The opening word of the stress response — an alarm routed through three relays, each one a chance to modulate it.
Identity
- Class
- Hypothalamic releasing peptide (41 aa)
- Source
- Hypothalamus (paraventricular nucleus)
- Receptor
- CRH receptors CRHR1 and CRHR2
Key properties
Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1Approximate 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
CRH from the hypothalamus drives pituitary release of ACTH, which in turn stimulates adrenal cortisol — making CRH the top of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis. Cortisol feeds back to restrain CRH and ACTH.
Reference notes
- CRH sits one step above ACTH in the HPA cascade.
- Glucocorticoid negative feedback closes the loop on CRH output.
- It links neural stress signals to systemic endocrine responses.
Regulatory status
United States · reviewed September 2026- Basis
- Corticorelin ovine (Acthrel) approved as a diagnostic for Cushing's syndrome; commercially discontinued.
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 Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)?
- The apex of the HPA stress axis. Structurally it is Hypothalamic releasing peptide (41 aa).
- How does CRH work?
- CRH from the hypothalamus drives pituitary release of ACTH, which in turn stimulates adrenal cortisol — making CRH the top of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress axis. Cortisol feeds back to restrain CRH and ACTH.
- How strong is the evidence for CRH?
- PeptideHormone grades CRH 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 CRH?
- The reported circulating half-life of CRH is ~minutes (biphasic clearance).
- Is CRH FDA-approved?
- Yes — as of September 2026, CRH is an approved prescription medicine in the United States. Corticorelin ovine (Acthrel) approved as a diagnostic for Cushing's syndrome; commercially discontinued. Status is US-centric and can change; check the FDA record for the current position.
In the literature
Live registry counts · retrieved- Ph 13
- Ph 23
- Ph 31
- Ph 45
Searched as Corticotropin-releasing hormone, CRH. Counts are search hits from the primary registries, not a curated set and not a grade – a measure of how much work exists on CRH, 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.Corticotropin-releasing hormone · The New England journal of medicine, 1988 · PMID 3292914
- 2.The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: A Brief History · Hormone research in paediatrics, 2018 · PMID 29719288
External references
CRH in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.