AOD-9604
Published research and evidence base
AOD-9604 is a synthetic hexadecapeptide corresponding to the C-terminal lipolytic domain of human growth hormone (Tyr-hGH 177-191, commonly written as hGH fragment 176-191). Preclinical work published between 1993 and 2001 characterised the fragment's effects on lipolysis, lipogenesis and fat oxidation in rodent models and reported that these effects occurred without measurable interaction with the hGH receptor or IGF-1 elevation. The compound subsequently entered human obesity trials, whose pooled safety and tolerability data were published in 2013, and non-clinical genotoxicity and chronic toxicology data supporting a food-ingredient position were published in 2014; no efficacy trial has appeared as a standalone peer-reviewed report. Later literature is dominated by anti-doping analytical chemistry, a rabbit intra-articular osteoarthritis study, and narrative reviews of peptides in orthopaedics and sports medicine.
- Studies cited
- 17
- Published 2023+
- 4
- Newest paper
- 2026
- Last reviewed
- Aug 2026
Recurring themes in the literature
- Lipolytic and anti-lipogenic activity of the hGH C-terminal domain in adipose tissue
- Separation of fat-metabolism effects from hGH-receptor-mediated and IGF-1-mediated effects
- Rodent obesity models: body-weight gain, fat oxidation and insulin sensitivity
- Human safety and tolerability pooled across placebo-controlled obesity trials
- Non-clinical toxicology and genotoxicity
- Intra-articular use in cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis models
- Anti-doping detection, urinary metabolites and WADA assay interference
- Identification of AOD9604 in seized and unregulated pharmaceutical preparations
Compound identifiers
- CAS
- 221231-10-3
- PubChem
- 71300630
What AOD-9604 is, chemically.
- Molecular formula
- C78H123N23O23S2
- Molecular weight
- 1815.1 g/mol
- CAS number
- 221231-10-3
- PubChem CID
- 71300630
AOD 9604
These figures come from the PubChem record for this compound and describe the free base. Lyophilised peptide is normally supplied as an acetate or trifluoroacetate salt and carries residual water, so the mass of powder in a vial is not the same quantity as the molecular weight above would suggest. Chromatographic purity on a certificate of analysis does not resolve that difference either — how to read a certificate of analysis explains why.
17 published studies.
Ordered by strength of study design, then by recency. Every entry links to its source record so the finding can be checked against the paper rather than taken on our word.
- 01Human clinical2013
Safety and Tolerability of the Hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in Humans
Stier H, Vos E, Kenley D · Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism · pooled safety analysis of six randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in humans (intravenous and oral dosing, including obese adult cohorts)
Across the pooled trials, AOD9604 had no effect on serum IGF-1 levels and oral glucose tolerance testing showed no negative effect on carbohydrate metabolism, in contrast to intact hGH. No anti-AOD9604 antibodies were detected in the patients selected for antibody assay, and the tolerability profile was reported as indistinguishable from placebo.
- 02Animal in vivo2015
Effect of Intra-articular Injection of AOD9604 with or without Hyaluronic Acid in Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model
Kwon DR, Park GY · Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science · collagenase-induced knee osteoarthritis in 32 rabbits; weekly intra-articular saline, hyaluronic acid, AOD9604, or AOD9604 plus hyaluronic acid
Groups receiving AOD9604, hyaluronic acid, or both showed less cartilage degeneration and a shorter lameness period than saline controls. The combination of AOD9604 and hyaluronic acid was reported as more effective than either agent alone.
- 03Animal in vivo2014
Safety and Metabolism of AOD9604, a Novel Nutraceutical Ingredient for Improved Metabolic Health
More MI, Kenley D · Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism · non-clinical package: Ames test, chromosomal aberration and micronucleus assays; chronic oral toxicology in rats and cynomolgus monkeys; pharmacokinetics in rats and pigs
No genotoxic activity was detected in any of the assays performed, and chronic oral administration in rats and cynomolgus monkeys was reported as generally safe. Absorption and degradation data in animal models were characterised in support of use as a food ingredient.
