Public educational draft · 04 November 2026Clinical review pending →

Hormones & endocrine signals

The body’s signals come with feedback.

Understand receptors, hormone pulses and the systems that connect them.

25 original draft articlesSearch within this topic →
Want a route through the ideas? Try “Hormones in context” →
AXON / JOURNAL077
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is Growth Hormone?

Growth hormone, often abbreviated GH, is a protein hormone produced by specialized cells in the anterior pituitary gland. It contributes to growth during childhood and continues to…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL078
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone?

Growth hormone-releasing hormone, or GHRH, is a peptide signal that stimulates the pituitary to produce and release growth hormone. It is distinct from growth hormone itself. One is part of…

2 min read · 1 source
AXON / JOURNAL079
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is a Secretagogue?

A secretagogue is a substance that stimulates a cell or gland to release a product. The term describes an action, not a chemical family. A secretagogue may be a peptide or another kind of…

2 min read · 1 source
AXON / JOURNAL080
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is CJC-1295?

CJC-1295 is a growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue studied for its ability to prolong stimulation of the GH–IGF-1 axis. The best-known early human studies investigated a long-acting…

2 min read · 3 sources
AXON / JOURNAL081
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is Ipamorelin?

Ipamorelin is a synthetic peptide investigated as a growth hormone secretagogue. It acts in the ghrelin-receptor system rather than being growth hormone itself. Its ability to influence…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL082
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is Tesamorelin?

Tesamorelin is a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue used in specific prescription products. In the United States, its approved use is narrower than the general weight-loss or…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL083
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is IGF-1?

IGF-1 stands for insulin-like growth factor 1. It is a signaling protein involved in growth and tissue regulation and is closely connected to the growth-hormone system. The name reflects…

2 min read · 1 source
AXON / JOURNAL084
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

How Does the Pituitary Gland Work?

The pituitary is a small gland at the base of the brain that helps coordinate several hormonal systems. It is often called a master gland, but it does not act alone. It receives signals…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL085
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is Negative Feedback in Endocrinology?

Negative feedback is a regulatory process in which a system’s output reduces the signals that drive further output. It helps keep hormone activity within an appropriate range while allowing…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL086
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is a Hormone Receptor?

A hormone receptor is a molecular structure, usually a protein, that recognizes a hormone and helps translate that interaction into a cellular response. The receptor is one reason a…

2 min read · 1 source
AXON / JOURNAL087
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is the Difference Between a Hormone and a Peptide?

“Hormone” describes a signaling role. “Peptide” describes a molecular structure made from linked amino acids. A molecule can be both, but the terms are not interchangeable.

2 min read · 1 source
AXON / JOURNAL088
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

How Do Scientists Measure Hormone Concentrations?

Scientists measure hormones using validated analytical methods chosen for the molecule and sample. Common approaches include immunoassays and, for suitable analytes, methods combining…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL089
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Are Pulsatile Hormone Signals?

Pulsatile hormone signals are releases that rise and fall in bursts rather than remaining constant. The timing of a signal can carry biological information, just as the spacing of words…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL090
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

What Is Receptor Selectivity?

Receptor selectivity describes how preferentially a molecule acts at one target compared with others under specified conditions. It is usually a matter of degree, not an absolute promise…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL091
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

How Do Endocrine Signaling Pathways Interact?

Endocrine pathways interact because the body must coordinate growth, energy use, stress responses, reproduction and fluid balance at the same time. A hormone rarely acts in complete…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL132
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

Growth hormone biomarkers are not a substitute for functional outcomes

MK-677, CJC-1295 and ipamorelin are discussed together because of their relationships to growth-hormone signaling. They are not the same molecule or the same intervention. MK-677 is a…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL148
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

Sermorelin history does not validate every modern wellness claim

Sermorelin has a documented regulatory history, but that history needs precise wording. FDA records describe earlier Geref products with specific pediatric treatment and diagnostic…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL154
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

Ipamorelin and the Importance of a Trial That Misses Its Endpoint

Ipamorelin is a growth-hormone secretagogue and ghrelin-receptor agonist investigated in several experimental contexts. One useful human study examined postoperative ileus, the delayed…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL156
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

Hexarelin Studies Reveal More Than a Growth Hormone Signal

Hexarelin is a synthetic growth-hormone secretagogue studied in human endocrine experiments. Its ability to stimulate growth hormone is often highlighted, but the same research also…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL195
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

Kisspeptin and Bremelanotide Should Not Be Treated as Substitutes

Kisspeptin and bremelanotide are discussed in sexual-health research, but the evidence concerns different interventions and clinical questions. A shared area of interest does not make them…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL196
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

Growth Hormone Secretagogues Need More Than a Potency Ranking

Ipamorelin, GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 are often compared by their ability to stimulate growth hormone. That is only one dimension of their pharmacology. A larger hormone response does not by itself…

2 min read · 3 sources
AXON / JOURNAL230
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

CJC 1295 Naming Matters Before Any Study Can Be Applied

CJC 1295 is often sold with the labels DAC and no DAC, but a shared name does not establish that two preparations are the same molecule or have interchangeable evidence. The first step in…

2 min read · 3 sources
AXON / JOURNAL231
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

GHRP 6 Research Shows Why Hormone Release Is Only an Early Endpoint

GHRP 6 is a growth-hormone secretagogue studied in endocrine physiology. A secretagogue stimulates secretion; the term does not mean that the resulting hormone change has been shown to…

2 min read · 3 sources
AXON / JOURNAL232
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

Comparing GHRP 2 and GHRP 6 Requires More Than a Hormone Peak

GHRP 2 and GHRP 6 are growth-hormone-releasing peptides with related research uses. A comparison based only on which produces a larger hormone response leaves out the question that matters…

2 min read · 2 sources
AXON / JOURNAL290
Illustrative visual
Hormones & endocrine signals

CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin: Test the Combination, Not Just the Idea

Combining two agents that influence growth-hormone biology creates a new research question. A plausible interaction does not establish that the mixture is more effective, better tolerated…

2 min read · 2 sources

Where this topic connects

Advertisement · AXON network

More of AXON.
One place to explore.

These promotional links lead to affiliated AXON websites. Their placement is separate from the educational content and does not validate any product, service or scientific claim.

You will leave this educational preview. Each destination has its own content, access requirements and privacy practices. No advertising tracker or referral parameter is added to these links.