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Research use only
· 7 min read
Sixteen amino acids, a single disulfide bridge, and a development history that quietly ended in 2007 when the primary efficacy endpoint of a multi-centre trial programme went unmet. That candid summary is the starting point for any honest account of AOD-9604 - the synthetic Tyr-modified analogue of the human growth hormone C-terminal fragment 176-191, catalogued under PubChem CID 71300630, CAS 221231-10-3, and the molecular formula C78H123N23O23S2. Kovalabs supplies it strictly as a research reagent. Everything below describes what published studies investigated, never a result, an effect, or any human use.
| Compound | AOD-9604 (AOD9604, AOD9604 acetate) |
|---|---|
| Class / origin | Synthetic hexadecapeptide; Tyr-modified analogue of human growth hormone C-terminal fragment 176-191 |
| Sequence | YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF (16 residues; single intramolecular Cys-Cys disulfide bridge) |
| Mechanistic axis studied | Beta-3 adrenergic receptor (beta3-AR) pathway in adipose tissue (endpoint name only; no effect asserted) |
| Molecular formula | C78H123N23O23S2 |
| Molecular weight | 1815.1 g/mol (Wikipedia 1815.10) |
| CAS number | 221231-10-3 |
| PubChem CID | 71300630 |
| UNII | 7UP768IP4M |
| Research-use status | Unapproved investigational substance; formal drug development discontinued (2007). Research use only; not for human or veterinary use. |
AOD-9604 (also written AOD9604) is a synthetic hexadecapeptide: a chain of 16 amino acids, sequence YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF, corresponding to the C-terminal region of human growth hormone (hGH) residues 176-191 with a tyrosine added at the N-terminal position. The two cysteine residues within that sequence form a single intramolecular disulfide bridge, giving the peptide a constrained, looped backbone. It was studied in a receptor and molecular pharmacology context organised around the beta-3 adrenergic receptor (beta3-AR) pathway in adipose tissue, rather than through the somatotropic growth-hormone-receptor / IGF-1 growth axis. The development programme did not establish its primary efficacy endpoint, and formal drug development was discontinued in 2007 - stated here as regulatory and development history only, not as a safety or efficacy claim.
AOD-9604 sits in PubChem as Compound CID 71300630 with the molecular formula C78H123N23O23S2 and a molecular weight of 1815.1 g/mol (the independent encyclopaedic record reports 1815.10). CAS 221231-10-3 and UNII 7UP768IP4M are the additional anchors; PubChem lists the synonyms AOD-9604, AOD9604, and AOD9604 acetate. These fields agree across both sources on every value, which is the basis for treating the identifier set as internally consistent.
Two curation traps are worth naming for anyone cross-referencing the databases. First, PubChem's synonym list for CID 71300630 contains a mislabelled entry referencing 'Tyr-somatostatin (177-191)' - a database curation artefact, not evidence of a wrong record. The formula, molecular weight, CAS, UNII, and sequence all confirm the hGH-fragment identity; AOD-9604 is structurally unrelated to somatostatin. Second, a different CAS number, 386264-39-7, appears in some commercial vendor listings but does not appear in PubChem's curated synonym set for this CID. Only 221231-10-3 is treated as verified here. A vial labelled with the wrong CAS is not evidence of a wrong molecule, but it is a reason to check the certificate of analysis rather than assume identity from the label alone.
| Property | AOD-9604 | Unmodified hGH fragment 176-191 |
|---|---|---|
| PubChem CID | 71300630 | 172966176 |
| Sequence | YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF (16 residues) | LRIVQCRSVEGSCGF (15 residues) |
| N-terminal modification | Tyr at the N-terminal position | None (unmodified parent region) |
| Molecular formula | C78H123N23O23S2 | C80H127N23O24S2 |
| Molecular weight | 1815.1 g/mol | 1859.1 g/mol |
| CAS number | 221231-10-3 | Not cross-listed |
| Disulfide bridge | Single intramolecular Cys-Cys | Single intramolecular Cys-Cys |
AOD-9604 and the unmodified hGH fragment 176-191 are distinct chemical entities with separate database records and should not be treated as interchangeable. The unmodified parent is a 15-residue peptide, sequence LRIVQCRSVEGSCGF, catalogued as PubChem CID 172966176 with the molecular formula C80H127N23O24S2 and a molecular weight of 1859.1; its synonyms include 'HGH Fragment 176-191' and 'GLXC-21568', and it carries no AOD or CAS cross-listing. AOD-9604 differs by the tyrosine modification at the N-terminal position.
