What is the tesamorelin ipamorelin blend?
The tesamorelin ipamorelin blend, often shortened to Tesa/Ipa, is a two-component research material supplied in a single lyophilized vial: 8MG tesamorelin and 2MG ipamorelin. The components act on growth hormone release through different receptors. Tesamorelin is a stabilized analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH); ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide secretagogue acting at the receptor whose natural ligand is ghrelin.
Each has its own literature, from cell culture to clinical trials, but no published study has tested the two together. This guide summarizes each component with its study model and sets out what is and is not known about the pairing. Disguised Alpha supplies the blend for laboratory research use only. Nothing on this page is guidance for use in people.
Tesamorelin and ipamorelin blend composition
| Component | Per vial | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Tesamorelin | 8MG | 44-residue GHRH analog with a trans-3-hexenoyl group on the N-terminal tyrosine; 5135.86 g/mol, CAS 218949-48-5 |
| Ipamorelin | 2MG | Pentapeptide growth hormone secretagogue, Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2; 711.86 g/mol, CAS 170851-70-4 |
| Form | 10MG total | Lyophilized powder; third-party tested, with the certificate for each lot published on the product page |
Amounts and storage are from the Tesamorelin & Ipamorelin product page; molecular weights and CAS numbers are from the single-compound tesamorelin and ipamorelin product pages. A blend has no single CAS number or molecular weight: its identity is defined by its components and by the lot certificate. By mass the vial is 80% tesamorelin, but at those molecular weights 8MG of tesamorelin is about 1.6 micromoles and 2MG of ipamorelin about 2.8 micromoles, so ipamorelin is the larger component by moles. Salt form and measured content shift these figures.
What the research covers, component by component
Tesamorelin
Tesamorelin keeps the full human GHRH(1-44) amide sequence and adds a trans-3-hexenoyl group to the N-terminal tyrosine. In non-clinical studies that change made it resistant to dipeptidyl aminopeptidase-IV and slowed its breakdown in rat, dog and human plasma, and repeated daily administration raised growth hormone and IGF-1 in pigs, rats and dogs (Ferdinandi et al., 2007). In 13 healthy men studied over two weeks it increased mean overnight growth hormone, pulse area and basal secretion and raised IGF-1, while insulin-stimulated glucose uptake did not change significantly (Stanley et al., 2011).
In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 412 adults with HIV and excess abdominal fat, visceral fat measured by CT fell 15.2% over 26 weeks against a 5.0% rise with placebo (Falutz et al., 2007). A pharmaceutical tesamorelin product, Egrifta, was approved by the US FDA in November 2010 for reducing excess abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy (Grunfeld et al., 2011); the tesamorelin in this blend is research material, not that product. Models: plasma in vitro, pigs, rats, dogs, healthy men and a randomized trial. The tesamorelin research guide covers the rest of its literature.
Ipamorelin
Ipamorelin, Aib-His-D-2-Nal-D-Phe-Lys-NH2, was described in 1998 as the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. It released growth hormone from primary rat pituitary cells with potency similar to GHRP-6, acted through a GHRP-like receptor rather than the GHRH receptor, and in conscious swine did not raise ACTH or cortisol above the levels seen with GHRH, while GHRP-6 and GHRP-2 did (Raun et al., 1998). The endogenous ligand of that receptor was identified the next year as ghrelin (Kojima et al., 1999).
In healthy male volunteers, ipamorelin showed kinetics proportional to the amount given, a terminal half-life of about two hours and a single episode of growth hormone release peaking near 40 minutes (Gobburu et al., 1999). A phase 2 placebo-controlled trial in 114 adults after bowel resection found it well tolerated but not significantly different from placebo on its key efficacy endpoint (Beck et al., 2014). Models: rat pituitary cells, rats, swine, healthy volunteers and a phase 2 trial. The ipamorelin research guide has the full picture.
Why the two classes are paired
The case for pairing a GHRH analog with a secretagogue comes from older studies that used neither of these compounds. In rat primary pituitary cell culture, the hexapeptide GHRP-6 and growth hormone-releasing factor at maximal concentrations had a synergistic effect on growth hormone release; GHRP-6 did not raise intracellular cyclic AMP while the releasing factor raised it about three fold, and the authors concluded that the two act through different receptors (Cheng et al., 1989).
In 18 healthy men, submaximal amounts of the same hexapeptide given with GHRH(1-44) released growth hormone synergistically (Bowers et al., 1990). Models: rat cell culture and healthy men. Whether tesamorelin and ipamorelin interact the same way has not been tested.
What is not known about the blend
No published study has tested tesamorelin and ipamorelin together, in any model. A PubMed search in October 2026 returned only review articles that discuss both compounds among other peptides, none reporting combined data (for example Mayfield et al., 2026). There are no data on how the two behave together in solution, on the stability of the mixed material, or on any combined effect, and their reported half-lives come from different species and settings. Studies using this material should handle it as a defined mixture and include controls for each component.
