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Gonadorelin (GnRH, LHRH) / Studies
Natural peptide · 10 amino acids · 1,182.3 Da

Gonadorelin (GnRH, LHRH) studies and research data

PepBank has 56 gonadorelin studies with results. 33 of them gave gonadorelin, with 115 results, grouped by what the studies measured. In each group, results from studies in people come first. Data as of 2026-10-30.

Searches 115 results and 91 papers. Newer studies from Europe PMC

Results in people
107
93% of 115 results
Results in animals
1
under 1% of 115 results
Results in lab cells
7
6% of 115 results
From computer models
0
0% of 115 results
The molecule

Gonadorelin identity

Identifiers, parent molecule, targets and development stage, from curated data.

Gonadorelin (INN) is the decapeptide pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH2, written QHWSYGLRPG with an N-terminal pyroglutamate and a C-terminal amide. It has the sequence of human gonadoliberin-1 (GnRH), residues 24-33 of the GNRH1 precursor (UniProt P01148), so it is the natural hormone made as a drug. UniProt records that Gln24 becomes pyroglutamate and Gly33 becomes the C-terminal amide. Gonadorelin is an agonist at the GnRH receptor (GNRHR). It stimulates LH and FSH release from the anterior pituitary. Drug salts are gonadorelin hydrochloride (Factrel) and gonadorelin acetate (Lutrepulse, Fertagyl, Cystorelin). Drugs@FDA lists two human products, both with marketing status Discontinued: Factrel (NDA 018123, approved 1982-09-30) and Lutrepulse (NDA 019687, approved 1989-10-10). The gonadorelin labels now on DailyMed are for veterinary products. Health Canada lists its human gonadorelin products as cancelled or dormant. The UK (a 100 microgram diagnostic product, PL 17509/0005) and Germany (LHRH Ferring 0.1 mg, Relefact LH-RH 0.1 mg) have product information for a diagnostic test of pituitary gonadotrope function, with a single 100 microgram adult dose. KEGG lists two Japanese gonadorelin acetate products from Nipro. Gonadorelin is not in any FDA 503A category. It is in FDA's 503B category 1 list (bulk drug substances under evaluation) as 'Gonadorelin Acetate', marked as a component of an FDA-approved drug. WADA names gonadorelin in S2.2.1 (testosterone-stimulating peptides in males) in the 2026 List and in the 2027 List. Community use is described in the separate community file: gonadorelin injections next to testosterone therapy and after steroid cycles. The clinical evidence in this profile covers the label uses only.

Kind
Natural peptide · 10 residues
Identifiers
UniProtP01148 (opens in a new tab)ChEMBLCHEMBL1007 (opens in a new tab)PubChem CID638793 (opens in a new tab)UNII9O7312W37G (opens in a new tab)DrugBankDB00644 (opens in a new tab)CAS33515-09-2PDB9U4W (opens in a new tab)KEGGD08027 (opens in a new tab)IUPHAR3786 (opens in a new tab)
Parent
Fragment of Gonadoliberin-1 precursor (GNRH1, human) · residues 24-33UniProt P01148 peptide feature 'Gonadoliberin-1' 24-33, with Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid at 24 and Glycine amide at 33. The precursor also holds a signal peptide (1-23) and GnRH-associated peptide 1 (37-92). No seed record exists for the precursor.
Development
Approved nationally in the UK, Germany and JapanWyeth-Ayerst (Factrel) and Ferring (Lutrepulse; Ferring also sells LHRH Ferring in Germany). Many academic groups run diagnostic and pump studies.Approved in the US in 1982 (Factrel) and 1989 (Lutrepulse); both discontinued. ClinicalTrials.gov (EXPANSION[None] on gonadorelin, Factrel, Lutrepulse) returns 15 studies. Studies where gonadorelin or Lutrepulse is the named intervention: NCT04390646 (pulsatile GnRH, gonadorelin acetate, in Down syndrome; sponsor Nelly Pitteloud; phase 2/3; recruiting; 56 participants), NCT00296465 (Ferring; pulsatile GnRH pump vs clomiphene; phase 2/3; completed; 132 participants), NCT07152730 (Ferring; Lutrepulse by OmniPod pump in healthy women; phase 1; withdrawn for business reasons), NCT05184374 (Huashan Hospital; prolonged gonadorelin test in male adolescents with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism; status unknown) and NCT01457703 (University of Colorado, Denver; gonadorelin-GnRH in an obesity hormone study; completed). The other hits name gonadorelin only in text. The query without EXPANSION[None] returns 1,164 to 1,343 studies because ClinicalTrials.gov expands gonadorelin to the whole GnRH family. No trial of gonadorelin as an add-on to testosterone therapy was found. Source (opens in a new tab)

Targets

Molecular targets with action and evidence source
TargetActionEvidence
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptorGNRHRP30968 (opens in a new tab)Agonistprimary literatureSource (opens in a new tab)

Sequence and structure

Residues, differences from the parent, calculated properties and 3D structure. Source values and calculated values are shown separately.