- 04Animal in vivo2001
Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment
Heffernan MA, Thorburn AW, Fam B, et al. · International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders · chronic dosing study in obese mice comparing intact hGH with the modified C-terminal fragment AOD9604
Both human growth hormone and AOD9604 reduced body-weight gain and increased fat oxidation in obese mice. Binding experiments indicated that AOD9604 did not interact with the growth hormone receptor.
- 05Animal in vivo2001
The effects of human GH and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on lipid metabolism following chronic treatment in obese mice and beta(3)-AR knock-out mice
Heffernan M, Summers RJ, Thorburn A, et al. · Endocrinology · chronic treatment of obese mice and beta3-adrenergic receptor knock-out mice
Chronic hGH and AOD9604 treatment reduced body weight and increased beta3-adrenergic receptor expression in obese mice. Persistence of effects in beta3-AR knock-out animals indicated the lipolytic actions were not mediated directly through that receptor.
- 06Animal in vivo2000
Effects of oral administration of a synthetic fragment of human growth hormone on lipid metabolism
Heffernan MA, Jiang WJ, Thorburn AW, Ng FM · American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism · orally dosed obese mice, with parallel experiments on human adipose tissue samples; compound tested was the related hGH C-terminal analogue AOD9401
Oral administration of the hGH C-terminal fragment analogue AOD9401 reduced body-weight gain in obese mice, increased lipolytic activity and decreased lipogenic activity in adipose tissue. The same directional effects were observed in human adipose tissue in vitro.
- 07Animal in vivo2000
Molecular and cellular actions of a structural domain of human growth hormone (AOD9401) on lipid metabolism in Zucker fatty rats
Ng FM, Jiang WJ, Gianello R, et al. · Journal of Molecular Endocrinology · Zucker fatty rats treated with the hGH structural domain AOD9401
Treatment with the hGH C-terminal structural domain altered lipid metabolism in genetically obese Zucker rats at the molecular and cellular level, characterising the mechanism of the domain from which AOD9604 was derived.
- 08Animal in vivo2000
Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone
Ng FM, Sun J, Sharma L, et al. · Hormone Research · genetically obese rodents given daily oral AOD9604 over a chronic dosing period
Daily oral AOD9604 reduced body-weight gain by over 50% relative to controls in obese animals. Chronic treatment was reported to produce no adverse effect on insulin sensitivity, in contrast to intact human growth hormone.
- 09In vitro2022
Human Growth Hormone Fragment 176-191 Peptide Enhances the Toxicity of Doxorubicin-Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles Against MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells
Habibullah MM, Mohan S, Syed NK, et al. · Drug Design, Development and Therapy · MCF-7 breast cancer cell line treated with dual-loaded chitosan nanoparticles, with supporting molecular docking
Chitosan nanoparticles co-loaded with hGH fragment 176-191 and doxorubicin produced greater anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 cells than doxorubicin-loaded particles alone. Docking simulations indicated peptide binding to breast cancer protein targets.
- 10In vitro2015
Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604
Cox HD, Smeal SJ, Hughes CM, Cox JE, Eichner D · Drug Testing and Analysis · solid-phase extraction and LC-MS analysis of human urine, with in vitro metabolic incubations
A urinary detection method for AOD9604 was validated with a limit of detection of 50 pg/mL. Six metabolites were identified, one of which (CRSVEGSCG) was substantially more stable than the parent peptide and was proposed as a longer-window detection target.
- 11In vitro2014
Identification and characterization of peptide drugs in unknown pharmaceutical preparations seized by the Belgian authorities: case report on AOD9604
Vanhee C, Moens G, Deconinck E, De Beer JO · Drug Testing and Analysis · analytical case report on unlabelled pharmaceutical preparations seized by Belgian authorities
A combined chromatographic and mass-spectrometric workflow identified and characterised AOD9604 as the active peptide in seized, unlabelled preparations, illustrating the analytical confirmation of the peptide outside regulated supply chains.
