Peptides & Longevity

5-Amino-1MQ is a small-molecule inhibitor of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), not a peptide, sold online as a research chemical for weight loss.

AHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide, L-alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+, studied for stimulating hair follicle growth in laboratory experiments.

AICAR is a small-molecule activator of an enzyme called AMPK, not a peptide, studied as a research compound for exercise metabolism.

AOD-9604 is not FDA-approved, and its 503A compounding nomination was withdrawn after FDA raised safety concerns.

ARA-290 is a nonhematopoietic peptide designed from the structure of erythropoietin that interacts with the innate repair receptor, rather than the receptor that makes red blood cells.

B12 + MIC is an injection that combines vitamin B12 with methionine, inositol and choline, marketed for weight loss and energy under names like the skinny shot.

Bacteriostatic water is sterile water containing 0.9% or 1.1% benzyl alcohol as a preservative, used only as a diluent for other injectable drugs.

Bioidentical hormones are hormones chemically identical to those the body makes, sold either as FDA-approved drugs or as compounded products marketed under the bioidentical label.

Biological age is an estimate of how old the body appears based on molecular or physiological markers, rather than years since birth.

BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound-157) is a synthetic peptide of 15 amino acids derived from a fragment of a gastric protein.

Category 1 vs Category 2 peptides refers to FDA's interim sorting of substances nominated for the 503A bulks list.

Certificate of analysis is a supplier's test report stating a batch's identity, purity and other quality measures.

CJC-1295 is a long-acting analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) studied in two 2006 randomized trials for its ability to raise growth hormone and IGF-1 levels.

compounded peptide is a peptide medication custom-mixed by a compounding pharmacy for an individual patient rather than manufactured by an FDA-approved drug maker.

Dihexa is a synthetic angiotensin IV-based compound studied in animals for memory and synaptic effects, developed as a blood-brain-barrier-permeable analog by a Washington State research group.

DSIP is a nonapeptide first isolated from rabbit cerebral venous blood in 1977 and studied for insomnia, with the sequence Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu.

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) developed from epithalamin, a pineal extract studied by Russian researcher Vladimir Khavinson.

FDA bulk drug substances list refers to FDA's lists of active ingredients nominated for use in compounding, sorted into review categories that determine eligibility.

Follistatin-344 is an isoform of a myostatin-binding protein sold online as an unapproved bodybuilding injectable, prohibited in sport as a myostatin inhibitor.

GHK-Cu is a copper-bound tripeptide, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, found naturally in the body.

GHRP-2 / GHRP-6 are synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptides with no structural homology to GHRH, developed to stimulate the body's own growth-hormone release.

Glutathione is a tripeptide of glutamate, cysteine and glycine made in the body.

Glutathione injection is a compounded IV or IM product containing the antioxidant tripeptide glutathione, prepared by a 503A pharmacy from bulk glutathione powder.

Growth hormone peptides is an umbrella term for GHRH analogs and GH-releasing peptides marketed to raise the body's own growth-hormone output, including tesamorelin, sermorelin, CJC-1295, ipamorelin and GHRP compounds.

Growth hormone releasing hormone is a 44-amino-acid hypothalamic peptide, first isolated in 1982 from a human pancreatic tumor, that stimulates the pituitary to release growth hormone.

Growth hormone secretagogue refers to any compound that prompts the pituitary gland to release growth hormone, grouped under an umbrella that includes GHRH analogs and GH-releasing peptides.

Healthspan is the portion of life spent free of significant disease or disability, as distinct from lifespan.

HPLC purity is the share of a chromatography signal attributed to the target peptide, measured against everything else the method detects, such as impurities, degradation products and aggregates.

Humanin is a short mitochondrial-derived peptide first identified in 2001 that protects cells from stress-induced death in laboratory studies.

IGF-1 LR3 is a modified, longer-acting analog of insulin-like growth factor 1 sold online as a research peptide.

Injectable peptides are peptide drugs delivered by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection, the route used by many approved peptide medications.

Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide that stimulates the pituitary to release growth hormone, acting as a relatively selective agonist of the GHSR-1a receptor.

Kisspeptin is a naturally occurring hormone that triggers GnRH release through the GPR54 receptor and drives puberty and reproductive hormone signaling.

KPV is a tripeptide of lysine, proline and valine derived from alpha-MSH(11-13) and studied for wound healing and inflammation in mice.

Lipotropic injection is a shot marketed as lipotropic, or fat-mobilizing, typically combining methionine, inositol and choline with a B vitamin, sold under names such as the lipo shot.

LL-37 is a 37-residue antimicrobial peptide made only by humans, released from the precursor protein hCAP-18 by neutrophils.

Longevity peptides is an umbrella term for amino-acid chain compounds studied or marketed in connection with aging and lifespan.

Lyophilized peptide refers to a peptide that has been freeze-dried into a stable powder by removing water under vacuum after freezing.

Melanotan II is a synthetic peptide analog of melanocyte-stimulating hormone marketed online as an injectable or nasal-spray tanning product.

