Growth hormone replacement therapy has long been accepted as one of the most effective ways of treating GH deficiency and related conditions. This therapy uses recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and, despite its longstanding usage record, it has been surrounded by controversy. Even though, in the short term, this therapy is very effective, when it comes to long term effects, issues start to arise:

• Long term improper dosage can lead to some severe side effects
• This therapy may affect normal physiology after prolonged application
• Some federal regulations might interfere with the therapy
• There’s even some concerns that this therapy may awaken latent cancers and cause metabolic disorders

There is one more major problem with dosage because the body can’t properly modulate tissue exposure to rhGH. Meaning, the practitioner uses their “best guess” to access the appropriate dosage.

This is why researchers are looking for alternative ways to stimulate GH production by targeting GH secretagogues and promoting pituitary gland health. One such molecule is sermorelin, a GHRH analog that impacts the hypothalamic-pituitary-pituitary-somatotropic axis. 

It’s used for both treatment and diagnosis of GH deficiency as research studies showed sermorelin promoted change in GH levels similar to those observed with endogenous GHRH. It also stimulates FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone), which implies a potential role in the treatment of hypogonadism.

Though we need larger, longitudinal studies, sermorelin proved as a promising GH and IGF-1 stimulator and diagnostic agent.

Reference:

Walker RF. Sermorelin: a better approach to management of adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency? Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(4):307-8. doi: 10.2147/ciia.2006.1.4.307. PMID: 18046908; PMCID: PMC2699646.

Sinha DK, Balasubramanian A, Tatem AJ, Rivera-Mirabal J, Yu J, Kovac J, Pastuszak AW, Lipshultz LI. Beyond the androgen receptor: the role of growth hormone secretagogues in the modern management of body composition in hypogonadal males. Transl Androl Urol. 2020 Mar;9(Suppl 2):S149-S159. doi: 10.21037/tau.2019.11.30. PMID: 32257855; PMCID: PMC7108996.