What is hexarelin?
Hexarelin is a synthetic hexapeptide from the GHRP family, built in the early 1990s by changing one residue of GHRP-6. It went through clinical trials in that decade, was never approved and survives today as a research compound. Here is the molecule, the one substitution that defines it and the numbers a vial has to match.
Hexarelin in one table.
| Sequence | His-D-2-Me-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2 |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 amino acids, two of them D-form; C-terminal amide |
| Formula | C47H58N12O6 |
| Molecular weight | 887.0 g/mol |
| CAS number | 140703-51-1 |
| PubChem CID | 6918297 |
| Parent | GHRP-6 (His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, 873.0 g/mol) |
| Status | Not an approved drug; supplied as a research compound |
GHRP-6 plus one methyl group.
GHRP-6 was made in 1984 by Cyril Bowers's group from a series of peptides derived from met-enkephalin. Hexarelin, reported in 1992 by Romano Deghenghi and colleagues, keeps all six residues of GHRP-6 and adds a methyl group to the indole ring of the D-tryptophan at position 2, giving 2-methyl-D-tryptophan. That one methyl adds 14 daltons, 873.0 to 887.0 g/mol, and was intended to make the peptide more resistant to enzymatic breakdown. GHRP-2 vs GHRP-6 vs hexarelin vs ipamorelin sets the four side by side.
Two D-residues and an aromatic core.
Like the other GHRPs, hexarelin alternates L- and D-amino acids, His, D-2-Me-Trp, Ala, Trp, D-Phe, Lys, so that the chain resists proteases that cut between L-residues. The two tryptophans and the phenylalanine give it an aromatic core; the histidine and lysine carry its positive charges. How to read a peptide sequence explains the D- and 2-Me- prefixes, and the amino acid chart gives the standard residues.
Trials in the 1990s, no approval.
Hexarelin was studied in clinical trials through the 1990s, mostly in Europe, and development stopped without an approval anywhere. It remains a research compound and appears in the literature on the growth hormone secretagogue receptor and on the CD36 receptor, which it also binds. It is listed as prohibited in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency, as are the other GHRPs.
887 not 873.
Identity should find a neutral mass of 887.0, or [M+H]+ near 888.0. A found mass of 873.0 is GHRP-6, the parent without the methyl group, which is the most likely substitution error for this compound. Mass spectrometry for peptide identity covers the tolerance, and how to verify a COA covers checking the report with the lab.
Not currently supplied.
Helion does not currently supply hexarelin. Of the GHRP family it supplies ipamorelin, in the CJC-1295 + ipamorelin blend, with a per-lot report in the COA Portal.
Specs and storage by compound.
Questions (6)
What is hexarelin?
A synthetic six-residue GHRP, His-D-2-Me-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, made from GHRP-6 by adding a methyl group to the D-tryptophan at position 2.
What is the molecular weight of hexarelin?
887.0 g/mol, formula C47H58N12O6.
How is hexarelin different from GHRP-6?
One methyl group on the indole ring of the second residue, 2-methyl-D-tryptophan in place of D-tryptophan, which adds 14 daltons.
Is hexarelin FDA approved?
No. It went through clinical trials in the 1990s and was never approved.
What is the CAS number of hexarelin?
140703-51-1; its PubChem CID is 6918297.
Does Helion sell hexarelin?
Not currently. Helion supplies ipamorelin, another GHRP, in a blend with CJC-1295.
Published studies (1)
- GH-releasing activity of Hexarelin, a new growth hormone releasing peptide, in infant and adult rats
Citations from PubMed for reference. They describe the compound in the literature, not any Helion lot, and nothing here is guidance on use.