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.

Is ACTH FDA-approved?

Yes — as of September 2026, ACTH is an approved prescription medicine in the United States. Repository corticotropin (Acthar Gel) and cosyntropin (Cortrosyn) are approved products. Status is US-centric and can change; check the FDA record for the current position.

Adrenocorticotropic hormoneACTH

The melanocortin that drives adrenal cortisol synthesis.

EndogenousEstablishedFDA-approved

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.

Regulatory status

United States · reviewed September 2026

FDA-approvedACTH is an approved prescription medicine in the United States.

Basis: Repository corticotropin (Acthar Gel) and cosyntropin (Cortrosyn) are approved products.

Status describes the molecule as a drug substance under US law and is an editorial reading of the public record — approvals, trial registrations, and the FDA 503A bulk-substances list. It is not legal advice and it changes; the review date above is the last time the table was checked. Other jurisdictions are noted only where they differ materially.

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.
Is ACTH FDA-approved?: Yes — as of September 2026, ACTH is an approved prescription medicine in the United States. Repository corticotropin (Acthar Gel) and cosyntropin (Cortrosyn) are approved products. Status is US-centric and can change; check the FDA record for the current position.

In the literature

Live registry counts · retrieved 2026-09-15

Registered trialsREF

21422 recruiting

Ph 116
Ph 240
Ph 322
Ph 428

Open on ClinicalTrials.gov

Searched as Adrenocorticotropic hormone, ACTH. Counts are search hits from the primary registries, not a curated set and not a grade – a measure of how much work exists on ACTH, not how it turned out.

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.