Ghrelin
Ghrelin is a peptide, indexed here under Growth hormone secretagogues.
Identity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Classification | Peptide |
| Primary class | Growth hormone secretagogues |
| CAS registry number | 304853-26-7[1] |
| PubChem CID | 16133832[1] |
| UniProt accession | Unknown No UniProt query was run in v1. |
| Molecular formula | C149H249N47O42[1] |
| Molecular weight | 3370.9 g/mol[1] |
| Amino-acid sequence | Unknown Not reported by the PubChem property set retrieved for this record; no sequence database query was run in v1. |
| Reported half-life | Unknown No pharmacokinetics source was retrieved in v1. PubChem does not carry half-life as a property, so this is recorded as not yet sourced rather than estimated. |
What the cited literature examines
Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, and the synthetic compounds in this class are modelled on its activity. A 1999 Nature paper reports it as a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach, a 2000 Endocrinology paper reports its synthesis in a distinct endocrine cell type of the gastrointestinal tract, and a 2005 Physiological Reviews article covers its structure and function.
The retrieved records concentrate on energy balance. A 2000 Nature paper reports that it induces adiposity in rodents and a 2001 Nature paper reports a role in the central regulation of feeding. In human studies, a 2001 Diabetes paper reports a preprandial rise in plasma levels, a 2001 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism paper reports increased food intake, a 2001 Diabetes paper reports decreased circulating levels in obesity, and a 2002 New England Journal of Medicine paper reports plasma levels after diet-induced weight loss or gastric bypass surgery. A 2003 Neuron paper describes a hypothalamic circuit regulating energy homeostasis.
[3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]Reported mechanism
The endogenous acylated peptide ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor; the retrieved records report growth hormone release and central regulation of feeding.
[3, 7]Stated in the titles of the cited 1999 Nature and 2001 Nature papers.
Targets named in the cited records: growth hormone secretagogue receptor, hypothalamic feeding circuits.
FDA application register
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.[2]
Scope statement: this records the result of a single automated query against the openFDA drugsfda endpoint on the stated date. It is not legal advice and is not a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legality assessment.
Retrieved 2026-10-09.
Amounts reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset states an amount, so none is shown. Where an amount is recorded it is what a named study reported administering in its own stated model, in the past tense, and is not a protocol.
No study-reported dose was taken from a source read in v1. Literature-reported values are only recorded where the retrieved citation metadata states the figure.
Adverse effects reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset reports an adverse effect for this compound, so no row is shown. Absence of a row records the absence of a retrieved report, nothing more.
No adverse-effect row was taken from a source read in v1. Rows are only recorded with the study model named and the reporting citation attached.
Other names
Ghrelin appears under these other names in the cited records or in common usage. Each one resolves to this page rather than to a separate page of its own.
- acyl ghrelin
- growth hormone-releasing acylated peptide
Where this page sits
Research records
Cited research records for Ghrelin, each with its identifier, the publication type it is indexed as, and the study model stated by its assigned subject headings.
Compounds indexed next to it
- GHRP-6 — Growth hormone secretagogues
- Ibutamoren — Growth hormone secretagogues
- Capromorelin — Growth hormone secretagogues
Named targets in the cited records
Class page: Growth hormone secretagogues. Full index: all indexed compounds.
Questions this page answers
What does the cited literature examine for Ghrelin?
Ghrelin is the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, and the synthetic compounds in this class are modelled on its activity. A 1999 Nature paper reports it as a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach, a 2000 Endocrinology paper reports its synthesis in a distinct endocrine cell type of the gastrointestinal tract, and a 2005 Physiological Reviews article covers its structure and function.
Which class is Ghrelin indexed under?
Ghrelin is indexed under Growth hormone secretagogues. Growth hormone secretagogues are compounds that act at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, the receptor for ghrelin, rather than at the growth hormone releasing hormone receptor.
What does the FDA application register show for Ghrelin?
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.
Sources
- PubChem Compound Summary for CID 16133832, Ghrelin. PubChem, National Library of Medicine (2026). pubchem:16133832
- Drugs@FDA application register query for this compound, no application records returned. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drugsfda endpoint (2026). fda:ghrelin
- Ghrelin is a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach. Nature (1999). pmid:10604470
- Ghrelin, a novel growth hormone-releasing acylated peptide, is synthesized in a distinct endocrine cell type in the gastrointestinal tracts of rats and humans. Endocrinology (2000). pmid:11089560
- Ghrelin: structure and function. Physiological reviews (2005). pmid:15788704
- Ghrelin induces adiposity in rodents. Nature (2000). pmid:11057670
- A role for ghrelin in the central regulation of feeding. Nature (2001). pmid:11196643
- A preprandial rise in plasma ghrelin levels suggests a role in meal initiation in humans. Diabetes (2001). pmid:11473029
- Ghrelin enhances appetite and increases food intake in humans. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2001). pmid:11739476
- Circulating ghrelin levels are decreased in human obesity. Diabetes (2001). pmid:11289032
- Plasma ghrelin levels after diet-induced weight loss or gastric bypass surgery. The New England journal of medicine (2002). pmid:12023994
- The distribution and mechanism of action of ghrelin in the CNS demonstrates a novel hypothalamic circuit regulating energy homeostasis. Neuron (2003). pmid:12597862
On each stated value was matched to the record cited for it. That is record matching, not an appraisal of the research. Compiled and checked by: Peptide Monographs editorial desk. No qualified clinical reviewer.