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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.