Octreotide
A long-acting somatostatin analog used to suppress GH and other hormones.
Identity
- Class
- Somatostatin analog (cyclic octapeptide)
- Source
- Synthetic analog of somatostatin
- Receptor
- Somatostatin receptors (SSTR2 and SSTR5 preferential)
Key properties
Molecular weight
~1,019.2 Da
Approximate values for the native hormone. Engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting.
Mechanism
Octreotide reproduces somatostatin's inhibitory action but with a far longer half-life than the native peptide's ~2 minutes. By preferentially engaging SSTR2/SSTR5 it suppresses growth hormone and several gut hormones, which is why it is used in acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors.
Reference notes
- Native somatostatin is too short-lived to be a practical drug; octreotide solves the half-life problem.
- It is receptor-subtype-selective (SSTR2/5), unlike native somatostatin's broad SSTR coverage.
- Long-acting (LAR) depot formulations act over roughly a month.
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.Octreotide and Octreotide-derived delivery systems · Journal of drug targeting, 2023 · PMID 37211679
- 2.Somatostatin Analogs in Clinical Practice: a Review · International journal of molecular sciences, 2020 · PMID 32121432