Peptide-adjacent research compounds

Small molecules and cofactors studied alongside the peptide families above.

Small molecules and cofactors studied alongside the peptide families above. Nothing in this category is a peptide, and that is the point of separating it rather than folding its members into the families they are discussed with.

The distinction has practical consequences the entries carry through. A small molecule has a defined molecular formula and an unambiguous register identity, so identity confirmation for a supplied material rests on different analytical methods from those used for a peptide. Purity figures for the two are not comparable, and a certificate of analysis reports different things.

One member of this category acts at the same receptor as several compounds in GHRH analogues and GH secretagogues while not being a peptide at all — which is exactly the case this category exists to keep straight.

Compounds listed below without a link do not yet have a published entry.

Compounds in this category

5 of 5 entries are published. Compounds without a published entry are listed without a link.

  • NAD+NAD+ is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in its oxidised form — a coenzyme for redox reactions and a consumed substrate for sirtuins, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases and CD38. It is a small molecule rather than a peptide, and it is not approved by the FDA as a drug for any indication.
  • 5-Amino-1MQ5-Amino-1MQ is a small quaternary quinolinium molecule that inhibits nicotinamide N-methyltransferase, a cytosolic enzyme that methylates nicotinamide. Its published record is entirely in cell culture and in mice; no clinical study of it has been identified. It is not approved by the FDA for any indication.
  • AICARAICAR, also named acadesine, is a purine nucleoside that enters cells and is phosphorylated to a monophosphate which activates AMP-activated protein kinase. It is one of the most widely used laboratory reagents in AMPK research, and its clinical programme in cardiac surgery ended when a phase 3 trial was stopped for futility. It is not approved by the FDA for any indication.
  • SLU-PP-332SLU-PP-332 is a synthetic small molecule that activates all three estrogen-related receptors, with highest reported potency at ERRα. It was described in 2023 as a chemical tool compound for studying those receptors in animals. No clinical study of it has been identified, and it is not approved by the FDA for any indication.
  • MK-677MK-677, also named ibutamoren, is an orally active non-peptide agonist at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor GHS-R1a. Merck developed it through multiple phase 2 trials, the largest of which did not meet their primary endpoints, and development was discontinued. It is not approved by the FDA for any indication.

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