● pepmg Research Desk · Peer-reviewed evidence review
What the research says about GHRP-2
A neutral summary of the peer-reviewed literature on GHRP-2 (pralmorelin), a synthetic growth-hormone-releasing peptide studied in short human growth-hormone-secretion and endocrine-physiology trials. Research use only.
Moderate evidence — Limited human trials — often early-phase. This describes the state of the published literature, not a claim that this compound works, is safe, or is for human use. Research use only.
The short version
- GHRP-2 (also called pralmorelin) is a synthetic growth-hormone-releasing peptide, a ghrelin-receptor agonist that stimulates the pituitary to release growth hormone and has been developed mainly as a diagnostic agent for growth-hormone deficiency [1][2].
- Human randomized and clinical trials have measured its effect on growth-hormone secretion, including short studies in postmenopausal women and older men examining how GHRP-2 interacts with GH-releasing hormone and somatostatin [4][5][3].
- These are short growth-hormone-secretion and endocrine-physiology studies, not long therapeutic outcome trials; in one small study, subcutaneous GHRP-2 also increased food intake by about 35.9% versus saline in healthy men [8].
- This page reports what the studies measured. It is not medical advice, an efficacy or safety claim, or dosing guidance. Research use only.
What GHRP-2 is
GHRP-2 is described in the literature as a synthetic peptide growth hormone secretagogue that mimics the actions of ghrelin and stimulates the pituitary release of growth hormone through a receptor distinct from the growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) receptor [1][2]. Under the name pralmorelin (also cited as GPA 748 or KP-102), it was developed largely as a diagnostic agent for growth-hormone deficiency, based on its ability to markedly raise plasma growth hormone in healthy subjects regardless of sex, obesity or age, with lower responses in people with growth-hormone deficiency [1].
Reviews note that GHRP-2 is active by several routes, including intravenous, subcutaneous, intranasal and oral administration [2]. Material sold by third-party research-chemical vendors is not an approved medicine and is offered for laboratory and research use only.
What the human research has measured
Moderate evidenceThe human studies of GHRP-2 have mostly measured growth-hormone secretion under controlled challenge conditions. Reviews summarize that GHRP-2 stimulates growth-hormone release in a dose-related, reproducible way and acts synergistically with GHRH [1][2]. Two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled physiology studies used GHRP-2 as a probe of the GH-regulatory system: one in postmenopausal women examined how transdermal estradiol altered interactions among GHRH, somatostatin and GHRP-2 on GH secretion [4], and one in older men examined how testosterone supplementation and body mass index shaped pulsatile GH secretion during GHRP-2 and GHRH infusions [5].
A clinical study of chronic administration in younger and older men and women reported that sustained GHRP-2 or GHRH could shift an additive GHRP-2-plus-GHRH growth-hormone response toward a synergistic one, and that desensitization depended in part on dose and frequency [3]. In children, a clinical trial gave intranasal GHRP-2 to fifteen children with short stature for several months and reported that it was well tolerated and produced a modest but significant increase in growth velocity [6].
GHRP-2 has also been studied in acute metabolic and illness contexts. A randomized trial in critically ill men reported that GHRP-2 infusion reactivated growth-hormone secretion and normalized insulin-like growth factor-I, with additional axes reactivated only when GHRP-2 was combined with other hypothalamic-releasing factors [7]. A separate study in seven lean healthy men reported that subcutaneous GHRP-2, like ghrelin, raised food intake at an ad libitum meal by about 35.9% compared with saline, alongside the expected rise in serum growth hormone [8].
What the trials report on safety and adverse events
Moderate evidenceThe GHRP-2 human studies are short growth-hormone-secretion, diagnostic and infusion protocols, so their safety information reflects brief exposure rather than long-term use. The intranasal children's study reported that GHRP-2 administration was well tolerated over the treatment period [6], and the acute food-intake study reported increased appetite and meal size as a measured pharmacological effect of the peptide [8].
These are small, short-duration endocrine-physiology and diagnostic studies, not large or long safety trials, and much of the controlled work used GHRP-2 as a research probe of growth-hormone regulation [3][4][5]. This is not medical advice; the human safety of GHRP-2 outside these research settings is not established. Consult a qualified professional and read the studies directly.
How strong is the evidence
Because GHRP-2's effects on growth-hormone secretion have been measured in human randomized controlled trials and clinical trials [4][5][3][6], the evidence base is characterized as moderate relative to the preclinical-only peptides in this library. "Moderate" describes the design and species of the published trials, and it is important to note their scope: these are short growth-hormone-stimulation, endocrine-physiology and diagnostic studies, not long therapeutic outcome trials, and several used GHRP-2 chiefly as a diagnostic or investigational probe [1][7].
Nothing here is dosing, medical, or safety guidance. Read the studies themselves and consult a qualified professional. This page is a map to the evidence, not a recommendation.
Sources · 8
- Pralmorelin: GHRP 2, GPA 748, growth hormone-releasing peptide 2, KP-102.
- Orally active growth hormone secretagogues: state of the art and clinical perspectives.
- GHRP-2, GHRH and SRIF interrelationships during chronic administration.
- Estradiol regulates GH-releasing peptide's interactions with GH-releasing hormone and somatostatin in postmenopausal women.
- Differential pulsatile secretagogue control of GH secretion in healthy older men.
- Treatment effects of intranasal growth hormone releasing peptide-2 in children with short stature.
- The combined administration of GH-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), TRH and GnRH in prolonged critical illness.
- Growth hormone releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), like ghrelin, increases food intake in healthy men.
pepmg summarizes the peer-reviewed literature and links to every source — it sells nothing, ships nothing, and gives no medical, dosing, or human-use guidance. Don't just trust this summary: follow any citation to its source and read it yourself. Research use only.