AOD-9604 (1 Vial)

Description

AOD-9604 — research-grade growth hormone fragment 176-191 (Advanced Obesity Drug) for laboratory study of targeted lipolysis and adipose metabolism. Supplied at 99%+ purity, third-party HPLC and mass spectrometry tested, US-manufactured, with a batch-specific COA included with every vial.

What Is AOD-9604?

AOD-9604 is a modified 16-amino acid fragment of human growth hormone (hGH), corresponding to the C-terminal region (amino acids 176–191) with an added tyrosine residue at position 177. Developed at Monash University in Australia during the late 1990s, the peptide was engineered to isolate the lipolytic activity of growth hormone from its growth-promoting and diabetogenic effects. For a broader overview of fragment peptides and how they fit into modern research programs, see our complete guide to peptides.

AOD-9604 holds FDA GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status for food use — a rare regulatory distinction among research peptides that reflects an established safety profile across multiple toxicology studies and chronic-exposure models. Researchers frequently compare it to other metabolic peptides such as those described in our best peptides for weight loss research guide, where it is often positioned as a selective, non-GH-axis alternative with a narrow pharmacological footprint.

Within the broader family of growth hormone secretagogues and fragments, AOD-9604 stands out because it does not bind or activate the GH receptor in the classical sense. Instead, its activity is believed to be mediated via adipocyte-specific signaling cascades, which gives the fragment a uniquely narrow pharmacological footprint for a peptide of its molecular size and makes it attractive to investigators who want clean lipolytic readouts.

Key Research Applications

• Targeted lipolysis: Investigators study the ability of this fragment to stimulate fat breakdown in adipose tissue without influencing blood glucose or IGF-1 levels.
• Body composition research: The peptide is used in models exploring visceral adiposity, metabolic efficiency, and weight-related endpoints in obese phenotypes and diet-induced obesity rodents.
• Cartilage and chondrocyte studies: Emerging research evaluates the compound for proteoglycan and collagen synthesis in articular cartilage models relevant to osteoarthritis.
• Growth hormone fragment pharmacology: The molecule serves as a reference compound for studies separating metabolic from mitogenic GH activities.
• Beta-3 adrenergic signaling: The fragment is a useful probe in studies characterizing β3-AR-mediated fat oxidation pathways in visceral and brown adipose depots.
• Reproducibility benchmarks: Because AOD-9604 has been extensively characterized, it is frequently used as a positive control in new lipolysis assay development.

Product Specifications