GHRP-2: clinical evidence record
Also known as: Pralmorelin, KP-102
Oliver Mackman · Editorial director · Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937)
Last updated 2026-05-22
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AI-friendly summary · GHRP-2
Phase 3 trial work supported Japanese approval as a diagnostic agent. Stimulates GH release with concomitant transient rises in cortisol and prolactin in published work. Not licensed in the UK as a therapeutic.
Mechanism of action
How GHRP-2 works
Synthetic hexapeptide ghrelin mimetic. Acts at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR-1a) to stimulate pulsatile pituitary GH release. Approved in Japan as Pralmorelin for diagnostic use in GH deficiency testing.
Top peer-reviewed citations
Selection of the most-cited peer-reviewed literature on GHRP-2. Where a verified PMID or DOI is shown, the citation links to the original record. Other citations list the title, authors, journal and year so the reader can locate the paper through the journal index or the PubMed search linked below. PeptideClear publishes editorial commentary, not clinical guidance.
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Growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide stimulates GH release in normal men and acts synergistically with GH-releasing hormone
Bowers CY, Reynolds GA, Durham D, et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 1990.
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A simple diagnostic test using GH-releasing peptide-2 in adult GH deficiency
Chihara K, Shimatsu A, Hizuka N, et al.. European journal of endocrinology, 2007.
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Sustained elevation of pulsatile growth hormone (GH) secretion and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and IGFBP-5 concentrations during 30-day continuous subcutaneous infusion of GH-releasing peptide-2 in older men and women
Bowers CY, Granda R, Mohan S, et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2004.
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Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of growth hormone-releasing peptide-2: a phase I study in children
Pihoker C, Kearns GL, French D, et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 1998.
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Growth hormone releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), like ghrelin, increases food intake in healthy men
Laferrère B, Abraham C, Russell CD, et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2005.
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Obese subjects respond to the stimulatory effect of the ghrelin agonist growth hormone-releasing peptide-2 on food intake
Laferrère B, Hart AB, Bowers CY. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 2006.
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Ghrelin Receptor Ligands Reaching Clinical Trials: From Peptides to Peptidomimetics; from Agonists to Antagonists
Vodnik M, Štrukelj B, Lunder M. Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme, 2016.
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History to the discovery of ghrelin
Bowers CY. Methods in enzymology, 2012.
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Adult growth hormone deficiency: current concepts
Fukuda I, Hizuka N, Muraoka T, et al.. Neurologia medico-chirurgica, 2014.
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Possible Involvement of Hypothalamic Dysfunction in Long COVID Patients Characterized by Delayed Response to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
Otsuka Y, Soejima Y, Nakano Y, et al.. International journal of molecular sciences, 2026.
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One Case of Sudden Isolated Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) Deficiency Diagnosed Based on Repeated Hypoglycemic Attacks
Sato T. Cureus, 2025.
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Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptide 2 May Be Associated With Decreased M1 Macrophage Production and Increased Histologic and Biomechanical Tendon-Bone Healing Properties in a Rat Rotator Cuff Tear Model
Li Y, Yao L, Zhang C, et al.. Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association, 2025.
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Diurnal and Daily Variations in Growth Hormone and Growth Hormone Stimulation Test in Male Cynomolgus Monkeys
Taniguchi Y, Yoshikawa T, Yamada T, et al.. In vivo (Athens, Greece), 2026.
Full PubMed search: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=GHRP-2+pralmorelin.
Registered clinical trials
As of 2026-07-13, no interventional trials for GHRP-2 are listed on ClinicalTrials.gov or the ISRCTN registry. This is itself informative: much of the GHRP-2 evidence base is preclinical, which is why the evidence grade above matters.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov and the ISRCTN registry, refreshed 2026-07-13. See the peptide clinical-trials tracker for the full picture across compounds.
UK regulatory status
Plain-English summary of where GHRP-2 sits under the four UK and international frameworks that govern peptide supply. Editorial commentary, not legal advice.
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: Not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
- Psychoactive Substances Act 2016: Not scheduled under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.
- MHRA medicines classification: No UK marketing authorisation as a medicine.
- WADA Prohibited List: WADA Prohibited List S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors), prohibited at all times.
Risks and unknowns
What the literature does not yet show about GHRP-2
Known concerns
- GHRP-2 has been studied in randomised human trials, which is a materially stronger position than most compounds on this site. Trial populations, endpoints and durations are still narrower than everyday use, so results describe the trial, not every person.
- There are no registered interventional clinical trials for GHRP-2 on ClinicalTrials.gov or the ISRCTN registry. Nobody is currently running the study that would answer the safety and efficacy questions.
- GHRP-2 holds no UK marketing authorisation, so nothing you can buy has been assessed by a regulator, released by batch, or dispensed by an accountable pharmacy. Purity, dose accuracy and sterility rest entirely on the seller's own documentation.
- GHRP-2 appears on the WADA Prohibited List. For anyone subject to testing under UK Anti-Doping or an international federation, use is a violation, and detection windows for peptide metabolites extend well beyond the period of use.
Open questions in the literature
- Long-term outcomes beyond the duration of the published trials are unknown, and the published trials are considerably shorter than the periods over which people actually use these compounds.
- Interactions between GHRP-2 and prescribed medicines are not systematically studied, which matters most for anyone already on treatment for a long-term condition.
Regulatory note
No UK marketing authorisation as a medicine. Prohibited at all times under WADA S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors). The moment a UK seller or commentator makes a therapeutic claim, MHRA can treat the product as an unlicensed medicinal product.
Important: PeptideClear publishes encyclopedia commentary only and does not recommend human use. Speak to a UK-registered prescriber before any medical decision.
Related reading on PeptideClear
Frequently asked questions
What is the evidence level for GHRP-2?
What is the UK regulatory status of GHRP-2?
Has GHRP-2 been tested in human clinical trials?
Where can I read the source literature for GHRP-2?
Last verified 2026-05-22. Editorial commentary, not legal or clinical advice. Citations without a linked identifier can be located through the PubMed search and the journal index.