in vitro studies); no human efficacy or safety data exist.
  • Recognize that preclinical findings in rodent models do not reliably translate to human outcomes.
Regulatory and legal status
  • Confirm local regulatory status; hexarelin is not FDA-approved for any indication and is classified as a research compound.
  • No prescribing-label or approved dosing information is available in the research packet.
  • Consult a qualified physician before considering use; hexarelin has no approved human indication and no clinical trial safety data.
  • Assess personal risk factors; no human contraindication data are available to guide screening.

During — Active protocol

Protocol notice — The following describes common protocols reported in research and community sources. This is not medical advice. Dosing, frequency, and duration should be determined with a licensed physician familiar with peptide research.
  • No evidence-based human protocol exists; use outside of a supervised research setting is not supported by clinical data.
  • Animal studies used subcutaneous routes [3] [15], but human administration guidance cannot be derived from these data.

After — Post-cycle

  • [insufficient evidence in research packet — no human cycling, washout, or post-cycle therapy data exist]

Stacks it appears in

Hexarelin is typically used as a standalone compound. Stack data coming soon.

Related peptides

Other compounds indexed on Pepteligence that share research tags with Hexarelin. Educational context only.

CJC-1295

Tier 3
gh-releaserecovery

BPC-157

Tier 3
recovery

DSIP

Tier 2
recovery

TB-500

Tier 3
recovery

Safety

Common side effects

  • ·[insufficient evidence in research packet — no human adverse event data exist]

Rare side effects

  • ·[insufficient evidence in research packet — no human adverse event data exist]
Safety notice — Serious / theoretical risks:
  • [insufficient evidence in research packet — no human safety data exist; serious adverse events in humans are unknown]

Contraindications

  • ·[insufficient evidence in research packet — no human contraindication data identified]

Community experiences

Community content — User-submitted experiences are self-reported and have not been verified. They do not constitute medical advice. Pepteligence aggregates community data under Section 230 protections.

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Hexarelin — at a glance

PropertyHexarelin—
Half-life——
Route——
Typical doseSee research context—
MechanismHexarelin acts as an agonist at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a). In vitro evidence indicates that hexarelin inhibits hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in Neuro-2A cells via modulation of the MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways. Animal studies indicate that hexarelin alleviates apoptosis in ischemic acute kidney injury via the MDM2/p53 pathway in rat ischemia-reperfusion models. Preliminary animal evidence suggests hexarelin targets neuroinflammatory pathways to preserve cardiac morphology and function in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice, and in vitro data indicate it may protect cardiac H9C2 cells from angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy via regulation of autophagy. Animal studies indicate hexarelin modulates PTEN to attenuate coronary artery ligation-induced heart failure in rats. Mechanistic animal data suggest hexarelin increases intestinal permeability of peptide drugs, with effects varying by peptide size and formulation. Animal studies further indicate that activation of GHS-R1a by hexarelin may reduce fat accumulation and improve insulin sensitivity in obese mice. All mechanistic data are Tier 3 (animal or in vitro); no human pharmacodynamic studies are available.—
Evidence strengthanimalanecdotal
Primary goalgh-release—

Frequently asked questions

What is Hexarelin?
Hexarelin is a synthetic hexapeptide growth hormone secretagogue that acts as an agonist at the GHS-R1a receptor. All current evidence is derived from animal models and in vitro studies — no human clinical trials exist for any indication. It is not FDA-approved and is classified as a research compound.
How does Hexarelin work?
Hexarelin acts as an agonist at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a). In vitro evidence indicates it inhibits hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in Neuro-2A cells via modulation of the MAPK and PI3K/Akt pathways. These findings come exclusively from animal and in vitro research — no human mechanistic data exist.
What is Hexarelin used for?
Preclinical and in vitro research has investigated Hexarelin for potential roles in neuroprotection and GH secretagogue activity. These findings come exclusively from animal models and cell culture. No clinical indications have been established in controlled human trials.
Is Hexarelin FDA-approved?
No. Hexarelin is not FDA-approved for any indication. No human clinical trials have been conducted, meaning its safety and efficacy in humans are entirely unknown.
What are common dosages of Hexarelin?
No human clinical dosing data exist for Hexarelin. No validated dose or frequency could be identified from the available research literature.
How is Hexarelin administered?
Animal studies have used subcutaneous injection, but no validated human route of administration has been established. No human administration data are documented in the current research literature.
What are common side effects of Hexarelin?
No controlled human clinical trial data exist to characterize Hexarelin's side-effect profile. Its safety in humans is completely unknown.
Are there safety concerns with Hexarelin?
Because no human clinical trials have been conducted, the full safety profile of Hexarelin is unknown. No human contraindication data could be identified in the current research literature.
Is Hexarelin legal?
Hexarelin is not FDA-approved and is not a scheduled controlled substance in the United States. Its legal status for possession and sale varies by jurisdiction. This is not legal advice.
Can Hexarelin be combined with other peptides?
No evidence-supported combination protocols have been established for Hexarelin. The current source literature does not document any stacking combinations.
How does Hexarelin compare to ipamorelin?
Both Hexarelin and ipamorelin are synthetic peptide GHS-R1a agonists, but they differ substantially in their evidence base. Ipamorelin has human pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data including a proof-of-concept clinical study, whereas Hexarelin's evidence base consists entirely of animal and in vitro data with no human trials conducted.
What does the research on Hexarelin show overall?
The Hexarelin research base consists entirely of animal models and in vitro studies. No controlled human clinical trials have been conducted, making it among the least clinically characterized of the GH secretagogue class. Extrapolating preclinical findings to human outcomes is not warranted by current evidence.

