PeptideHormone

Adrenocorticotropic hormoneACTH

The melanocortin that drives adrenal cortisol synthesis.

EndogenousEstablished

Identity

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

Key properties

Molecular weight
~4,541.1 Da
Half-life (native)
~10–20 min
Model dosing

Approximate values for the native hormone. Engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting.

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.

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