AOD-9604 FAQ: Your Questions Answered
The questions below are the ones that come up specifically about AOD-9604, rather than general peptide questions that apply to everything.
Overview
Common questions: how it relates to hGH Fragment 176-191, why the sulfur bridge matters, whether it is an approved drug (no), and whether it raises IGF-1 like growth hormone.
What AOD-9604 actually is
AOD-9604 is a 16-part lab-made peptide copied from the very end of human growth hormone, with one extra building block (tyrosine) added at the front and a single sulfur-sulfur bridge holding it in a loop. Animal studies from the early 2000s looked at how it affects fat metabolism, and a later rabbit study looked at joint cartilage. It was developed in Australia as an obesity drug candidate, but that programme was stopped in 2007 and it was never approved as a medicine.
Supplied for laboratory research use only — not for human or animal use.
Third-party tested by HPLC and LC-MS, ≥99% purity, with a Certificate of Analysis on every order. Ships across Canada.
Technical detail below
AOD-9604 — common questions
How is AOD-9604 related to hGH Fragment 176-191?
They cover the same C-terminal region of human growth hormone. Fragment 176-191 starts at the native phenylalanine at position 176; AOD-9604 replaces it with a tyrosine and runs 177-191, giving a 16-residue chain. Both keep the Cys–Cys disulfide found in that part of hGH.
Why does the disulfide matter for handling?
The bridge between Cys7 and Cys14 holds the C-terminal loop closed. Reducing agents break it, and alkaline pH encourages the cysteines to swap partners or pair between molecules. Keeping solutions near neutral and free of reducing agents protects it.
Is AOD-9604 an approved drug?
No. It was developed as an obesity candidate by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals, but the programme was discontinued in 2007 and it was never approved as a medicine, including by Health Canada. It is also named on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List as a growth hormone fragment. It is supplied here strictly for laboratory research.
Does it raise IGF-1 the way growth hormone does?
In the published human safety dataset (Stier et al., 2013), serum IGF-1 did not change with AOD-9604 across the trials examined. That separation from intact hGH is one of the reasons the fragment is studied.
Is there a certificate of analysis for this batch?
Not yet. The certificate for the current lot has not been published, so no purity or content figure is claimed for it until it is. When it is posted, check the HPLC purity, the measured content per vial and, where given, a mass near 1815 Da.
What AOD-9604 is studied for
Heffernan et al. (Endocrinology 2001) compared hGH and AOD9604 over 14 days in obese mice and in β3-adrenergic-receptor knockout mice. Both raised the repressed β3-AR expression in obese mice, but neither changed body weight or lipolysis in the knockout mice over the long-term protocol, leading the authors to conclude the lipolytic actions were not mediated directly through β3-AR.
Ng et al. (Horm Res 2000) studied oral administration of AOD9604 in obese Zucker rats, reporting reduced body-weight gain and increased adipose lipolytic activity, and — unlike intact hGH — no impairment of insulin sensitivity on euglycaemic clamp.
Stier et al. (J Endocrinol Metab 2013) pooled six randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials and reported no change in serum IGF-1, no adverse effect on carbohydrate metabolism, and no anti-AOD9604 antibodies in tested participants. The same development programme did not show a clinically meaningful weight outcome.
Kwon and Park (Ann Clin Lab Sci 2015) gave intra-articular AOD9604, with or without hyaluronic acid, in a collagenase-induced knee osteoarthritis model in rabbits and scored cartilage morphology, histology and lameness.
Summarizes published preclinical literature — see the selected references below. Provided for research reference only; not a claim of efficacy or a description of human use.
- Heffernan M, Summers RJ, Thorburn A, et al. 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. Endocrinology. 2001.
- Ng FM, Sun J, Sharma L, Libinaka R, Jiang WJ, Gianello R Metabolic studies of a synthetic lipolytic domain (AOD9604) of human growth hormone. Hormone Research. 2000.
- Stier H, Vos E, Kenley D Safety and Tolerability of the Hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in Humans. Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2013.
- Kwon DR, Park GY Effect of Intra-articular Injection of AOD9604 with or without Hyaluronic Acid in Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model. Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science. 2015.
- Browse current AOD-9604 literature on PubMed
References describe in-vitro and preclinical research and are listed for reference only — not evidence of efficacy and not a description of human use.
More AOD-9604 reference
Lyophilized and reconstituted storage conditions, plus the practical working window.
Diluent selection, dissolution behaviour, and the calculator preset for this compound.
Which solvents work, why, and what abnormal dissolution behaviour indicates.
The specific chemical routes by which this molecule breaks down, and how to limit each.
Which assays are informative for this molecule, and what to actually check on its COA.
Compound-specific bench practices, and the errors most often made with this molecule.
What to inspect on arrival, and which conditions actually warrant rejecting a vial.
FAQ reference for other compounds
Reviewed for research-use compliance by Kobi Williams, Founder — Popular Peptides Canada. Last reviewed 22 July 2026.
AOD-9604 is supplied strictly as a research chemical for in-vitro laboratory and research use only. It is not intended for human or animal consumption, diagnostic, or therapeutic use. This page is educational laboratory-handling reference information — not medical advice, not usage guidance, and not a protocol.