- 12In vitro2013
AOD-9604 does not influence the WADA hGH isoform immunoassay
Orlovius AK, Thomas A, Schanzer W, Thevis M · Drug Testing and Analysis · spiked human serum analysed with the WADA growth hormone isoform differential immunoassay
AOD-9604 did not interfere with the World Anti-Doping Agency hGH isoform immunoassay, indicating that its presence would not produce altered isoform ratios in blood-based growth hormone testing.
- 13In vitro1993
Antilipogenic action of synthetic C-terminal sequence 177-191 of human growth hormone
Wu Z, Ng FM · Biochemistry and Molecular Biology International · in vitro adipose tissue preparations treated with synthetic hGH 177-191
The synthetic C-terminal 177-191 sequence of human growth hormone was reported to reduce lipogenic activity in adipose tissue, providing the initial identification of the fragment later developed as AOD9604.
- 14Review2026
Peptides for Targeting Chondrogenic Induction and Cartilage Regeneration in Osteoarthritis
Liao HJ, Chen HT, Chang CH · Cartilage · narrative review of chondroinductive peptides across in vitro and animal osteoarthritis models (online first September 2024; assigned to a 2026 issue)
The review catalogued peptides investigated for chondrogenic induction and cartilage repair, including AOD9604, and compared their reported performance across laboratory and animal models. The authors noted that synthetic chondroinductive peptides offered reproducibility, stability and yield advantages over natural alternatives.
- 15Review2026
Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions
Rahman OF, Lee SJ, Seeds WA · Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Global Research and Reviews · narrative review of peptides used in orthopaedic injury management
The review summarised proposed mechanisms for peptides including AOD9604 in musculoskeletal injury and highlighted a current lack of clinical trials despite preclinical findings.
- 16Review2026
Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance
Mendias CL, Awan TM · Sports Medicine · narrative review contrasting approved and unapproved peptides in sports medicine, AOD9604 among them
The authors reported that rigorous human safety data were scarce for most unapproved musculoskeletal peptides and discussed the role of social media in amplifying expectation effects around them.
- 17Review2026
The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration
Dominikowski A, Rekos Z, Olejarz M, et al. · Frontiers in Endocrinology · narrative review of GH-IGF1 axis peptides including GHRH analogues, secretagogues and hGH fragments
The review documented endocrine and metabolic disturbances reported with self-administered GH-axis peptides and proposed a clinical assessment algorithm. AOD9604 was covered as a growth hormone fragment used outside regulated indications.
What this evidence does not establish.
No randomised controlled efficacy trial of AOD-9604 has been published as a standalone peer-reviewed report; the human data available in the literature are a pooled safety and tolerability analysis, and body-composition outcomes have not been independently replicated in an indexed journal. Cartilage and osteoarthritis findings rest on a single small rabbit study with no human confirmation, and no peer-reviewed data address long-term outcomes, injectable administration in humans, or comparison against established agents.
Common questions about the research.
- What is AOD-9604?
AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide replicating the C-terminal fragment (176-191) of human growth hormone with an added N-terminal tyrosine. It is studied in research on lipolytic-pathway enzymology and, more recently, in cartilage models.
- Does AOD-9604 act like growth hormone?
No. The published work reports that the fragment retains activity on lipolytic-pathway enzymes in adipose-tissue preparations but lacks the growth-promoting, receptor-mediated signalling of the full hGH molecule, and the chronic rodent studies describe no adverse effect on insulin sensitivity or glucose tolerance.
- Is AOD-9604 the same as hGH fragment 176-191?
AOD-9604 is a synthetic hexadecapeptide corresponding to the C-terminal lipolytic domain of human growth hormone, written in the literature as Tyr-hGH 177-191 and commonly referred to as hGH fragment 176-191. The published characterisation treats the two names as the same sequence, with the added N-terminal tyrosine distinguishing the synthesised analogue. The 1993 report that first identified the C-terminal 177-191 sequence as reducing lipogenic activity in adipose tissue is the origin of the compound later developed as AOD-9604.
Available from our catalog
For research purposes only. Not for human consumption, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of any condition. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and no study summarised here should be read as a recommendation.