What is Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)?

The melanocortin that drives adrenal cortisol synthesis. Structurally it is POMC-derived peptide (39 aa).

How strong is the evidence for ACTH?

PeptideHormone grades ACTH at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.

What is the half-life of ACTH?

The reported circulating half-life of ACTH is ~10–20 min.

Adrenocorticotropic hormoneACTH

The melanocortin that drives adrenal cortisol synthesis.

EndogenousEstablished

Proof of the family's reach: the same POMC lineage that pigments skin also carries the body's alarm to the adrenal.

Identity

Class: POMC-derived peptide (39 aa)
Source: Anterior pituitary corticotrophs
Receptor: Melanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R)

Key properties

Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1

Molecular weight

~4,541.1 Da

REF

Half-life (native)

~10–20 min

CLIN

Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.

Mechanism

ACTH, another POMC product, acts selectively at MC2R on the adrenal cortex to stimulate cortisol synthesis — the endocrine arm of the melanocortin family and the output of the HPA stress axis below CRH.

Reference notes

MC2R is unusual in responding essentially only to ACTH, not the MSH peptides.
ACTH ties the melanocortin family directly into the HPA stress axis.
It shares the POMC precursor with α-MSH but has a distinct receptor and role.

Common questions

What is Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)?: The melanocortin that drives adrenal cortisol synthesis. Structurally it is POMC-derived peptide (39 aa).
How does ACTH work?: ACTH, another POMC product, acts selectively at MC2R on the adrenal cortex to stimulate cortisol synthesis — the endocrine arm of the melanocortin family and the output of the HPA stress axis below CRH.
How strong is the evidence for ACTH?: PeptideHormone grades ACTH at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an endogenous signal the body produces itself, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
What is the half-life of ACTH?: The reported circulating half-life of ACTH is ~10–20 min.

Selected literature

Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.

1.Dynamics of ACTH and Cortisol Secretion and Implications for Disease · Endocrine reviews, 2020 · PMID 32060528
2.ACTH Antagonists · Frontiers in endocrinology, 2016 · PMID 27547198

External references

ACTH in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.