References

  1. [1]

    Hexarelin promotes the survival of retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve transection.

    Chow Kevin Bing Shui

    Indian journal of pharmacology · 2026 · PMID 41766237

    View on PubMed →
  2. [2]

    Identification of alexamorelin consumption biomarkers using human hepatocyte incubations and high-resolution mass spectrometry.

    Pobee Elizabeth, Daziani Gloria, Gameli Prince S et al.

    Journal of analytical toxicology · 2025 · PMID 40465419

    View on PubMed →
  3. [3]

    Hexarelin alleviates apoptosis on ischemic acute kidney injury via MDM2/p53 pathway.

    Guan Chen, Li Chenyu, Shen Xuefei et al.

    European journal of medical research · 2023 · PMID 37710348

    View on PubMed →
  4. [4]

    Hexarelin Modulation of MAPK and PI3K/Akt Pathways in Neuro-2A Cells Inhibits Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Apoptotic Toxicity.

    Meanti Ramona, Rizzi Laura, Bresciani Elena et al.

    Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021 · PMID 34066741

    View on PubMed →
  5. [5]

    Hexarelin targets neuroinflammatory pathways to preserve cardiac morphology and function in a mouse model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion.

    McDonald H, Peart J, Kurniawan N D et al.

    Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie · 2020 · PMID 32403043

    View on PubMed →
  6. [6]

    Modulation of PTEN by hexarelin attenuates coronary artery ligation-induced heart failure in rats.

    Agbo Elvis, Liu Donhai, Li Meixiu et al.

    Turkish journal of medical sciences · 2019 · PMID 31091855

    View on PubMed →
  7. [7]

    Hexarelin protects cardiac H9C2 cells from angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy via the regulation of autophagy.

    Agbo E, Li M-X, Wang Y-Q et al.

    Die Pharmazie · 2019 · PMID 31526442

    View on PubMed →
  8. [8]

    Protective Effects of Hexarelin and JMV2894 in a Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line Expressing the SOD1-G93A Mutated Protein.

    Meanti Ramona, Licata Martina, Rizzi Laura et al.

    International journal of molecular sciences · 2023 · PMID 36674509

    View on PubMed →
  9. [9]

    Stimulation of endogenous pulsatile growth hormone secretion by activation of growth hormone secretagogue receptor reduces the fat accumulation and improves the insulin sensitivity in obese mice.

    Huang Zhengxiang, Lu Xuehan, Huang Lili et al.

    FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2021 · PMID 33368660

    View on PubMed →
  10. [10]

    Hexarelin attenuates atherosclerosis via inhibiting LOX-1-NF-κB signaling pathway-mediated macrophage ox-LDL uptake in ApoE -/- mice.

    Cheng Xiu-Li, Ding Fan, Wang De-Ping et al.

    Peptides · 2019 · PMID 31386895

    View on PubMed →
  11. [11]

    Revealing the interaction between peptide drugs and permeation enhancers in the presence of intestinal bile salts.

    Hossain Shakhawath, Kneiszl Rosita, Larsson Per

    Nanoscale · 2023 · PMID 37982184

    View on PubMed →
  12. [12]

    Effect of paracellular permeation enhancers on intestinal permeability of two peptide drugs, enalaprilat and hexarelin, in rats.

    Dahlgren David, Olander Tobias, Sjöblom Markus et al.

    Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2021 · PMID 34221875

    View on PubMed →
  13. [13]

    The In Vivo Effect of Transcellular Permeation Enhancers on the Intestinal Permeability of Two Peptide Drugs Enalaprilat and Hexarelin.

    Dahlgren David, Sjöblom Markus, Hedeland Mikael et al.

    Pharmaceutics · 2020 · PMID 31991924

    View on PubMed →
  14. [14]

    Ghrelin receptor agonist hexarelin attenuates antinociceptive tolerance to morphine in rats.

    Baser Tayfun, Ozdemir Ercan, Filiz Ahmet Kemal et al.

    Canadian journal of physiology and pharmacology · 2021 · PMID 32893668

    View on PubMed →
  15. [15]

    Hexarelin attenuates abdominal aortic aneurysm formation by inhibiting SMC phenotype switch and inflammasome activation.

    Jiang Bo, Wang Mo, Li Xue et al.

    Microvascular research · 2022 · PMID 34856183

    View on PubMed →
  16. [?]

    Hexarelin modulates lung mechanics, inflammation, and fibrosis in acute lung injury.

    Zambelli Vanessa, Rizzi Laura, Delvecchio Paolo et al.

    Drug target insights · 2021 · PMID 34871336

    View on PubMed →

Compare Hexarelin with…

CJC-1295 vs Hexarelin vs Ipamorelin

CJC-1295 · Hexarelin · Ipamorelin

View comparison →