AOD-9604

Where AOD-9604 comes from.

AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide derived from the C-terminal region of human growth hormone (hGH). The native hGH protein is a 191-amino-acid single-chain protein produced by the anterior pituitary; the AOD-9604 sequence corresponds to residues 176 to 191 of native hGH, with an additional N-terminal tyrosine residue introduced to improve resistance to proteolytic degradation. The fragment was identified in the 1990s by an Australian research group at Monash University investigating which regions of the hGH molecule carry which functional activities.

The peptide is built by Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis with the disulfide bond between the two cysteine residues formed during a controlled oxidation step after assembly. After purification by reversed-phase HPLC the peptide is freeze-dried and sealed in vials. The molecular weight is small relative to most research peptides. The freeze-dried form is stable at room temperature, with reconstitution at the bench when ready for use.

PubMed lists roughly 40 papers mentioning AOD-9604 or the hGH 176-191 fragment as of 2026. The research base is smaller than for the full hGH protein but is concentrated in adipocyte-research designs, lipolytic-pathway studies, and a separate strand of work in cartilage and bone-tissue research. The compound has been the subject of phase-two clinical investigation; the research-supply form is supplied for laboratory research only.

What the research looks at.

AOD-9604 mechanism research has concentrated on the question of which functional activities of the parent hGH protein are retained in the C-terminal fragment. The published literature describes AOD-9604 as retaining lipolytic activity in adipocyte-research contexts while not retaining the full growth-promoting activity of the parent hGH protein, which is associated with the central body of the larger molecule. This functional separation is the central finding in the cited mechanism work.

A second strand of research has examined adipocyte biology in cell-culture and animal models. Published studies measure lipolysis markers in cultured adipocytes exposed to the peptide, with downstream measurements of fatty-acid release and glycerol production as functional endpoints. Animal-model designs measure body-composition markers and metabolic-rate endpoints in defined experimental conditions. The literature describes the lipolytic effect as occurring at the level of adipose tissue rather than through the systemic IGF-1 cascade typical of the parent hGH protein.

"The functional separation between the lipolytic activity retained in the C-terminal fragment and the IGF-1-mediated growth activity of the parent protein is the central published finding in AOD-9604 research."

A third line of research has examined cartilage biology, building on observations that the parent hGH protein affects cartilage and bone tissue through IGF-1-mediated and direct pathways. Published animal studies have measured cartilage-marker expression and histological endpoints in injury models exposed to AOD-9604. The literature in this strand is smaller than the adipocyte literature, and the precise receptor or binding partners mediating cartilage-tissue effects are not fully characterised in the published research.

Where the published research does not go: there are no FDA or EMA approvals for AOD-9604 in any indication. Phase-two clinical investigation has been published but has not advanced to phase-three or product approval. The compound is supplied as a research compound for laboratory research only.