Key studies
- Ferdinandi ES, et al. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2007. PMID 17214611. Tesamorelin non-clinical pharmacology: DPP-IV resistance, plasma stability, pigs, rats and dogs.
- Stanley TL, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011. PMID 20943777. Tesamorelin in 13 healthy men: growth hormone pulsatility, IGF-1 and insulin sensitivity.
- Falutz J, et al. N Engl J Med. 2007. PMID 18057338. Tesamorelin randomized trial in 412 adults with HIV: visceral fat by CT.
- Raun K, et al. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998. PMID 9849822. Ipamorelin in rat pituitary cells, rats and swine: potency, receptor profile and selectivity.
- Gobburu JV, et al. Pharm Res. 1999. PMID 10496658. Ipamorelin in healthy male volunteers: pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling.
- Beck DE, et al. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2014. PMID 25331030. Ipamorelin phase 2 trial after bowel resection.
- Cheng K, et al. Endocrinology. 1989. PMID 2541999. Rat pituitary cell culture: GHRP-6 and releasing factor synergy, cyclic AMP.
- Bowers CY, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1990. PMID 2108187. Healthy men: GHRP-6 with GHRH(1-44).
Handling and storage of the lyophilized tesamorelin ipamorelin blend
General laboratory practice for this material:
- Store the lyophilized powder at -20°C, protected from light, until use (storage guidance on the product page).
- Let the sealed vial reach room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense on the powder.
- Tesamorelin can turn cloudy or gel in near-neutral, unbuffered diluents and at high concentration. Add solvent gently down the vial wall and swirl rather than shake; the tesamorelin gelling note covers diluent choice.
- Tesamorelin carries a methionine at position 27, and methionine side chains oxidize readily, so limit exposure to air, light and oxidizers. Ipamorelin has no methionine or cysteine.
- After reconstitution, keep solutions at 2 to 8°C and protected from light, and split stock into single-use aliquots to avoid freeze/thaw cycles.
- Record the lot number and keep its certificate with your notes. For quantitative work, use the measured content on the certificate rather than the label mass.
Frequently asked questions
What is the tesamorelin ipamorelin blend?
A research blend of two peptides in one vial: tesamorelin (8MG), a GHRH analog, and ipamorelin (2MG), a growth hormone secretagogue. Tesa/Ipa is shorthand for the same peptide blend.
Has the tesamorelin and ipamorelin combination been studied?
Not directly: no published study has tested the two together. The pairing rests on older work in which a different secretagogue, GHRP-6, and GHRH released growth hormone synergistically in rat pituitary cells and in healthy men, consistent with separate receptors (Cheng et al., 1989; Bowers et al., 1990).
How do tesamorelin and ipamorelin differ?
Tesamorelin is a 44-residue analog of human GHRH (Ferdinandi et al., 2007); ipamorelin is a five-residue secretagogue acting at the receptor whose natural ligand is ghrelin (Raun et al., 1998; Kojima et al., 1999). Reported half-lives come from different species: an apparent elimination half-life of 21 to 45 minutes for tesamorelin in dogs, and a terminal half-life of about two hours for ipamorelin in healthy volunteers (Ferdinandi et al., 2007; Gobburu et al., 1999).
Tesa/Ipa vs CJC-1295 and ipamorelin: what is the difference?
Both blends pair ipamorelin with a GHRH analog. In Tesa/Ipa that analog is tesamorelin, which keeps all 44 GHRH residues. In CJC-1295 No DAC & Ipamorelin it is a tetrasubstituted analog of the first 29 residues: the CJC-1295 backbone without the C-terminal maleimide-bearing lysine that binds albumin (Jetté et al., 2005). The CJC-1295 vs Ipamorelin comparison covers that pair.
How should the tesamorelin ipamorelin blend be stored?
Keep the lyophilized powder at -20°C and protected from light. After reconstitution, store the solution at 2 to 8°C, protected from light, and avoid freeze/thaw cycles, as listed on the product page.
Where can researchers buy the tesamorelin ipamorelin blend?
Disguised Alpha sells it for laboratory research, third-party tested with the certificate published on the product page: Tesamorelin & Ipamorelin (8MG/2MG). Both components are also sold separately as Tesamorelin and Ipamorelin.
Related compounds and guides
- Tesamorelin research guide
- Ipamorelin research guide
- CJC-1295 vs Ipamorelin: research comparison
- Tesamorelin gelling and clumping during reconstitution
- CJC-1295 No DAC & Ipamorelin
- COA portal: every published certificate, by lot
This product is for research use only. It has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness in humans. Not for human consumption. All products are intended for laboratory research purposes only.