| Pack Size | Single Vial, 10-Pack |
|---|
Intranasal-spray format. Ships unreconstituted: lyophilized peptide in a 10 mL spray bottle, reconstituted with the included 0.3% potassium sorbate solution. Research use only; not for human use.
AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-residue modified hGH C-terminal fragment. AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-residue peptide derived from the C-terminal region of human growth hormone (hGH residues 176-191) with an additional N-terminal tyrosine residue. The peptide retains the disulfide-bridge structural feature of the parent hGH C-terminal region. The compound was developed in Australia by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals during the 1990s as a fat-mobilisation research compound. The compound has been studied across multiple research streams covering its mechanism, biological-activity profile, and translational-research framings. Every Ronin batch is independently verified by Janoshik Analytical using HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity, with the minimum acceptance threshold set at 99 percent purity by HPLC. Supplied as a lyophilized powder in a sealed glass vial, 5 mg per vial. For laboratory research use only — not for human or veterinary use.
Description
AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-residue peptide derived from the C-terminal region of human growth hormone (hGH residues 176-191) with an additional N-terminal tyrosine residue. The peptide retains the disulfide-bridge structural feature of the parent hGH C-terminal region. The compound was developed in Australia by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals during the 1990s as a fat-mobilisation research compound.
AOD-9604 has been characterised for lipolytic and fat-oxidation effects derived from the parent hGH C-terminal region's documented activity on adipose-tissue metabolism. Critically, AOD-9604 does not stimulate the GH/IGF-1 axis — meaning the lipolytic findings are dissociated from the broader growth-hormone systemic effects. This dissociation distinguishes AOD-9604 from full-length hGH and from other GH-related research compounds in Ronin's catalogue.
The compound is supplied as a lyophilized white-to-off-white powder in a lyophilized in a 10 mL intranasal-spray bottle; reconstituted with the included 0.3% potassium sorbate solution. Each vial contains 5 mg of compound. Reconstitution with bacteriostatic water is required before the compound can be drawn into an insulin syringe. Researchers planning bench preparations should review the Reconstitution accordion below for mechanics.
AOD-9604 has been characterised across an expanding research literature spanning Lipolytic and fat-oxidation research, obesity model investigations, intra-articular osteoarthritis research, hGH-fragment structure-activity work.
The 2000 Heffernan paper in American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism characterised oral administration of a synthetic hGH fragment on lipid metabolism (PMID 10950816). The 2001 Heffernan paper in International Journal of Obesity documented fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice under chronic AOD-9604-class fragment treatment (PMID 11673763). The 2015 Kwon paper in Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science characterised intra-articular AOD9604 with or without hyaluronic acid in a rabbit osteoarthritis model (PMID 26275694). The 2004 Wilding paper in Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs compiled the AOD-9604 metabolic-research framing then in development (PMID 15134286).
Across the literature the compound appears under several alternate identifiers: AOD-9604; AOD9604; hGH fragment 176-191 with N-terminal tyrosine; modified hGH C-terminal fragment. The CAS registry number 221231-10-3 anchors the canonical chemical identifier.
No regulatory authority — Health Canada, the FDA, the EMA, the TGA, or any equivalent — has cleared AOD-9604 for therapeutic use in humans or animals. The compound has not progressed through a drug-approval pathway in any major jurisdiction. Ronin Peptides ships the compound exclusively as a research-grade reagent for benchwork. Dosing protocols, treatment regimens, and administration instructions are out of scope and not provided in any form.
Mechanism in research literature
AOD-9604 has been characterised for lipolytic and fat-oxidation effects derived from the parent hGH C-terminal region's documented activity on adipose-tissue metabolism. Critically, AOD-9604 does not stimulate the GH/IGF-1 axis — meaning the lipolytic findings are dissociated from the broader growth-hormone systemic effects. This dissociation distinguishes AOD-9604 from full-length hGH and from other GH-related research compounds in Ronin's catalogue.
