CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin: Research Guide, Identity and COA (USA)

Researched & reviewed by the Purity Collective Quality Team · Last reviewed October 1, 2026

Compound guide · CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin

CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are two synthetic peptides that reach the same pituitary cell through two different receptors. Purity Collective sells them as a two-component blend in 10mg and 20mg vials and as single-compound vials. This guide covers where each peptide came from, which form of CJC-1295 is in the vial, what has and has not been studied, the identity of both components checked against PubChem, and what Purity’s own lot reports measured.

For laboratory research only. Not for human or animal use. This guide gives no dosing, reconstitution, administration or therapeutic advice.

How to choose a CJC-1295 or ipamorelin listing

Four listings carry one or both peptides. The two blend vials hold both components in a fixed one-to-one catalog ratio; the single vials let a laboratory run each compound on its own or set its own ratio. Every listing below has a posted lot report, but the two laboratories that wrote them report the blend differently, which matters if you plan to compare lots.

Two receptors, one cell: why these peptides are paired

The somatotroph cell of the anterior pituitary releases growth hormone in response to two separate inputs. One is GHRH, which acts on the GHRH receptor. The other is the receptor first characterized in 1996 as the target of the synthetic growth hormone secretagogues, the GHS receptor^[8688086], whose natural ligand, ghrelin, was found three years later as an acylated peptide made in the stomach^[10604470]. CJC-1295 belongs to the first family and ipamorelin to the second.

The research reason for combining them is older than either compound. In 1990, a study in healthy men found that a synthetic GH-releasing hexapeptide and GHRH given together released more growth hormone than the sum of each alone^[2108187], and in 2001 the same synergy was reported for low amounts of ghrelin given with GHRH^[11549707]. That body of work concerns the native hormones and older secretagogues. It is the rationale for the blend, not evidence about the blend itself.

Where CJC-1295 comes from, and the DAC question

Native GHRH has 44 amino acids, but its first 29 carry the activity. Systematic substitution studies of hGHRH(1-29)-NH2 mapped which positions could be changed without losing potency^[9513600]. The weakness of the native fragment is speed: plasma dipeptidyl peptidase IV cuts GHRH between residues 2 and 3 within minutes, and substitution of a D-amino acid at position 2 slows that cleavage^[2565342]. “Tetrasubstituted GRF(1-29)”, often sold as Mod GRF 1-29, carries four such substitutions (D-Ala2, Gln8, Ala15, Leu27) to resist enzymatic breakdown.

The name CJC-1295 was first given to a version of that tetrasubstituted fragment with one more change: a maleimidopropionamide group on an added C-terminal lysine, the “drug affinity complex” (DAC). In rats the DAC group bonded to serum albumin, and the peptide was still in plasma beyond 72 hours^[15817669]. Everything distinctive in the CJC-1295 human literature follows from that albumin bond.

Purity’s CJC-1295 is the version without DAC. Its lot reports print the formula C152H252N44O42 and a molecular weight of about 3367.9, which is the PubChem record “CJC1295 Without DAC” (CID 91976842). The DAC form is a different molecule, C165H269N47O46 at about 3647.2 (PubChem CID 91971820). The two are not interchangeable in any calculation, and a result reported for one says nothing about the other.

Where ipamorelin comes from

Ipamorelin is the pentapeptide Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, identified in a medicinal chemistry program that removed the central Ala-Trp dipeptide of GHRP-1^[9849822]. In rat pituitary cells it released growth hormone with potency and efficacy similar to GHRP-6, and antagonist studies placed its action on the GHRP (ghrelin) receptor. Its notable property was selectivity: in conscious swine, GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 raised ACTH and cortisol, whereas ipamorelin did not raise them beyond the levels seen with GHRH, even at more than 200 times its ED50 for growth hormone^[9849822]. The authors called it the first GHRP-receptor agonist with GHRH-like selectivity.

The one published human pharmacokinetic study, in healthy male volunteers given intravenous infusions, found dose-proportional kinetics, a terminal half-life of about two hours and a single episode of GH release per infusion^[10496658]. Ipamorelin was later tested as a gut-motility agent rather than as a growth agent, which is where its clearest negative result comes from (below).

Chemical identity

The values below were checked against PubChem on October 1, 2026, not copied from the lot reports.

What has been studied

CJC-1295 with DAC: rats, mice and healthy adults

In the rat work that introduced it, the DAC compound produced roughly four times the growth hormone exposure of unmodified hGRF(1-29) over two hours and stayed bound to albumin beyond 24 hours^[15817669]. In mice lacking the GHRH gene, CJC-1295 largely normalized growth, which repeated injections of a short-acting GHRH analogue had not achieved^[16822960]. In healthy adults, single and repeated doses raised mean growth hormone and IGF-I for days, with an estimated half-life of 5.8 to 8.1 days^[16352683]; a second study found that pulsatile secretion persisted, with the rise coming mainly from higher trough levels^[17018654]. All of these studies used the DAC form.

