What is Growth hormone (GH)?

The pulsatile pituitary driver of growth and metabolism. Structurally it is Single-chain protein hormone (191 aa).

How strong is the evidence for GH?

PeptideHormone grades GH 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 GH?

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

Growth hormoneGH

The pulsatile pituitary driver of growth and metabolism.

EndogenousEstablished

Delivered in pulses, not a stream — the timing carries as much information as the molecule, which is what makes it so hard to copy.

Identity

Class: Single-chain protein hormone (191 aa)
Source: Anterior pituitary somatotrophs
Receptor: Growth hormone receptor (GHR, JAK2/STAT signaling)

Key properties

Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1

Molecular weight

≈ 22,124 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

GH is released in pulses set by the balance of hypothalamic GHRH (stimulatory) and somatostatin (inhibitory). Much of its anabolic effect is indirect, mediated by IGF-1 produced in the liver, while it also exerts direct metabolic actions such as lipolysis.

Reference notes

The axis is pulsatile and feedback-regulated — timing matters as much as amount.
Releasing-peptide approaches (GHRH analogs, secretagogues) work with the body's own pulse; exogenous GH overrides it.
IGF-1 provides negative feedback that limits unbounded GH output.

Common questions

What is Growth hormone (GH)?: The pulsatile pituitary driver of growth and metabolism. Structurally it is Single-chain protein hormone (191 aa).
How does GH work?: GH is released in pulses set by the balance of hypothalamic GHRH (stimulatory) and somatostatin (inhibitory). Much of its anabolic effect is indirect, mediated by IGF-1 produced in the liver, while it also exerts direct metabolic actions such as lipolysis.
How strong is the evidence for GH?: PeptideHormone grades GH 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 GH?: The reported circulating half-life of GH 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.Growth hormone deficiency and replacement in children · Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders, 2021 · PMID 33029711
2.Growth Hormone and Aging · Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America, 2023 · PMID 36948778

External references

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