# Ipamorelin References: The Cited Research Literature

> Ipamorelin references — the full list of cited studies, with DOIs and PubMed links, behind every claim on this safety-lens research digest.

The peer-reviewed studies, reviews, and pharmacokinetic data cited across this site, with DOIs and PubMed links.

## How to read this list

Every quantitative claim on this site maps to a numbered source below. The list mixes the foundational ipamorelin pharmacology (selectivity, human PK, the Phase 2 trial), the animal efficacy and mechanism studies, the class-level safety data, and the most recent expert reviews. Where a citation describes a *related* compound (for example, the cardiotoxicity study of a different ghrelin-receptor agonist), that distinction is stated wherever the claim appears. Reviews are labeled as reviews. Open each link to read the original.

## References

[1] Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, Thogersen H, Madsen K, Ankersen M, Andersen PH. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998;139(5):552-561. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9849822/
[2] Gobburu JV, Agerso H, Jusko WJ, Ynddal L. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers. Pharm Res. 1999;16(9):1412-1416. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10496658/
[3] Beck DE, Sweeney WB, McCarter MD; Ipamorelin 201 Study Group. Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2014;29(12):1527-1534. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25331030/
[4] Johansen PB, Nowak J, Skjaerbaek C, Flyvbjerg A, Andreassen TT, Wilken M, Orskov H. Ipamorelin, a new growth-hormone-releasing peptide, induces longitudinal bone growth in rats. Growth Horm IGF Res. 1999;9(2):106-113. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10373343/
[5] Lu Z, Ngan MP, Liu JYH, Yang L, Tu L, Chan SW, Giuliano C, Lovati E, Pietra C, Rudd JA. The growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a agonists, anamorelin and ipamorelin, inhibit cisplatin-induced weight loss in ferrets: Anamorelin also exhibits anti-emetic effects via a central mechanism. Physiol Behav. 2024;284:114644. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39043357/
[6] Stokes AH, Falls JG, Yoon L, Cariello N, Faiola B, Colton HM, Jordan HL, Berridge BR. Integrated approach to early detection of cardiovascular toxicity induced by a ghrelin receptor agonist [GSK894281; a related GHS-R1a agonist, not ipamorelin]. Int J Toxicol. 2015;34(2):151-161. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25722321/
[7] Coutinho LFD, et al. A new era of doping? Use of peptide and peptide-analog drugs in recreational and professional sport and bodybuilding: a critical review. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2026. https://doi.org/10.23736/s0022-4707.26.17773-1
[8] Chan CB, et al. Stimulation of growth hormone secretion from seabream pituitary cells in primary culture by growth hormone secretagogues is independent of growth hormone transcription. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2004;139:77-85. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15556068/
[9] Yeung CM, et al. Seabream ghrelin: cDNA cloning, genomic organization and promoter studies. J Endocrinol. 2006;189:365-379. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16648303/
[10] Worm DJ, et al. A stable meta-carborane enables the generation of boron-rich peptide agonists targeting the ghrelin receptor. J Pept Sci. 2018;24:e3119. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30168238/
[11] Fowkes MM, et al. Peptidomimetic growth hormone secretagogue derivatives for positron emission tomography imaging of the ghrelin receptor. Eur J Med Chem. 2018;157:1500-1511. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30282322/
[12] Adeghate E, Ponery AS. Mechanism of ipamorelin-evoked insulin release from the pancreas of normal and diabetic rats. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2004;25(6):403-406. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15665799/
[13] Lall S, Tung LY, Ohlsson C, Jansson JO, Dickson SL. Growth hormone (GH)-independent stimulation of adiposity by GH secretagogues. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2001;280(1):132-138. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11162489/
[14] Lawrence CB, Snape AC, Baudoin FM, Luckman SM. Acute central ghrelin and GH secretagogues induce feeding and activate brain appetite centers. Endocrinology. 2002;143(1):155-162. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11751604/
[15] Mayfield CK, et al. Injectable Peptide Therapy: A Primer for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Physicians. Am J Sports Med. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41476424/
[16] Mendias CL, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports Med. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41966639/
[17] Renke G, et al. Therapeutic Peptides in Aesthetic, Metabolic and Endocrine Conditions: Effects, Safety, Clinical Applications, and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci. 2026;27(9):3890. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42123471/
[18] Villegas Meza AD, et al. Injectable Peptides in Sports Medicine: A Structured Narrative Review of Evidence, Safety, and Antidoping Implications. JBJS Rev. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42160466/

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A tolerability-first console read of the ipamorelin literature — the reported side effects, the water-retention question, and the half-life logged plainly, the single failed human trial and the blank long-term-safety line kept in view; the 'md' names a reading lens, never a clinic, and nothing here is dosed, prescribed, or sold.