Sequence

10 amino acids · 2 modifications

Residues 1 to 10:
HWSYGLRPG
  • HydrophobicA V I L M
  • AromaticF W Y
  • PositiveK R H
  • PolarS T N Q
  • SpecialC G P
  • Non-canonicalX
  • Modified residue

Modifications

Pyr1 (pGlu)
Non-canonical residue
L-pyroglutamyl (5-oxo-L-proline) at the N terminus. UniProt P01148: 'Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid' at 24 (precursor Gln24). GSRS shows the subunit as QHWSYGLRPG and records the Gln1 modification as pidolic acid. ChEMBL writes it as [Glp] in the HELM. The one-letter string uses X for pGlu, as other records do.
Gly10 (C-term)
C-terminal amide
C-terminal glycinamide. UniProt P01148: 'Glycine amide' at 33 (precursor Gly33).

Parent: Gonadoliberin-1 precursor (GNRH1, human)

No sequence is listed for the parent, so no alignment is shown.UniProt P01148 peptide feature 'Gonadoliberin-1' 24-33, with Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid at 24 and Glycine amide at 33. The precursor also holds a signal peptide (1-23) and GnRH-associated peptide 1 (37-92). No seed record exists for the precursor.

Properties

From identity sources

Formula
C55H75N17O13
Molecular weight
1,182.31 g/mol
Monoisotopic mass
1,181.573 Da

Calculated from the sequence

Some values cannot be calculated. The sequence has a non-canonical residue (X). Residue tables cover only the 20 standard amino acids.

Average mass
Not calculated
Monoisotopic mass
Not calculated
Isoelectric point (pI)
Not calculated
Net charge at pH 7.4
Not calculated
GRAVY (hydropathy)
Not calculated
Extinction coefficient, 280 nm (Cys reduced)
6,990 M⁻¹ cm⁻¹
5500 x Trp + 1490 x Tyr · Pace et al. 1995 (ExPASy ProtParam)
Instability index
Not calculated
Aliphatic index
Not calculated
Boman index
Not calculated
Hydrophobic moment (μH)
Not calculated
  • 1 non-canonical residue (X) is not included in calculated values.
  • The N-terminal group is not modeled.
  • Defined and validated for proteins; use with care for short peptides.
  • Assumes an ideal alpha helix. Many short peptides are not helical.

@pepdb/chem 0.2.0 · EMBOSS pKa set · ExPASy residue masses

Net charge by pH

No charge curve

The sequence has a non-canonical residue (X). Residue tables cover only the 20 standard amino acids.

Composition

  • Hydrophobic10% (1)
  • Aromatic20% (2)
  • Positive20% (2)
  • Polar10% (1)
  • Special30% (3)
  • Non-canonical10% (1)

10 residues. Each residue counts in one class; F and W count as aromatic.

A Ala0 · 0%
I Ile0 · 0%
L Leu1 · 10%
M Met0 · 0%
V Val0 · 0%
F Phe0 · 0%
W Trp1 · 10%
Y Tyr1 · 10%
H His1 · 10%
K Lys0 · 0%
R Arg1 · 10%
D Asp0 · 0%
E Glu0 · 0%
N Asn0 · 0%
Q Gln0 · 0%
S Ser1 · 10%
T Thr0 · 0%
C Cys0 · 0%
G Gly2 · 20%
P Pro1 · 10%
X Xaa1 · 10%

3D structure

ExperimentalPDB 9U4W

Loads the 3D viewer (3Dmol.js, about 150 KB) and the model file from RCSB PDB.

RCSB Protein Data Bank · CC0 1.0

2D structure

Draws the structure in your browser with RDKit (about 2.3 MB, loaded once).

SMILES fromPubChem CID 638793(opens in a new tab)

CC(C)C[C@@H](C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCN=C(N)N)C(=O)N1CCC[C@H]1C(=O)NCC(=O)N)NC(=O)CNC(=O)[C@H](CC2=CC=C(C=C2)O)NC(=O)[C@H](CO)NC(=O)[C@H](CC3=CNC4=CC=CC=C43)NC(=O)[C@H](CC5=CN=CN5)NC(=O)[C@@H]6CCC(=O)N6
Results by area

What the studies measured

People first in each area, then animals, then lab cells. Counts are exact and come from studies that gave the peptide.

Trials and papers
Status and safety
Data