One point was cross-checked specifically because it runs counter to intuition: the Tyr modification is a residue substitution at the N-terminal position rather than a clean addition, so AOD-9604 (MW 1815.1) is actually lighter than the catalogued unmodified parent fragment (MW 1859.1), not heavier. The direction is consistent across sources and is not a transcription error. The two molecules therefore carry distinct CIDs, distinct formulae, and distinct masses. The unmodified fragment 176-191 is available separately as its own research reagent.
The principal mechanistic work on AOD-9604 was organised around the beta-3 adrenergic receptor (beta3-AR) pathway in adipose tissue - a deliberate experimental choice rather than an incidental one. The compound was studied on this adrenergic axis rather than through the somatotropic growth-hormone-receptor / IGF-1 growth axis, and that choice is visible in how the key preclinical study was designed.
Heffernan et al. (Endocrinology, 2001; PMID 11713213) included a parallel arm in beta-3 adrenergic receptor knock-out mice - a genetic-deletion control whose purpose was to test whether the measured endpoints depended on an intact beta3-AR. Pairing a wild-type arm with a receptor-deleted arm is the standard way to attribute a molecular endpoint to a specific receptor. The description here names only the pathway the study was designed to interrogate; it asserts no effect, magnitude, or direction of change for the compound.
The AOD-9604 literature spans one preclinical mechanistic study and a human safety and tolerability programme. Each is described strictly by design and the names of the pre-specified endpoints - no result, magnitude, direction of change, or conclusion is attached to any of them.
As development history only, and not as a safety or efficacy claim: the broader development programme was built around a pre-specified primary efficacy endpoint that it did not establish, and formal drug development was discontinued in 2007. These studies are listed here as research context, not as findings a reader should expect.
AOD-9604 is supplied as a lyophilised peptide. The bench handling follows standard practice for a 16-residue, disulfide-bridged compound. The lyophilised solid is typically stored desiccated and frozen - commonly at -20 C for longer-term holding - and protected from light. Reconstitution is a dissolution step performed with an appropriate laboratory solvent; the aqueous solubility of a hydrophilic peptide of this size is good. The reconstituted solution is typically held chilled at 2 to 8 C and used within a defined working window for analysis, because peptides in aqueous solution are prone to hydrolysis, oxidation, and aggregation.
The single intramolecular disulfide (Cys-Cys) is a redox-sensitive structural feature: reducing agents and unnecessary freeze-thaw cycles should be avoided, and aliquoting before freezing minimises repeated thawing of the bulk stock. None of this is a preparation or administration instruction - it is bench handling of a research reagent only, and none of it constitutes a preparation method for any use in humans or animals. See the reconstitution guide for general laboratory handling and the certificate of analysis library for the per-batch identity and purity documentation - formula C78H123N23O23S2, CAS 221231-10-3, PubChem CID 71300630.
Tier one is solid: the chemistry is pinned down. AOD-9604 is a defined 16-residue peptide (YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF) with a single Cys-Cys disulfide bridge, and its identifiers - PubChem CID 71300630, CAS 221231-10-3, formula C78H123N23O23S2, MW 1815.1 - agree across independent sources. Tier two is thinner: the mechanistic case rests on a single 2001 rodent study built around the beta3-AR pathway, with a knock-out arm as a control. That is careful experimental design, but a cell or a mouse in a dish is not a person. Tier three is weakest: the only human literature is a 2013 safety and tolerability summary describing endpoint names, and the multi-centre programme did not establish its pre-specified primary endpoint before development stopped in 2007. It is not a licensed medicine, and it has not been shown to produce defined outcomes in humans. Curiosity is warranted; certainty is not.
