Research brief · Growth Hormone
HGH
Reference recombinant GH used as a positive control in GH/IGF-1 axis research.
Class
191-aa recombinant human growth hormone
Half-life
~2-4 h (systemic)
Studied in
Reference standard for GH-axis, IGF-1 and body-composition research.
What it is
Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH, somatropin) is the 191-amino-acid reference standard for the GH/IGF-1 axis in laboratory research. It is used to benchmark GHRH analogues and ghrelin-receptor agonists against direct GH-receptor activation.
Mechanism studied
Direct GH-receptor agonism driving JAK2/STAT5 signalling and hepatic IGF-1 production.
Research notes
- Dosed in international units (IU); ~3 IU ≈ 1 mg of standard rhGH.
- Acts as the upstream benchmark for sermorelin, tesamorelin, CJC-1295 and ipamorelin comparisons.
Before sourcing any material
- Confirm a lot-matched third-party certificate of analysis (HPLC purity and mass-spectrometry identity).
- Check the stated peptide content per vial, not just the gross vial mass.
- Plan reconstitution volumes first so the vial size matches your protocol.
- Verify what is lawful in your jurisdiction — these are in-vitro research reagents, not medicines.