Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHSR-1a)

Também conhecido como: GHSR-1a, ghrelin receptor

GHSR-1a is the receptor targeted by GH secretagogues such as Ipamorelin. Selective agonists are studied for their ability to trigger GH release with minimal off-target hormone effects.

GHSR-1a is the endogenous receptor for ghrelin and belongs to the class A G protein-coupled receptor family. It signals primarily through Gq and phospholipase C to raise intracellular calcium, and it is notable for unusually high constitutive, or ligand-independent, basal activity that is often examined in functional assays.

Synthetic agonists range from highly selective ligands such as ipamorelin to the less selective earlier peptide GHRP-6. In vitro, the receptor is used to measure binding affinity, potency, and signaling bias, and to compare how cleanly different secretagogues activate it relative to native ghrelin.