AOD-9604

Product description

AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide, based on the C-terminal tail of human growth hormone – residues 177 to 191, with one extra tyrosine sewn on the front end.

The peptide was developed by researchers in Australia with a specific purpose in mind, to be able to separate the fat-metabolism part of the hGH molecule from the rest of the growth-promoting and metabolic activity. For those looking to buy AOD-9604 peptide online, this distinction is important when considering its research background.

In the literature, AOD-9604 also goes by HGH Fragment 176-191. It's been studied as a way to investigate lipid metabolism outside the classic growth-hormone-receptor pathway.

Why study AOD-9604?

Full-length growth hormone does a lot at once. It drives tissue growth. It raises IGF-1. It affects insulin sensitivity.

CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin come at growth-hormone research from another angle. Both have been studied in relation to GH release, and a CJC-1295 Ipamorelin purchase gives laboratories access to the two peptides in a combined research formulation.

For a lab trying to isolate one single effect – fat breakdown – that's a mess. Too many variables tangled together.

AOD-9604 was built to untangle them.

The chronic changes in body weight and lipolysis with AOD-9604 in wild-type mice were not reproduced by the researchers in beta-3-adrenergic-receptor knockout mice once the receptor was removed.

But even in the knockouts, acute treatment increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation. The researchers therefore concluded that AOD-9604's lipolytic actions were not mediated directly through the beta-3-adrenergic receptor.

A related study from the same group documented increased fat oxidation and reduced weight gain in obese mice dosed chronically with AOD-9604, without the hyperglycemia or reduction in insulin secretion observed with full-length hGH.

Human trials exist too – though the picture gets murkier here, and it's worth being upfront about that.

An early placebo-controlled study reported modest weight loss over 12 weeks, with the 1 mg group showing the largest average reduction. Promising, on the surface.

But the larger, pivotal Phase 2b trial – the OPTIONS study, with 536 participants enrolled and 502 randomized, run by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals – failed to demonstrate a statistically significant weight-loss advantage over placebo on the primary endpoint.

Development for the obesity indication was shelved after that.

Tesamorelin has a different research history. It is a GHRH analogue, so its connection with the growth hormone system is quite different from that of AOD-9604. Labs can buy tesamorelin peptide separately for research involving this pathway.

Good to know before treating AOD-9604 as settled science. It isn't.

Research applications

Two directions, mainly.

Adipose tissue and lipid metabolism. The original, core application

This is where AOD-9604 started and still where most of the work happens. Labs use it to study lipolysis, how new fat formation gets blocked, and how beta-3-adrenergic signaling plays into all of it – usually in adipocyte cultures or rodent obesity models, away from the growth and glucose effects that come with regular hGH.

Metabolic research has since moved into very different directions. Retatrutide is one example, with research centred on combined GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptor signalling rather than the HGH-fragment approach behind AOD-9604.

Mitochondrial signalling is another branch of metabolic research. MOTS-c is a mitochondrial-derived peptide studied in connection with AMPK signalling, glucose utilisation and metabolic adaptation. MOTS-c peptide buy online options are available for laboratory work focused on these processes.

Cartilage biology. Newer, smaller body of work

A smaller, newer line of research, and honestly kind of unexpected. Lab studies found that chondrocytes exposed to AOD-9604 ramp up proteoglycan and type II collagen production. One rabbit osteoarthritis study reported better cartilage integrity after injecting it directly into the joint. Human data on this side is still pretty thin – early days, basically.

Neither line has led to an approved medical use anywhere. That's worth saying plainly.

Available forms

AOD-9604 is available in several formats, allowing research teams to select the form that best matches their protocol requirements:

• Lyophilized powder – single vials, multiple mg strengths

• Pre-reconstituted solution – sterile, ready-to-draw vials

• Multi-dose pen cartridge – pen-ready format

The pen deserves its own paragraph. It's not just a convenience add-on:

• Pre-calibrated dispensing – less room for variation than repeated manual measurements

• Faster setup across repeat administrations in a multi-day protocol

• Fewer manual preparation steps between doses

• Cleaner, more compact storage and handling

• Fewer needle-handling steps overall – useful for protocols involving repeated administrations

For studies involving repeated handling of AOD-9604 over days or weeks, the pen format can simplify preparation and help reduce dosing inconsistency between sessions. Research catalogs may list the compound as HGH Fragment 176-191 for sale alongside its AOD-9604 designation.

Research use only

None of this is medical advice, and none of it should be read as one. AOD-9604 is not an FDA-approved therapeutic drug. It is not intended for human or animal consumption.

Every product on this page is sold strictly for laboratory and in vitro research use, to be handled only by qualified professionals in a controlled research setting. Researchers looking to purchase AOD-9604 can use this information to distinguish the compound and its available research formats.

Sources

• Heffernan MA, et al. Endocrinology. 2001. PMID: 11713213. PubMed

• Heffernan MA, et al. International Journal of Obesity. 2001. PMID: 11673763. PubMed

• Stier H, et al. Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2013. Full text

• Kwon DR, Park GY. Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science. 2015. PMID: 26275694. PubMed

• U.S. FDA. AOD-9604 Review. Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee. 2024. FDA