AOD-9604 is supplied by Kovalabs for laboratory and in-vitro research only. It is not a medicine, not a supplement, and not for human or veterinary use, and nothing on this page describes a dose, a route, a schedule, or an outcome. It is an unapproved investigational substance: a multi-centre human trial programme did not establish its pre-specified primary efficacy endpoint, and formal drug development was discontinued in 2007. That is stated as regulatory and development history, not as a safety or efficacy claim. The compound has not been evaluated by the MHRA or any comparable regulator for safety or efficacy in humans or animals. Every batch is third-party tested with a certificate of analysis. See the full research disclaimer for terms.
1. PubChem Compound: AOD-9604, CID 71300630 (PUG-REST property and synonyms records); molecular formula C78H123N23O23S2, MW 1815.1, CAS 221231-10-3, UNII 7UP768IP4M. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/71300630 2. Wikipedia, 'AOD9604' (independent confirmation of formula, MW 1815.10, CAS 221231-10-3 and the 16-residue sequence). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOD9604 3. PubChem Compound: hGH Fragment 176-191, CID 172966176 (unmodified parent fragment; C80H127N23O24S2, MW 1859.1). https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/172966176 4. Heffernan M, et al. Endocrinology, 2001. PMID 11713213. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11713213/ 5. Stier H, Vos E, Kenley D. Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2013. DOI 10.4021/jem157w. https://doi.org/10.4021/jem157w
No. AOD-9604 is an unapproved investigational substance. It has not been approved as a medicine by the MHRA or any comparable regulator, a multi-centre human trial programme did not establish its pre-specified primary efficacy endpoint, and formal drug development was discontinued in 2007. Kovalabs supplies it strictly as a research reagent for laboratory use, not for human or veterinary use.
It is a synthetic hexadecapeptide of 16 amino acids, sequence YLRIVQCRSVEGSCGF, corresponding to the C-terminal region of human growth hormone residues 176-191 with a tyrosine at the N-terminal position. It carries a single intramolecular disulfide bridge between its two cysteine residues. Its verified identifiers are PubChem CID 71300630, CAS 221231-10-3, molecular formula C78H123N23O23S2, and molecular weight 1815.1 g/mol.
They are distinct molecules with separate database records. The unmodified hGH fragment 176-191 is a 15-residue peptide (sequence LRIVQCRSVEGSCGF, PubChem CID 172966176, formula C80H127N23O24S2, MW 1859.1). AOD-9604 differs by a tyrosine modification at the N-terminal position; because that is a substitution rather than a clean addition, AOD-9604 (MW 1815.1) is actually lighter than the unmodified parent fragment, not heavier.
Its principal mechanistic study was designed around the beta-3 adrenergic receptor (beta3-AR) pathway in adipose tissue, rather than the somatotropic growth-hormone-receptor / IGF-1 growth axis. That study included a beta-3 adrenergic receptor knock-out mouse arm as a genetic-deletion control to interrogate pathway dependence. This names only the pathway the study investigated; it asserts no effect, outcome, or direction of change for the compound.
The 2001 preclinical study (Heffernan et al., PMID 11713213) was a controlled rodent study whose named endpoints were adipose-tissue beta(3)-AR RNA expression, an energy-expenditure / substrate-oxidation assay, and a pre-specified primary efficacy endpoint relating to a body-composition measure. The 2013 human summary (Stier et al., DOI 10.4021/jem157w) covered six randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (METAOD001 to 006) assessing safety and tolerability, immunogenicity, and growth-axis safety parameters including serum IGF-1 and glucose tolerance. These are endpoint names only; no result, effect, or conclusion is reported.
As bench handling of a research reagent only. The lyophilised solid is typically stored desiccated and frozen (commonly -20 C) and protected from light. Reconstitution is a dissolution step using an appropriate laboratory solvent, after which the solution is held chilled at 2 to 8 C and used within a defined working window for analysis. The single Cys-Cys disulfide is redox-sensitive, so reducing agents and unnecessary freeze-thaw cycles should be avoided. None of this is a preparation method for any use in humans or animals; see the reconstitution guide.