Peptide Protocol Cheat Sheet: Quick-Reference Guide for Researchers

This cheat sheet covers every compound currently featured on Aura Protocols — organized by research category, with the key mechanism, studied effects, and differentiators you need to compare them at a glance. Each entry is a compressed summary; click through to the full product page or deep-dive article for complete literature breakdowns.

Recovery & Tissue Repair

BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound-157)

• Class: Synthetic pentadecapeptide derived from human gastric juice
• Mechanism: Upregulates growth hormone receptors in tendon fibroblasts; modulates nitric oxide production; promotes angiogenesis at injury sites
• Primary research areas: Tendon/ligament repair, gut mucosal healing, anti-inflammatory effects, neuroprotection
• Administration routes studied: Subcutaneous, intramuscular, oral/intragastric, topical
• Key differentiator: One of few peptides with gut-specific preclinical data; stable in gastric acid
• Research status: Extensive rodent models, no completed human RCTs

TB-500 (Thymosin Beta-4)

• Class: Synthetic analogue of endogenous Thymosin Beta-4
• Mechanism: Promotes actin polymerization; accelerates cell migration to injury sites; stimulates new blood vessel formation
• Primary research areas: Wound healing, cardiac tissue repair, tendon and muscle recovery, anti-fibrotic effects
• Administration routes studied: Subcutaneous, intravenous (preclinical)
• Key differentiator: Systemic distribution via blood vessel recruitment — can act at sites distant from injection
• Research status: Phase I/II human trials for cardiac repair; broader applications remain preclinical

Weight Management & Metabolic Research

Semaglutide

• Class: GLP-1 receptor agonist
• Mechanism: Slows gastric emptying; suppresses appetite via hypothalamic GLP-1R activation; stimulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion
• Primary research areas: Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk reduction
• Key data: STEP trials — avg 15–17% body weight reduction over 68 weeks; SELECT trial — 20% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events
• Key differentiator: The most clinically documented peptide for weight loss; FDA approved as Ozempic (T2D) and Wegovy (obesity)
• Research status: Multiple large-scale RCTs completed; most evidence-backed compound in this category

Retatrutide

• Class: Triple agonist — GLP-1R, GIPR, and glucagon receptor
• Mechanism: Combines GLP-1 appetite suppression + GIP metabolic signaling + glucagon-driven energy expenditure
• Primary research areas: Severe obesity, metabolic syndrome
• Key data: Phase II SURMOUNT trial — up to 24% body weight reduction over 48 weeks; most potent weight loss signal of any peptide in clinical trials to date
• Key differentiator: Triple receptor engagement produces additive effects not seen in dual agonists; investigational only
• Research status: Phase III trials underway (2026); not yet FDA approved

AOD-9604

• Class: Synthetic C-terminal fragment of human growth hormone (hGH176–191)
• Mechanism: Stimulates fat breakdown (lipolysis) via β3-adrenergic receptors; inhibits new fat formation (lipogenesis) without affecting IGF-1 or blood glucose
• Primary research areas: Adipose tissue reduction, metabolic health
• Key differentiator: Isolated fat-loss mechanism with none of the anabolic or diabetogenic effects of full hGH — arguably the cleanest GH-derived fat loss research compound
• Research status: Human Phase IIb trial (Metabolic Pharmaceuticals) — statistically significant fat loss, development halted for commercial reasons not safety

Growth & Performance

CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin (Stack)

• Class: GHRH analogue (CJC-1295) + selective ghrelin receptor agonist (Ipamorelin)
• Mechanism: CJC-1295 raises baseline GH via GHRH receptor; Ipamorelin amplifies individual GH pulses via GHSR — dual-axis stimulation produces synergistic effect
• Primary research areas: Lean mass, visceral fat reduction, bone density, sleep quality, recovery
• Key differentiator: Ipamorelin does not elevate cortisol or prolactin — cleaner GH stimulation than GHRP-2/GHRP-6; preserves physiological pulsatile rhythm unlike exogenous GH
• Research status: Strong preclinical base; Ipamorelin had Phase II human trials (Novo Nordisk, for GI motility)

