AOD-9604: A Modified HGH Fragment in Lipolysis Research
What AOD-9604 is, why it was designed, and what published work does and does not show.
AOD-9604 is a modified form of the C-terminal 176-191 fragment of human growth hormone, with an N-terminal tyrosine. It was developed in the 1990s by Metabolic Pharmaceuticals in Australia to isolate the lipid-metabolism activity of growth hormone from its other effects.
Why a fragment?
Full-length growth hormone affects fat metabolism, growth signalling, and glucose handling together. The C-terminal fragment was found to retain lipolytic activity in adipose-tissue models while showing minimal IGF-1 stimulation and no meaningful effect on blood glucose, which is the basis for its use where separating lipolytic from anabolic GH effects matters.
Published research applications
Rodent studies reported reduced fat accumulation and increased lipolysis in adipocytes. Later work looked at cartilage repair in joint models. Human weight-loss trials did not show a clinically meaningful effect, so current research is mostly mechanistic and tissue-model based rather than aimed at body-weight outcomes.
Reconstitution and handling
QSC supplies AOD-9604 as lyophilized powder in 10-vial packs of 5 mg and 10 mg vials. Reconstitute in sterile or bacteriostatic water per your protocol and refrigerate; keep long-term stock as lyophilized powder at -20°C.
