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Hexarelin with MK-677

Mechanism-tag overlap and published literature for Hexarelin and MK-677, pulled verbatim from each Kalios compound profile. Kalios is a literature reference, not a recommendation.

Mechanism overlap

Mechanism tags are verbatim labels on each compound's profile. Generic tags ("peptide", "small-molecule", "research-chemical") are excluded from this overlap view. Tags are descriptive — not an inference about combined effect.

HEXARELIN MK-677 2 UNIQUE TAGS 1 UNIQUE TAGS 0 SHARED
Hexarelin unique ghrpgrowth-hormone-releasing-peptide
Shared none
MK-677 unique oral-ghrelin-receptor-agonist

Co-administration notes from the literature

Verbatim summary text pulled from each compound's profile data. Researchers studying Hexarelin and MK-677 have published these mechanism-level observations. Not a co-administration recommendation.

Evidence level: mechanistic only

Both act at GHSR-1a; combining them amplifies GH-axis stimulation and compounds side-effect burden. Generally NOT recommended as a stack. Rotate rather than combine.

Quick facts

Hexarelin

RouteSubQ / IV / IM / IN / oral
Half-life~70 min (plasma)
FDA statusNot approved; Category 2
WADABanned (S2)
Full Hexarelin profile →

MK-677

RouteOral (not a peptide)
Half-life~4–6 hr (oral)
FDA statusNot approved; WADA banned
WADANot listed
Full MK-677 profile →

Literature table

Classified references from each compound profile. Click a column header to sort. Click a PMID to open PubMed. Findings are quoted verbatim from each profile's literature_summary; nothing here is added or interpreted.

