Secretagogue
Also known as: growth hormone secretagogue · GH secretagogue · GHS
A substance that prompts a gland to secrete a hormone — e.g. a GH secretagogue triggers the pituitary to release growth hormone.
A secretagogue is any substance that causes a gland or cell to secrete something. In peptide research the term almost always means a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) — a compound that prompts the pituitary to release the body’s own growth hormone.
The key distinction from supplying a hormone directly is that a secretagogue works with the body’s existing regulatory machinery, so release tends to stay pulsatile and subject to natural feedback. GHRH analogs and GHRPs are the two main secretagogue routes.
Ipamorelin and Tesamorelin are the secretagogues stocked for research here, acting via the ghrelin-receptor and GHRH-receptor pathways respectively.
ON THIS SITE
RELATED TERMS
GHRH
Growth-Hormone-Releasing Hormone — the hypothalamic hormone that signals the pituitary to release growth hormone.
GHRP
Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide — a class acting on the ghrelin receptor to trigger pulsatile GH release.
Ipamorelin
A selective growth-hormone secretagogue (a pentapeptide) studied for pulsatile GH release with minimal effect on other hormones.
Tesamorelin
A stabilised GHRH analog studied for stimulating endogenous growth-hormone release, notably in visceral-fat research.
Receptor / Agonist
A receptor is a cell’s signal-receiving protein; an agonist binds it and activates it, an antagonist blocks it.
Educational content, not medical advice. All products supplied for research purposes only — not for human consumption.