Ipamorelin: bone and body composition in rodents

In adult female rats, ipamorelin increased longitudinal bone growth rate in a dose-dependent manner over 15 days^[10373343]. A three-month study in the same model reported higher total bone mineral content by DXA, but once corrected for the accompanying gain in body weight the ratio did not change, and volumetric bone density was unchanged^[10828840]: bigger bones, not denser ones. In rats given a glucocorticoid, adding ipamorelin increased periosteal bone formation and muscle tetanic tension compared with the glucocorticoid alone^[11735244]. In GH-deficient and normal mice, ipamorelin also increased fat-pad weight and relative body fat by a route that did not depend on growth hormone^[11162489], an effect that cuts against a simple “lean tissue” reading of the secretagogue literature.

Ipamorelin and postoperative ileus: positive in rats, null in patients

In a rat model of postoperative ileus, repeated ipamorelin increased fecal output, food intake and body weight after abdominal surgery^[19289567]. The follow-up randomized, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study in 114 patients after bowel resection found no significant difference from placebo on the key or secondary efficacy endpoints; median time to the first tolerated meal was not significantly shorter^[25331030]. It is the largest human study of ipamorelin and the clearest example in this field of an animal finding that did not carry over.

Analytical and identity literature

Because both compounds circulate outside clinical channels, much recent CJC-1295 literature comes from doping-control and forensic laboratories. A Norwegian laboratory identified a 29-residue amidated peptide matching CJC-1295 in an unlabeled preparation by high-resolution mass spectrometry^[21204297], and a 2021 review summarized LC-MS methods for detecting synthetic GHRH analogues, including the CJC-1295 variants^[34665524]. For a buyer of research material, this is the relevant lesson: mass spectrometry, not a label, is what separates the DAC and non-DAC forms.

Study table

What the evidence does not show

• Nothing on the blend. No published study has tested CJC-1295 and ipamorelin together. The synergy studies used native GHRH, ghrelin or older GHRPs^{[2108187][11549707]}.
• Nothing human on CJC-1295 without DAC. The human half-life, GH and IGF-I results describe the DAC form^{[16352683][17018654]}. Without the albumin bond, the non-DAC peptide lacks the mechanism behind that multi-day half-life, so those numbers do not transfer to the material sold here.
• No clinical benefit for ipamorelin. Its only randomized patient trial was null on its efficacy endpoints^[25331030].
• Rodent bone and fat findings are mixed. Bone size increased, bone density did not^[10828840], and fat mass increased in mice^[11162489].
• Nothing here supports any use in people or animals. Neither compound is an approved drug in the United States.

Batch documentation

All four listings link a lot report, and they come from two laboratories with different formats.

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin 10mg, lot PCCL-3437208-P (Horizon Analytical, analysis May 4, 2026, UPLC/MS): CJC-1295 no DAC 4.9mg against a 5mg specification at 99.36% purity; ipamorelin 4.9mg against 5mg at 99.28%. The matching endotoxin report, PCCL-3437208-E, reads <0.05 EU/mL. Each component has its own result, which is the most useful format for a blend.

CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin 20mg, lot PCCJC-IPA-20 (ILS Laboratories COA-2026-RJMO_O, analysis August 17, 2026, HPLC): blend purity 99.81%, net blend content 21.19mg, identity confirmed by retention-time match for both peptides, and fentanyl screen not detected. The split shown (CJC-1295 10.38mg, ipamorelin 10.81mg) is calculated from the manufacturer’s stated ratio, as the report itself notes, rather than measured per peak. The report has no endotoxin line.

CJC-1295 10 mg, lot DPS-7771773 (Horizon, July 18, 2026): 9.91mg against 10mg, 99.38% purity; endotoxin <0.05 EU/mL. Ipamorelin 10mg, lot DPS-2146000 (Horizon, July 18, 2026): 9.79mg against 10mg, 99.38%; endotoxin <0.05 EU/mL.

All PDFs are in the COA library and on each product page. For what each field means, see how to read a peptide COA and purity vs endotoxin reports.

Handling and storage in the laboratory

All four listings are lyophilized powders. Keep vials cold, dry and away from light until use, and record the lot number with each experiment so a result can be traced to its certificate. Because the 20mg blend report gives a calculated rather than measured component split, laboratories that need per-component quantities should plan their own confirmation. Purity Collective publishes no reconstitution or administration instructions for any product.