Metformin for longevity refers to using metformin, a biguanide FDA-approved only for type 2 diabetes, off-label in hopes of slowing aging.

mg vs mcg dosing refers to the difference between milligrams and micrograms, a factor of 1,000, in how peptide product strengths are labeled.

Mitochondrial health is a research and marketing phrase for how well mitochondria, the cell structures that convert nutrients into usable energy, are functioning, not a standardized clinical diagnosis.

MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded by a short open reading frame within mitochondrial DNA.

NAD+ is a coenzyme found in every cell that helps transfer energy from food into a usable form, and is chemically a dinucleotide rather than a peptide.

NAD+ and resveratrol refers to pairing an NAD+-boosting supplement or injection with resveratrol, a plant compound studied as an activator of sirtuin enzymes that require NAD+ to function.

NAD+ injection is a compounded product delivering the coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by IV or subcutaneous injection, marketed for anti-aging and wellness uses.

Nootropic peptides refers to peptides marketed for cognitive or mood effects, including Semax, Selank, dihexa and P21, none of which is FDA-approved.

Oxytocin nasal spray is a nasal form of the nonapeptide hormone oxytocin, which FDA has approved only as an injection (Pitocin) for labor-related use.

P21 is the common name for P021, a small neurotrophic peptide mimetic developed to overcome the drug-delivery problems of natural neurotrophic factor proteins.

PCAC, the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, is the FDA committee that advises on drug compounding under sections 503A and 503B, with a core of 12 voting members.

PEG-MGF is the pegylated form of mechano growth factor, a splice variant of IGF-1 the body produces after resistance exercise.

Peptide is a short chain of amino acids, which FDA defines as 40 or fewer.

Peptide cycling is forum vocabulary for stopping and restarting an unapproved peptide on a schedule.

Peptide reconstitution is the process of adding a sterile liquid diluent to a freeze-dried peptide powder to prepare it for injection.

Peptide side effects are the adverse reactions reported for both FDA-approved peptide drugs and unapproved compounded peptides.

Peptide stack is informal slang for combining two or more peptides in one regimen, most often growth hormone secretagogues or tissue-repair peptides, without any FDA review of the combination.

Peptide therapy is the use of amino-acid chain compounds for medical or performance purposes, spanning FDA-approved medications and unapproved compounded or research-grade peptides sold directly to patients.

Peptides for healing refers to peptides marketed for tissue repair and recovery, most often BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu and KPV, none of which is FDA-approved for that use.

Peptides for muscle growth refers to growth-hormone secretagogues, IGF-1 LR3, follistatin and MGF, marketed online to increase lean mass.

Peptides for sleep refers to a small group of peptides marketed for insomnia, chiefly DSIP and epitalon, neither backed by strong human evidence.

Peptides for testosterone refers to peptide hormones and peptide-based medicines that can influence testosterone production through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis.

Peptides for weight loss refers to a mix of two FDA-approved peptide drugs and several unapproved peptides marketed online for fat loss.

Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide, Glu-Asp-Arg, developed by Russian peptide researchers and studied mainly in rats.

Polypeptide is the general chemistry term for a chain of amino acids joined by peptide bonds, with no fixed length limit.

PT-141 is the development code for bremelanotide, a melanocortin receptor agonist sold as the FDA-approved drug Vyleesi.

Rapamycin is the generic name for sirolimus, an mTOR-inhibitor drug FDA-approved in 1999 as Rapamune, for organ-rejection prevention after kidney transplant and for lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Research use only is a label vendors put on peptides to claim they are not drugs for human use.

Selank is a synthetic peptide analog of tuftsin, studied in rats and in small Russian studies of anxiety patients, and sold online for anxiety.

Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide analogue of ACTH 4-10, with the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro, registered as a drug in Russia and sold there as nasal drops.

Senolytics are a class of drugs that selectively clear senescent, or aged and dysfunctional, cells from the body.

Sermorelin is a 29-amino-acid analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) that stimulates the pituitary to release growth hormone.

Sermorelin vs ipamorelin is a choice between two peptides that both raise growth hormone but act on different receptors and carry different FDA histories.

SS-31 is the development code for elamipretide, an FDA-approved mitochondria-targeted peptide drug sold under the brand Forzinity.

TB-500 is a synthetic seven-amino-acid fragment of the natural protein thymosin beta-4, covering amino acids 17 to 23 with an acetyl group at one end.

Tesamorelin is a human growth hormone-releasing factor analog approved by FDA, as Egrifta WR, for reducing excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected adults with lipodystrophy.

Testosterone replacement therapy is prescription testosterone, a steroid hormone rather than a peptide, given to men whose bodies produce too little of it.

Thymosin alpha-1 is a 28-amino-acid peptide naturally occurring in the thymus that supports T-cell maturation.

Types of peptides refers to the different classes of amino-acid chain compounds grouped by function, from FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs to GH secretagogues, copper peptides and antimicrobial peptides.

VIP peptide refers to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a 28-amino-acid neuropeptide that acts as a neurotransmitter and helps regulate blood vessels, immune responses, and secretion of certain substances.

Wolverine stack is an informal, online-only name for combining the peptides BPC-157 and TB-500, sold for injury recovery.