The 2000 Heffernan paper in American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism characterised oral administration of a synthetic hGH fragment on lipid metabolism (PMID 10950816). The 2001 Heffernan paper in International Journal of Obesity documented fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice under chronic AOD-9604-class fragment treatment (PMID 11673763). The 2015 Kwon paper in Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science characterised intra-articular AOD9604 with or without hyaluronic acid in a rabbit osteoarthritis model (PMID 26275694). The 2004 Wilding paper in Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs compiled the AOD-9604 metabolic-research framing then in development (PMID 15134286).
Multiple groups have studied, examined, and characterised the compound across in vitro, ex vivo, and animal-model preparations. The mechanism research has produced both basic-science findings on the molecular targets and translational-research observations in disease-model systems. The 2026 broader peptide-therapy reviews (PMID 41966639) place this compound class in the wider research-context of unapproved compounds under active investigation.
Researchers planning new work should consult the most current literature on this compound class to position findings against the broader mechanism-niche framework. Independent groups have observed consistent patterns across the published research record, providing cross-laboratory replication for the core mechanism findings documented in the foundational papers cited above.
Recent broader peptide-therapy reviews compile contemporary research framings around the broader compound class within which this molecule sits. The 2026 Sports Medicine and JAAOS Global Research and Reviews papers (PMID 41966639, PMID 41490200) place multiple compounds — including this one — into the wider research context of unapproved compounds under active investigation, with attention to both the mechanism findings and the regulatory framing that researchers consulting these reviews should weigh equally.
Studied properties
The published research record on AOD-9604 spans multiple decades. Most of this corpus consists of cell-culture and rodent-model investigations. The foundational mechanism work has been complemented by translational-research investigations in disease-model systems and by recent contemporary reviews compiling the broader research framework.
The 2000 Heffernan paper in American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism characterised oral administration of a synthetic hGH fragment on lipid metabolism (PMID 10950816). The 2001 Heffernan paper in International Journal of Obesity documented fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice under chronic AOD-9604-class fragment treatment (PMID 11673763). The 2015 Kwon paper in Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science characterised intra-articular AOD9604 with or without hyaluronic acid in a rabbit osteoarthritis model (PMID 26275694). The 2004 Wilding paper in Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs compiled the AOD-9604 metabolic-research framing then in development (PMID 15134286).
Independent replication of the foundational findings across multiple research groups provides cross-laboratory credibility for the core mechanism observations. The pattern of consistent findings across in vitro, ex vivo, and animal-model contexts has shaped the contemporary research-context framing for the compound.
Translation to human clinical application has been narrower than the breadth of the preclinical literature would suggest. The contemporary research framing places the compound in a research-supply position rather than a clinical-development position. Researchers consulting recent reviews (PMID 41966639) should attend to the regulatory framing as much as the mechanism framing.
Recent literature has expanded the application bracket through novel research streams. Investigators have studied the compound in combination with other research molecules, in biomaterial-integrated delivery formats, and in cell-type-specific contexts that broaden the mechanism understanding documented in foundational papers. The expansion-era literature continues to add depth to the compound's research profile.
Cross-stream research framings have continued to expand the application bracket through novel investigation contexts. Investigators have studied the compound across cell-type-specific exposures, biomaterial-integrated delivery formats, and combination protocols with adjacent research compounds. The cumulative literature represents an active expansion-era research stream where new findings appear regularly across the international peer-reviewed publication record. Researchers consulting recent reviews should attend to both the foundational mechanism papers cited in the references and the contemporary expansion-era publications that document ongoing methodological refinements and emerging research applications.
The published research record is broadly accessible through major scientific databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, with PMID identifiers cited inline throughout this page providing direct access to the foundational literature. Researchers planning new experimental work should consult the most recent literature beyond the citations provided here, since the research record continues to expand and the contemporary research-context framing benefits from inclusion of the most current findings. Independent groups have characterised the compound across overlapping research model systems, providing cross-laboratory replication for the core observations documented in the foundational papers.
