Last Updated February 15, 2024

 February 15, 2024

Curious about sermorelin benefits? This guide should help. 

Numerous studies have shown that this sermorelin offers significant benefits when administered to test subjects and many researchers are interested in working with this research peptide. 

Sermorelin has the documented ability to stimulate the pituitary gland to release growth hormone (GH) and has a proven track record of helping to diagnose and treat growth hormone deficiency in children.

Below, researchers will find a summary of the known benefits of sermorelin and several potential avenues for further research.

At the end of this guide, we will share our recommended sermorelin vendor for researchers looking to buy this fascinating research peptide.

Buy Sermorelin from our top-rated vendor...

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What is Sermorelin?

Sermorelin acetate is a polypeptide that’s also known as GHRH (1-29). It’s designated as such because it contains the first 29 amino acids of endogenous human growth releasing hormone (GHRH) [1]. In other words, sermorelin is an analogue (or “version”) of GHRH, rather than actual GHRH.

What makes sermorelin unique is that despite containing just 29 out of the 44 amino acids found in endogenous GHRH, it’s a fully functioning fragment. This makes it the shortest known GHRH analogue to have the full biological function of human GHRH.

When administered subcutaneously, sermorelin mimics endogenous GHRH and binds to the GHRH receptor to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce and release more growth hormone (GH) [1].

In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved sermorelin for the purpose of diagnosing and treating idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children [2]. It was released under the trade name Geref and continued to be sold until 2008. In that year, the drug’s FDA approval was withdrawn for reasons other than safety and efficacy [3]. Currently, the drug is still available as a reference material to qualified researchers.


sermorelin benefits


Benefits of Sermorelin

Experiments and trials involving sermorelin have found that this peptide offers numerous documented benefits.

Diagnostic test for GHD in children

When it held FDA approval (1997-2008), sermorelin’s primary use was to diagnose idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children. A review of sermorelin’s use for this purpose noted that sermorelin could, when administered intravenously at a dose of 1μg/kg body weight, produce a “rapid hormone response.” It’s considered to be more efficient at diagnosing GHD than other provocative tests [1].

Treatment for GHD in children

Clinical data showed that once-daily subcutaneous injections of sermorelin dosed at 30 mcg/kg body weight were “effective in promoting growth” in prepubertal children diagnosed with idiopathic GHD [1]. However, the height velocity achieved with sermorelin treatment was less than that achieved by regular HGH (i.e., somatropin) at the same dosage.

Safer than somatropin for GHD treatment

Although the effects of the recommended dosage of sermorelin (30 mcg/kg body weight) have not been directly compared with those of somatropin, the limited available data shows that an “intravenous single dose and repeated once-daily subcutaneous doses of sermorelin are well tolerated” [1]. This indicates that sermorelin has a better safety profile than somatropin for treating children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency, and suggests that doctors were more likely to prescribe sermorelin as an HGH alternative due to its favorable safety profile.

Increased HGH production and secretion

One of sermorelin’s proven benefits is to increase the production and release of HGH in the body. In a study on rainbow trout, sermorelin acetate was shown to be effective at stimulating the pituitary gland to naturally produce and deliver more HGH into the system [5].

Potential treatment for male hypogonadism

In 2020, a review of existing literature on the use of growth hormone secretagogues (GHSs) suggested that sermorelin could be “a potential novel adjunctive therapy for some of the symptoms of hypogonadism” [4]. The review studied a number of GHSs including sermorelin and explored the “potential complementary role” they could play in the “management of hypogonadal and eugonadal males with metabolic syndrome or subclinical hypogonadism (SH).”

The authors of the review cautioned that current data on the clinical efficacy of GHSs (including sermorelin) remains lacking and concluded that their findings opened “opportunities for future investigation” [4].

Purported anti-aging benefits

Despite a distinct lack of supporting clinical data, anecdotal evidence suggests that some doctors at anti-aging clinics prescribe or advocate the use of sermorelin for its purported anti-aging benefits. To date, there have been no human clinical trials into sermorelin’s use for this purpose and experts recommend against using HGH or any related peptides to treat aging or age-related conditions.

Identifying the origin of the theory that sermorelin offers anti-aging benefits is beyond the scope of this guide, but the genesis may be a 2015 study conducted on swine with subacute ischemic cardiomyopathy. While the study didn’t involve sermorelin, it showed that growth hormone-releasing hormone agonists (GHRH‐As), similar to sermorelin, were able to reduce “myocardial infarct scarring” [6]. This study may have given rise to the theory that sermorelin, as a GHRH analogue, may offer comparable benefits in humans.

Purported performance-enhancing benefits

There is strong research in the application of sermorelin to improve athletic performance yet, to date, there have been no human clinical trials into sermorelin for this use. However, sermorelin is on the list of prohibited substances issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) along with all growth hormone-releasing hormones (GHRHs) and related peptides [7]. This strongly suggests that sermorelin can enhance athletic performance.

A randomized trial conducted in 2010 and funded primarily by WADA found that recreationally trained athletes who received growth hormone (2 mg/day) for 8 weeks experienced [8]:

  • Significantly reduced fat mass
  • Increased lean body mass through an increase in extracellular water
  • Increased sprint capacity

While this trial did not involve sermorelin, its findings do suggest that GHRHs like sermorelin may indirectly offer comparable benefits by stimulating the production and release of endogenous HGH. However, it should be noted that the increase in sprint capacity by the group that received HGH was “not maintained 6 weeks after discontinuation of the drug” and that the “study was too small to draw conclusions about safety” [8].

