Natural peptide hormones are usually poor drug candidates: they last minutes, break down easily or activate several receptors at once. An analogue starts from that hormone and adjusts it. The most used tools are amino acid substitution, incorporation of non-natural or D-amino acids, cyclisation, amidation and attachment of fatty acids or complexes that bind to albumin.
There are many examples in the catalogue: semaglutide is a GLP-1 analogue; tesamorelin and CJC-1295, GHRH analogues; cagrilintide, an amylin analogue; IGF-1 LR3, an IGF-1 analogue; Melanotan I and II, α-MSH analogues.
An analogue is not a copy: it can differ from the natural hormone in potency, selectivity and, above all, pharmacokinetics. That is why its research data do not automatically transfer from the natural molecule, or vice versa.
Identifying which hormone a compound is an analogue of is the fastest way to understand its mechanism. Identifying what changed compared with it explains its differences in duration and behaviour.
Related terms
Learn it in depth at the Peptide University
- Chemical modifications: from the natural sequence to the analog · Module 1
- Repair and somatotropic axis (6–10) · Module 14
- Pharmacology of agonists: single, dual and triple · Module 3
- Amylin, the oral route and the next generation · Module 3
- GHRH analogs · Module 5
Related catalogue compounds
Definition for educational and scientific purposes. It is not medical advice or a recommendation for use. NeoPeptidos products are sold labelled for research use only (RUO).