Metabolic & weight

AOD-9604

A synthetic fragment corresponding to residues 176-191 of human growth hormone.

About

AOD-9604 is a synthetic peptide corresponding to the C-terminal 176-191 fragment of human growth hormone, with an added tyrosine residue. It was developed on the hypothesis that the lipolytic activity of growth hormone could be separated from its effects on growth and glucose handling — the fragment lacks the regions associated with those other activities.

Mechanism

Research associates the fragment with stimulation of lipolysis and inhibition of lipogenesis in adipose tissue, reportedly without the effects on insulin-like growth factor 1 or on insulin sensitivity described for full-length growth hormone. Proposed mechanisms involve beta-adrenergic receptor signalling in adipocytes. Clinical trial results in humans have been mixed, and the compound did not progress to approval.

What research has examined

AOD-9604 has been evaluated in clinical trials for obesity, which did not demonstrate the effect sizes seen in earlier animal work.