Sermorelin

• Class: GHRH analogue (first 29 amino acids of endogenous GHRH)
• Mechanism: Binds pituitary GHRH receptors to stimulate natural GH pulse; shorter half-life than CJC-1295 (~10–20 min vs. 6–8 days with DAC)
• Primary research areas: Age-related GH decline, body composition, hormonal restoration
• Key differentiator: FDA approved (1997, withdrawn for commercial reasons) — one of the best-characterized GHRH analogues; often studied in older populations with blunted GH secretion
• Research status: Historical clinical trials completed; widely documented in age management literature

Tesamorelin

• Class: Synthetic GHRH analogue (stabilized full-length GHRH1–44)
• Mechanism: Binds pituitary GHRH receptors; more potent GH stimulation than Sermorelin due to full-length sequence; preferential effect on visceral adipose tissue
• Primary research areas: HIV-associated lipodystrophy, visceral adiposity, cardiovascular risk markers
• Key differentiator: FDA approved as Egrifta for HIV-related belly fat — the only GHRH analogue with full regulatory approval and confirmed visceral fat reduction in humans
• Research status: Phase III RCTs completed; approved 2010, Egrifta SV approved 2019

Wellness & Longevity

PT-141 (Bremelanotide)

• Class: Melanocortin receptor agonist (MC3R / MC4R)
• Mechanism: Acts centrally in the hypothalamus — initiates arousal via neurological cascade, not vascular dilation; dopaminergic + oxytocinergic pathway activation
• Primary research areas: Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), erectile dysfunction (neurogenic), female sexual arousal disorder
• Key differentiator: Only sexual health peptide with a direct FDA approval pathway — approved as Vyleesi (2019) for HSDD in premenopausal women; unique central (non-vascular) mechanism
• Research status: RECONNECT trials (1,200+ women) completed; multiple Phase II trials in men

Epithalon (Epitalon)

• Class: Synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly)
• Mechanism: Stimulates pineal gland melatonin production; activates telomerase enzyme to slow telomere shortening; antioxidant and circadian rhythm modulation
• Primary research areas: Longevity, circadian dysregulation, telomere biology, age-related hormonal decline
• Key differentiator: Developed in the 1980s by the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation — one of the longest-studied longevity peptides with 30+ years of Russian clinical data
• Research status: Predominantly Russian-language clinical literature; limited Western RCT base

MOTS-c

• Class: Mitochondria-derived peptide (encoded in mitochondrial 12S rRNA)
• Mechanism: Activates AMPK pathway; regulates glucose and lipid metabolism; reduces oxidative stress; improves insulin sensitivity
• Primary research areas: Metabolic syndrome, exercise performance, insulin resistance, aging
• Key differentiator: Discovered 2015 — one of the newest peptides on this list; endogenous origin (your own mitochondria produce it) distinguishes it from synthetic analogues; levels decline with age
• Research status: Preclinical (primarily rodent and cell studies); human trials emerging

How to Use This Reference

The most common research design errors come from selecting a compound based on desired outcome alone without accounting for mechanism specificity. A few rules of thumb that emerge from this table:

• Mechanism before compound — identify which biological pathway you're targeting, then select the compound that engages it most precisely
• Regulatory history matters — FDA approvals (Tesamorelin, PT-141, Semaglutide) signal human safety data exists at therapeutic doses; compounds without that history require more conservative study design
• GH secretagogues are not interchangeable — Sermorelin, CJC-1295, and Tesamorelin all stimulate GH via GHRH receptors but have meaningfully different half-lives, potency, and clinical data sets
• Central vs. peripheral matters for sexual health — PT-141 operates upstream of PDE5 inhibitors; combining them targets different nodes of the same pathway
• Recovery compounds differ in systemic vs. local action — BPC-157 has a strong local effect; TB-500 distributes systemically via vasculature and is better suited to diffuse or multi-site injury models

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