Detailed compound profiles with mechanisms, safety triggers, dosing protocols, and links to the outcomes they support.
DSIP was named for inducing delta sleep, but independent labs failed to replicate that in humans, no one has found its receptor or gene, and its best human stress trial found zero effect. Fascinating biology, unproven clinically.
DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide / Emideltide) is a nonapeptide studied for sleep, stress, and opioid withdrawal. Its human sleep data is inconsistent, its receptor is unknown, rodent stress effects failed to translate to humans, and it is not FDA-approved, with a PCAC review set for July 2026.
Cerebrolysin is a porcine-brain peptide mixture sold as a master key for brain repair. It has decades of human trials, approval in 50+ countries, no FDA approval, and a Cochrane safety signal that complicates the story.
Cerebrolysin is a porcine-derived neurotrophic peptide preparation studied for stroke, TBI, and dementia. Human RCT data exists but is heterogeneous and industry-weighted, independent Cochrane reviews find no mortality benefit and a serious-adverse-event signal, and it is not FDA-approved.
KPV is the three-amino-acid tail of alpha-MSH: it keeps the parent hormone's anti-inflammatory power, drops the pigmentation, and targets inflamed tissue through the PepT1 transporter. The catch: every result so far is from cells or animals.
KPV (Lysine-Proline-Valine) is the C-terminal tripeptide of alpha-MSH, studied for anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, gut, and skin applications. Evidence is entirely preclinical, with no completed human trials, and the compound is under FDA PCAC review for July 2026.
A 16-amino-acid fragment of human growth hormone engineered to trigger fat metabolism without activating the GH receptor, AOD-9604 cleared early clinical trials for obesity before its pivotal Phase IIb collapsed under a placebo response. Now stripped of FDA Category 2 status and banned by WADA, its most interesting data may be in a direction nobody expected: cartilage repair.
AOD-9604 is a synthetic peptide fragment corresponding to amino acids 176-191 of human growth hormone, with an added N-terminal tyrosine. It selectively activates beta-3 adrenergic receptors to stimulate lipolysis without engaging the GH receptor, producing no measurable effect on IGF-1 or glucose. Its Phase IIb obesity trial (OPTIONS, 536 participants) was terminated in 2007 when placebo outperformed expectations. Preclinical cartilage regeneration data has since repositioned the compound toward joint repair, but no human joint trial exists.
The oral compound that reliably raises GH and IGF-1 to youthful levels, delivers measurable gains in lean mass and sleep architecture, yet consistently failed to translate those biomarker wins into functional outcomes across 30 years of clinical trials.
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) is a non-peptide, orally active growth hormone secretagogue that selectively agonises the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a). It increases 24-hour GH secretion by up to 97% and IGF-1 by 60-79%, producing verified gains in fat-free mass and sleep quality. However, the lean mass does not translate to strength, the bone turnover does not translate to density, and insulin resistance is a consistent pharmacological cost.
The first FDA-approved peptide that targets the brain's desire circuitry instead of the body's vascular hardware, opening a new front in sexual medicine, appetite regulation, and central neuromodulation.
PT-141 (bremelanotide) is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide and centrally acting melanocortin receptor agonist FDA-approved for premenopausal female HSDD. It bypasses peripheral blood flow entirely, activating MC3R and MC4R in the hypothalamus to trigger dopamine and oxytocin release. Emerging data positions it as a post-GLP-1 weight rebound shield and a rescue therapy for PDE5 inhibitor non-responders in men.
The first dual-action incretin that outpaces single-agonist therapy across weight, glucose, heart failure, and sleep apnoea, while forcing medicine to reckon with the musculoskeletal cost of rapid metabolic transformation.
Tirzepatide is an imbalanced dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist achieving 15-22.5% body weight reduction, HbA1c cuts of up to 2.6%, FDA approval for sleep apnoea, and a 38% reduction in heart failure events. Its biased agonism at the GLP-1 receptor avoids receptor desensitisation, but rapid weight loss raises real concerns about bone density and lean mass.
The GLP-1 receptor agonist reshaping metabolic medicine, from weight loss to cardiovascular protection, liver repair, and beyond.
Semaglutide is a modified GLP-1 analogue with a ~1-week half-life, proven to reduce body weight by 10-17%, cut cardiovascular events by 20%, resolve fatty liver disease, and slow kidney decline. Its reach now extends into addiction, sleep apnea, and neuroinflammation.
An 11-amino-acid peptide derived from erythropoietin's helix-B surface that selectively activates the Innate Repair Receptor, triggering nerve regeneration and tissue protection without the blood-thickening risks of EPO.
ARA-290 isolates the tissue-repair signal from erythropoietin without stimulating red blood cell production. Phase II trials showed a 23% increase in corneal nerve fiber area in sarcoidosis patients, proving structural nerve regeneration rather than symptomatic relief. The molecule also improved HbA1c and lipid profiles in diabetic trials, with effects lasting weeks beyond the final dose.