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Cervini LA, Donaldson CJ, Koerber SC et al. Human growth hormone-releasing hormone hGHRH(1-29)-NH2: systematic structure-activity relationship studies. J Med Chem. 1998;41:717-27. PMID 9513600 · doi:10.1021/jm970618s
2. Frohman LA, Downs TR, Heimer EP et al. Dipeptidylpeptidase IV and trypsin-like enzymatic degradation of human growth hormone-releasing hormone in plasma. J Clin Invest. 1989;83:1533-40. PMID 2565342 · doi:10.1172/JCI114049
3. Jetté L, Léger R, Thibaudeau K et al. Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog. Endocrinology. 2005;146:3052-8. PMID 15817669 · doi:10.1210/en.2004-1286
4. Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B et al. Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91:799-805. PMID 16352683 · doi:10.1210/jc.2005-1536
5. Ionescu M, Frohman LA Pulsatile secretion of growth hormone (GH) persists during continuous stimulation by CJC-1295, a long-acting GH-releasing hormone analog. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91:4792-7. PMID 17018654 · doi:10.1210/jc.2006-1702
6. Alba M, Fintini D, Sagazio A et al. Once-daily administration of CJC-1295, a long-acting growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, normalizes growth in the GHRH knockout mouse. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2006;291:E1290-4. PMID 16822960 · doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00201.2006
7. Henninge J, Pepaj M, Hullstein I et al. Identification of CJC-1295, a growth-hormone-releasing peptide, in an unknown pharmaceutical preparation. Drug Test Anal. 2010;2:647-50. PMID 21204297 · doi:10.1002/dta.233
8. Memdouh S, Gavrilović I, Ng K et al. Advances in the detection of growth hormone releasing hormone synthetic analogs. Drug Test Anal. 2021;13:1871-1887. PMID 34665524 · doi:10.1002/dta.3183
9. Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL et al. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998;139:552-61. PMID 9849822 · doi:10.1530/eje.0.1390552
10. Gobburu JV, Agersø H, Jusko WJ et al. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers. Pharm Res. 1999;16:1412-6. PMID 10496658 · doi:10.1023/a:1018955126402
11. Johansen PB, Nowak J, Skjaerbaek C et al. Ipamorelin, a new growth-hormone-releasing peptide, induces longitudinal bone growth in rats. Growth Horm IGF Res. 1999;9:106-13. PMID 10373343 · doi:10.1054/ghir.1999.9998
12. Svensson J, Lall S, Dickson SL et al. The GH secretagogues ipamorelin and GH-releasing peptide-6 increase bone mineral content in adult female rats. J Endocrinol. 2000;165:569-77. PMID 10828840 · doi:10.1677/joe.0.1650569
13. Andersen NB, Malmlöf K, Johansen PB et al. The growth hormone secretagogue ipamorelin counteracts glucocorticoid-induced decrease in bone formation of adult rats. Growth Horm IGF Res. 2001;11:266-72. PMID 11735244 · doi:10.1054/ghir.2001.0239
14. Lall S, Tung LY, Ohlsson C et al. Growth hormone (GH)-independent stimulation of adiposity by GH secretagogues. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2001;280:132-8. PMID 11162489 · doi:10.1006/bbrc.2000.4065
15. Venkova K, Mann W, Nelson R et al. Efficacy of ipamorelin, a novel ghrelin mimetic, in a rodent model of postoperative ileus. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2009;329:1110-6. PMID 19289567 · doi:10.1124/jpet.108.149211
16. Beck DE, Sweeney WB, McCarter MD et al. Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the Ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2014;29:1527-34. PMID 25331030 · doi:10.1007/s00384-014-2030-8
17. Howard AD, Feighner SD, Cully DF et al. A receptor in pituitary and hypothalamus that functions in growth hormone release. Science. 1996;273:974-7. PMID 8688086 · doi:10.1126/science.273.5277.974
18. Kojima M, Hosoda H, Date Y et al. Ghrelin is a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach. Nature. 1999;402:656-60. PMID 10604470 · doi:10.1038/45230
19. Bowers CY, Reynolds GA, Durham D et al. Growth hormone (GH)-releasing peptide stimulates GH release in normal men and acts synergistically with GH-releasing hormone. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1990;70:975-82. PMID 2108187 · doi:10.1210/jcem-70-4-975
20. Hataya Y, Akamizu T, Takaya K et al. A low dose of ghrelin stimulates growth hormone (GH) release synergistically with GH-releasing hormone in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:4552. PMID 11549707 · doi:10.1210/jcem.86.9.8002

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