Hexarelin is a synthetic six amino acid peptide in the growth hormone releasing peptide (GHRP) family. It was developed in the early 1990s as a more stable analog of GHRP-6 and is supplied for research as hexarelin acetate, the acetate salt form of the peptide.
Hexarelin is studied mainly for two reasons. First, it is a potent agonist of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a), the same receptor that responds to the hormone ghrelin. Second, it binds a separate receptor, CD36, which has made it a tool in cardiovascular research that is independent of growth hormone.
The Aion Aminos Hexarelin Acetate is supplied as a 5 mg lyophilized powder for laboratory research use only.
Hexarelin’s sequence is His-D-2-methyl-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2. Compared with GHRP-6, it carries a methyl group on the D-tryptophan residue, a change that was designed to improve chemical stability and receptor activity.
In pituitary and hypothalamic models, hexarelin activates GHS-R1a and triggers growth hormone release. This effect is separate from, and can add to, the GHRH pathway that peptides such as CJC-1295 act on. That is why GHRPs and GHRH analogs are often studied together. Our article on the growth hormone and IGF axis gives more background.
Studies in the 1990s also reported that hexarelin can raise prolactin and ACTH/cortisol at higher exposures, making it less selective than some later secretagogues such as ipamorelin.
Hexarelin is unusual among GHRPs because it also binds CD36, a scavenger receptor found on heart muscle cells, blood vessel cells and macrophages. Animal studies have used hexarelin to examine:
Several of these effects were seen in growth hormone deficient animals, which suggests they do not depend on growth hormone release.
Repeated or continuous exposure to hexarelin has been reported to reduce the growth hormone response over time, a pattern known as desensitization or tachyphylaxis. This is an important variable for any study design that involves repeated exposure.
See our reconstitution lab guide and COA guide for more detail.
Hexarelin acetate is a potent synthetic GHRP that activates the ghrelin receptor and also binds CD36, giving it a place in both growth hormone and cardiovascular research. Its main research caveats are lower selectivity than newer secretagogues, desensitization with repeated exposure, and an evidence base that is mostly preclinical.
Hexarelin Acetate from Aion Aminos is sold strictly for laboratory research use only. It is not intended for human or animal consumption and is not a drug, food, supplement or cosmetic. Nothing in this article is medical advice or a claim that any product diagnoses, treats, cures or prevents any disease.
What the KLOW peptide blend contains, how each of its four components is studied in laboratory models, and what the research does and does not show.
A practical guide to peptide certificates of analysis: what HPLC, mass spectrometry and UV-Vis results mean, how to read purity and assay numbers, and which red flags to watch for.
What reconstitution solution is, how it compares with bacteriostatic water and sterile water, and how to handle and store lyophilized research peptides in the lab.
New to Aion? Use the code below at checkout and save 25% on your first purchase.
Valid on first purchase only. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other offers.
