Endocrine Abstracts

Over 40 years ago, the first enkephalin analogs that stimulated growth hormone (GH) release were synthesized in 1984, leading to the development of GHRP-6. In 1995, Merck developed a potent non-peptide orally active long-acting growth hormone GHS, ibutamoren, and cloned the GHS receptor in 1996, which led to ghrelin being identified as its natural ligand in 1999. These discoveries uncovered a new physiological pathway for GH regulation linking the GI tract and the hypothalamic...