It should also be noted that under no circumstances do we encourage the self-administration of research peptides like sermorelin for recreational purposes.

Sermorelin and sleep

Sleep cycles play an important role in the body’s repair of tissue as many of the body’s repair functions happen during sleep. This also happens to be the time when the body naturally secretes the most HGH [9].

Research suggests that both tissue growth and healing are strongly associated with the higher HGH levels that are found in the body during sleep. For this reason, some researchers have suggested that sermorelin, as a peptide analogue of GHRH, may help regulate sleep indirectly, by way of increasing the production and release of endogenous HGH.

While sermorelin has yet to be tested for this purpose, anecdotal evidence from doctors who work at anti-aging clinics suggests that sermorelin can help improve the quality of patients’ sleep.


sermorelin benefits


Where to Buy Sermorelin Online? | 2024 Edition

Sermorelin is readily available for purchase as a reference material from a variety of online vendors.

To ensure a smooth buying process and the receipt of research-grade sermorelin, the team at Peptides.org recommends the following top vendor.

Xcel Peptides

Xcel Peptides is one the best vendors in the business thanks to their high-quality, independently-tested peptides.

Here’s what we appreciate about this vendor:

  • 99% Pure Sermorelin: Xcel Peptides ships high-quality sermorelin acetate that is backed by quality tests conducted by a third-party laboratory. Certificates of analysis are available right on the vendor’s product pages.
  • Fast Shipping: Xcel Peptides offers fast, convenient shipping, with US orders typically arriving in 2 to 5 days. As a bonus, the vendor waives shipping fees on orders of $200 or more.
  • Great Service: Xcel Peptides’ friendly service team is always on standby to reply to emails from both prospective and repeat researchers.

Buy Sermorelin from our top-rated vendor...


Bacteriostatic Water for Injection

When researching Sermorelin and other peptides, researchers must stock up on certain materials for proper storage and preparation.

Which materials will be needed? The list includes alcohol swabs, bacteriostatic water, and several more items.

Don’t let the search for these supplementary tools impede the research!

The Peptides.org team makes it easy for researchers to get all the materials needed with our top recommendation for buying research supplies online — right here.


Sermorelin Benefits | Verdict

Overall, sermorelin offers a range of fascinating research-backed benefits and makes a promising candidate for further research. This peptide has many opportunities for future investigation, such as its potential complementary role in treating males with hypogonadism.

Sermorelin’s proven ability to increase the production and secretion of GH makes it ideally suited for research into GH-related supplementation, particularly with regards to enhancing athletic performance and improving the rate of tissue synthesis.

Researchers currently considering working with sermorelin may consider using a sermorelin dosage calculator and contacting our top-rated research peptides supplier for all their study needs.


References

    1. Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs. 1999 Aug;12(2):139-57. doi: 10.2165/00063030-199912020-00007. PMID: 18031173.
    2. US Food and Drug Administration, (n.d.). Drugs at FDA: FDA-Approved drugs. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?event=overview.process&ApplNo=020443
    3. Determination That GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.5 Milligrams Base/Vial and 1.0 Milligrams Base/Vial, and GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.05 Milligrams Base/Amp, Were Not Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness. (2021). Retrieved 3 June 2021, from https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/03/04/2013-04827/determination-that-geref-sermorelin-acetate-injection-05-milligrams-basevial-and-10-milligrams
    4. Sinha DK, Balasubramanian A, Tatem AJ, Rivera-Mirabal J, Yu J, Kovac J, Pastuszak AW, Lipshultz LI. Beyond the androgen receptor: the role of growth hormone secretagogues in the modern management of body composition in hypogonadal males. Transl Androl Urol. 2020 Mar;9(Suppl 2):S149-S159. doi: 10.21037/tau.2019.11.30. PMID: 32257855; PMCID: PMC7108996.
    5. Shepherd, B. S., Johnson, J. K., Silverstein, J. T., Parhar, I. S., Vijayan, M. M., McGuire, A., & Weber, G. M. (2007). Endocrine and orexigenic actions of growth hormone secretagogues in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 146(3), 390-399.
    6. Bagno, L. L., Kanashiro‐Takeuchi, R. M., Suncion, V. Y., Golpanian, S., Karantalis, V., Wolf, A., … & Valdes, D. (2015). Growth hormone–releasing hormone agonists reduce myocardial infarct scar in swine with subacute ischemic cardiomyopathy. Journal of the American Heart Association, 4(4), e001464.
    7. Knoop A, Thomas A, Fichant E, Delahaut P, Schänzer W, Thevis M. Qualitative identification of growth hormone-releasing hormones in human plasma by means of immunoaffinity purification and LC-HRMS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2016 May;408(12):3145-53. doi: 10.1007/s00216-016-9377-3. Epub 2016 Feb 15. PMID: 26879649; PMCID: PMC4830873.
    8. Meinhardt U, Nelson AE, Hansen JL, Birzniece V, Clifford D, Leung KC, Graham K, Ho KK. The effects of growth hormone on body composition and physical performance in recreational athletes: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2010 May 4;152(9):568-77. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-152-9-201005040-00007. PMID: 20439575.
    9. Teo, W., Newton, M. J., & McGuigan, M. R. (2011). Circadian rhythms in exercise performance: implications for hormonal and muscular adaptation. Journal of sports science & medicine, 10(4), 600.

Scientifically Fact Checked by:

David Warmflash, M.D.

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