GHRP-2 is a synthetic hexapeptide that makes the pituitary release a burst of growth hormone. Its non-research name is pralmorelin, and you'll also see it filed under the development codes KP-102 and GPA-748, or by its CAS number 158861-67-7. It belongs to the growth hormone secretagogue family, the same class as ghrelin mimetics like GHRP-6 and ipamorelin.
What it is and how it works
GHRP-2 acts as an agonist at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a), the receptor that the stomach hormone ghrelin normally binds. That receptor sits on somatotroph cells in the anterior pituitary and in the hypothalamus, so the peptide pushes GH release at both levels. The general pharmacology study of KP-102 in animals described it as a compound that "potently promotes growth hormone (GH) release by acting at both hypothalamic and pituitary sites" (Furuta et al., *Arzneimittelforschung*, 2004).
Because it works through the ghrelin receptor, GHRP-2 also reliably triggers hunger and increases food intake in humans, a known consequence of activating that pathway (Pralmorelin, Wikipedia summary of published sources).
The peptide traces back to work by Cyril Bowers and colleagues on small synthetic GH-releasing peptides; development was attributed to Polygen and Tulane University, and the diagnostic product was commercialized by Kaken Pharmaceutical in Japan (NCATS Inxight: Pralmorelin).
What the research and regulators actually say
This is the part that matters most, because GHRP-2 has a real regulatory record that most research peptides do not.
- Approved use (Japan only, and narrow). Pralmorelin is marketed in Japan by Kaken Pharmaceutical, sold as a single-dose formulation (brand name GHRP Kaken 100) for one job: assessing growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The logic is diagnostic. In healthy people the peptide produces a large GH spike, while in people with GHD that spike is much smaller, so the response separates the two groups (Wikipedia / Kaken; NCATS Inxight).
- It was tested as a treatment, and that path stalled. Pralmorelin was investigated for treating GHD and short stature and reached phase II trials, but it was never marketed for those uses (Wikipedia summary of published sources).
- No FDA approval. It is not approved by the FDA in the United States for any use.
So the honest summary is narrow: GHRP-2 raises GH in humans, that effect is documented well enough to be used as a diagnostic signal in one country, and the attempts to turn it into an actual therapy did not cross the finish line.
Anti-doping status
Growth hormone secretagogues, including GH-releasing peptides like GHRP-2, are on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List under the peptide hormones and growth factors section (S2). Substances in this category are banned at all times, both in and out of competition (WADA Prohibited List). Any athlete in a tested sport should treat it as prohibited.
The buyer-quality angle: what you're actually getting
Outside of the Japanese diagnostic product, GHRP-2 sold online is research-grade material, labeled research use only and not for human consumption. Nothing on this page is medical, dosing, or efficacy advice.
For a short synthetic peptide, two quality questions are the ones that bite:
- Identity and purity. A certificate of analysis should show the molecular weight matching the published value (formula C45H55N9O6, mass roughly 818 g/mol) and a purity figure from HPLC, plus mass-spec confirmation of identity. Without that, you don't know whether the vial holds GHRP-2, a related peptide, a truncated fragment, or mostly filler.
- Independent verification. A COA from the seller is a starting point, not proof. peptideone aggregates third-party signals, vendor COAs, and independent rater data so the testing claims can be checked against something other than the storefront. Treat any vendor that can't produce a batch-specific COA as unverified.
GHRP-2 is one of the better-documented compounds in this space, which is exactly why the gap between the published pharmacology and an unlabeled research vial is worth keeping in mind.