Compound specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Common name | AOD-9604 |
| Alternate names | AOD-9604; AOD9604; hGH fragment 176-191 with N-terminal tyrosine; modified hGH C-terminal fragment |
| Sequence | Tyr-Leu-Arg-Ile-Val-Gln-Cys-Arg-Ser-Val-Glu-Gly-Ser-Cys-Gly-Phe (with disulfide bridge between Cys-7 and Cys-14) |
| Molecular formula | C78H123N23O23S2 |
| Molecular weight | 1817.07 g/mol |
| CAS number | 221231-10-3 |
| Form | Lyophilized white-to-off-white powder |
| Solubility | Bacteriostatic water; sterile water for injection |
| Peptide fill | 5 mg, lyophilized in a 10 mL intranasal-spray bottle; reconstituted with the included 0.3% potassium sorbate solution |
| Purity | ≥99% by HPLC (verified per batch by Janoshik Analytical) |
Storage and handling
Unopened lyophilized vials hold up well under dry ambient storage; usable activity persists for several weeks even without refrigeration. Refrigeration at 2–8 °C is appropriate once the working timeline extends past a month. A standard freezer at −20 °C handles archival storage; ultra-low storage at −80 °C is rarely needed for typical bench-research timescales.
Keep vials shielded from light, ideally in their original outer packaging. Repeated temperature cycling accelerates degradation noticeably more than steady storage at any single temperature inside the recommended bands.
After reconstitution, refrigerate the solution at 2–8 °C without delay. The typical working window for a reconstituted preparation is four to six weeks at fridge temperature. The 0.9% benzyl alcohol in bacteriostatic water suppresses microbial growth but does not arrest hydrolysis, oxidation, or aggregation processes accumulating in any aqueous compound solution over time.
When a research timeline extends past six weeks, common practice is splitting the reconstituted solution into single-use volumes and freezing them at −20 °C immediately. Ice-crystal formation during each freeze-thaw cycle inflicts mechanical damage on molecular structure, and pre-splitting eliminates the cumulative loss that comes from thawing one vial multiple times. Thaw individual aliquots overnight in a refrigerator — never at room temperature.
The reconstituted product should be visually clear and colourless. Discard any vial showing turbidity, suspended particulate, yellowing, or visible precipitate. The diluent of choice is USP-grade bacteriostatic water containing 0.9% benzyl alcohol — see the bacteriostatic water product page for reconstitution-grade water.
Compare with similar compounds
| Compound | Primary research area | Documented mechanism (preclinical) | Format at Ronin |
|---|---|---|---|
| AOD-9604 | Lipolytic; fat oxidation | Modified hGH 176-191 fragment; no GH/IGF-1 axis activation | 5 mg vial |
| CJC-1295 No DAC | GHRH-axis; pulsatile GH | Modified hGHRH(1-29) GHRH analogue | 10 mg vial |
| 5-Amino-1MQ | Metabolic; NNMT inhibition | NNMT enzyme inhibition | 10 mg vial |
AOD-9604 sits within Ronin's metabolic compound category, alongside related compounds in the catalog. Researchers exploring related research areas often examine AOD-9604 in combination with other compounds in the same mechanism niche, or comparatively against compounds that engage adjacent pathways.
Intranasal reconstitution and use
This nasal spray ships unreconstituted. The peptide is supplied lyophilized in a 10 mL intranasal-spray bottle together with the 0.3% potassium sorbate solution required to reconstitute it (included) — potassium sorbate acts as a preservative suited to an intranasal solution. Add the full 10 mL of the included solution to reconstitute; the resulting concentration is the bottle’s peptide load divided by 10 mL. A typical metered intranasal actuation delivers approximately 0.1 mL, so each spray delivers roughly one-hundredth of the total peptide load.
- Bring the spray bottle and the included 0.3% potassium sorbate solution to room temperature.
- Sanitise the stoppers with an alcohol swab.
- Add the full 10 mL of the included 0.3% potassium sorbate solution to the lyophilized peptide, directing the liquid against the inner wall — never onto the lyophilized cake.
- Invert slowly or swirl gently until dissolved. Do not vortex or shake.
- Attach the spray pump to the bottle and prime it before first use.
- Store the reconstituted solution refrigerated at 2–8 °C and avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles.
Frequently asked questions
What is AOD-9604?
AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-residue modified hGH C-terminal fragment. AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-residue peptide derived from the C-terminal region of human growth hormone (hGH residues 176-191) with an additional N-terminal tyrosine residue. The peptide retains the disulfide-bridge structural feature of the parent hGH C-terminal region. The compound was developed in Australia by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals during the 1990s as a fat-mobilisation research compound. The compound has been characterised across multiple research streams covering Lipolytic and fat-oxidation research, obesity model investigations, intra-articular osteoarthritis research, hGH-fragment structure-activity work. Ronin supplies the compound as a lyophilized vial reconstituted with bacteriostatic water at the bench. Sale is limited to laboratory research applications; human and veterinary use are excluded.
What is the regulatory status?
No regulatory body — Health Canada, the FDA, the EMA, the TGA, or any equivalent — has approved AOD-9604 as a drug for human or veterinary use. The compound has not progressed through a drug-approval pathway in any major jurisdiction.
The compound is not listed as a scheduled controlled substance under the international drug-control conventions or under the major national scheduling systems. It sits within the regulatory layer covering laboratory reagents and research chemicals.
Ronin Peptides supplies the compound as a research-grade reagent for laboratory and bench-research applications. Buyers operate under their own jurisdictional laws and any applicable institutional review protocols when handling the compound — Ronin Peptides assumes no oversight of downstream lab practice.
How is AOD-9604 verified?
Each batch passes through Janoshik Analytical — an independent peptide-analytics lab — for HPLC purity quantification and MS identity confirmation, with the minimum acceptance threshold set at 99 percent purity by HPLC. Every Janoshik COA includes a verification key that resolves at janoshik.com. To pull the COA covering the batch on your order, email support@roninpeptides.ca from the address used at checkout, with your order number; the typical reply turnaround is well under 24 hours.
How is AOD-9604 reconstituted?
A 5 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water yields 2.5 mg/mL. With 1 mL: 5 mg/mL. With 5 mL: 1 mg/mL. The smaller 5 mg vial loading reflects typical research-context working concentrations for AOD-9604. Inject the water against the inside wall of the vial — never directly onto the lyophilized powder, which causes foaming and surface denaturation. Swirl gently or invert slowly until fully dissolved (typically 30–60 seconds). Refrigerate at 2–8 °C immediately. Use the Ronin reconstitution calculator for non-standard volumes.
How do I receive the COA for my batch?
Email support@roninpeptides.ca from the email address used at checkout, with your order number (e.g., RP-CA-1234) and the compound name. We reply within 24 hours — typically the same business day — with the COA PDF attached. The COA includes the Janoshik verification key, which you can check independently at janoshik.com to confirm the test results match what the laboratory ran on your specific batch. COAs are not published publicly to protect supply-chain privacy and prevent competitor scraping.
References
- Wilding J et al. AOD-9604 Metabolic. Curr Opin Investig Drugs. 2004. PMID: 15134286
- Heffernan MA et al. Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with hGH or modified C-terminal fragment. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001. PMID: 11673763 | doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0801740
- Heffernan MA et al. Effects of oral administration of a synthetic fragment of human growth hormone on lipid metabolism. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2000. PMID: 10950816 | doi:10.1152/ajpendo.2000.279.3.E501
- Kwon DR et al. Effect of Intra-articular Injection of AOD9604 with or without Hyaluronic Acid in Rabbit Osteoarthritis Model. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 2015. PMID: 26275694
- Orlovius AK et al. AOD-9604 does not influence the WADA hGH isoform immunoassay. Drug Test Anal. 2013. PMID: 24124033 | doi:10.1002/dta.1557
- Cox HD et al. Detection and in vitro metabolism of AOD9604. Drug Test Anal. 2015. PMID: 25208511 | doi:10.1002/dta.1715
- Khan A et al. Current updates in the medical management of obesity. Recent Pat Endocr Metab Immune Drug Discov. 2012. PMID: 22435392 | doi:10.2174/187221412800604644
- Mendias CL et al. Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies. Sports Med. 2026. PMID: 41966639 | doi:10.1007/s40279-026-02437-0