Year Compound Source Finding
2004HexarelinFrieboes RM, Antonijevic IA, Held K, Murck H, Pollmächer T, Schuld A, Steiger A. Hexarelin decreases slow-wave sleep and stimulates the secretion of GH, ACTH, cortisol and prolactin during sleep in healthy volunteers. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004;29(6):728-739. PMID: 15177700. PMID 15177700human study
2003HexarelinBroglio F, Gottero C, Benso A, Prodam F, Destefanis S, Gauna C, Maccario M, Deghenghi R, van der Lely AJ, Ghigo E. Effects of ghrelin on the insulin and glycemic responses to glucose, arginine, or free fatty acids load in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003;88(9):4268-4272. PM… PMID 12970297human study
1999HexarelinPopovic V, Damjanovic S, Micic D, Djurovic M, Petakov M, Dieguez C, Casanueva FF. Low dose hexarelin and growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone as a diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of GH deficiency in adults: comparison with insulin-induced hypoglycemia test. J Clin Endocrinol… PMID 10443652human study
1999HexarelinGiordano R, Picu A, Broglio F, Bonelli L, Baldi M, Berardelli R, Ghigo E, Arvat E. Corticotropin-releasing effect of hexarelin, a peptidyl GH secretagogue, in normal subjects pretreated with metyrapone or RU-486. J Endocrinol Invest. 1999;22(9):617-622. PMID: 10516483. PMID 10516483human study
1994HexarelinImbimbo BP, Mant T, Edwards M, Amin D, Dalton N, Boutignon F, Lenaerts V, Wüthrich P, Deghenghi R. Growth hormone-releasing activity of hexarelin in humans. A dose-response study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1994;46(5):421-425. PMID: 7957536. PMID 7957536human study
2000HexarelinTorsello A, Locatelli V, Melis MR, Succu S, Spano MS, Deghenghi R, Müller EE, Argiolas A. Differential orexigenic effects of hexarelin and its analogs in the rat hypothalamus: indication for multiple growth hormone secretagogue receptor subtypes. Neuroendocrinology. 2000;72(6):3… PMID 11146416preclinical, in vivo
1999HexarelinLocatelli V, Rossoni G, Schweiger F, Torsello A, De Gennaro Colonna V, Bernareggi M, Deghenghi R, Müller EE, Berti F. Growth hormone-independent cardioprotective effects of hexarelin in the rat. Endocrinology. 1999;140(9):4024-4031. PMID: 10465271. PMID 10465271preclinical, in vivo
2026HexarelinWADA. 2026 Prohibited List. Section S2 — Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics. World Anti-Doping Agency.regulatory / registry
2004HexarelinDemers A, McNicoll N, Febbraio M, Servant M, Marleau S, Silverstein R, Ong H. Identification of the growth hormone-releasing peptide binding site in CD36: a photoaffinity cross-linking study. Biochem J. 2004;382(Pt 2):417-424. PMID: 15285719. PMID 15285719research article
2002HexarelinBodart V, Febbraio M, Demers A, McNicoll N, Pohankova P, Perreault A, Sejlitz T, Escher E, Silverstein RL, Lamontagne D, Ong H. CD36 mediates the cardiovascular action of growth hormone-releasing peptides in the heart. Circ Res. 2002;90(8):844-849. PMID: 11988484. PMID 11988484research article
2000HexarelinChen C. Growth hormone secretagogue actions on the pituitary gland: multiple receptors for multiple ligands? Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2000;27(5-6):323-329. PMID: 10779119. PMID 10779119research article
1999HexarelinImbimbo BP, Greco F, Marchiaro F, Mantovani V, Rocchi R, Ongini E. The effects of dose, nutrition, and age on hexarelin-induced anterior pituitary hormone secretion in adult patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Nephron. 1999;82(2):147-156. PMID: 10199757. PMID 10199757research article
2011MK-677Adunsky A, Chandler J, Heyden N, Lutkiewicz J, Scott BB, Berd Y, Liu N, Papanicolaou DA. MK-0677 (ibutamoren mesylate) for the treatment of patients recovering from hip fracture: A multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIb study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2011;53(2):183… PMID 20855119human trial
2008MK-677Nass R, Pezzoli SS, Oliveri MC, Patrie JT, Harrell FE Jr, Clasey JL, Heymsfield SB, Bach MA, Vance ML, Thorner MO. Effects of an oral ghrelin mimetic on body composition and clinical outcomes in healthy older adults: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(9):601-611. PMID:… PMID 18981485human trial
2005MK-677Khojasteh-Bakht SC, Jones HM, Hirota T, Chen J, Lin DC, Harms AC, Vicini P, Cutler DL, Lalovic B. Pharmacokinetics of ibutamoren mesylate (MK-677) in healthy subjects. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2005;59(5):595-602.human study
2004MK-677Bach MA, Rockwood K, Zetterberg C, Thamsborg G, Hébert R, Devogelaer JP, Christiansen JS, Aspray TJ, Boonen S, Dalsky G, Dietz F, Dressler DE, Lang T, Papanicolaou DA. The effects of MK-0677, an oral growth hormone secretagogue, in patients with hip fracture. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2…human study
1999MK-677Murphy MG, Bach MA, Plotkin D, Bolognese J, Thompson J, Lichtlen P, Sullivan P, Walton H, Ying S, Daifotis AG. Oral administration of the growth hormone secretagogue MK-677 increases markers of bone turnover in healthy and functionally impaired elderly adults. J Bone Miner Res.…human study
1998MK-677Svensson J, Lönn L, Jansson JO, Murphy G, Wyss D, Krupa D, Cerchio K, Polvino W, Gertz B, Boseaus I, Sjöström L, Bengtsson BA. Two-month treatment of obese subjects with the oral growth hormone (GH) secretagogue MK-677 increases GH secretion, fat-free mass, and energy expenditur… PMID 9661080human study
1996MK-677Chapman IM, Bach MA, Van Cauter E, Farmer M, Krupa D, Taylor AM, Schilling LM, Cole KY, Skiles EH, Pezzoli SS, Hartman ML, Veldhuis JD, Gormley GJ, Thorner MO. Stimulation of the growth hormone (GH)-insulin-like growth factor I axis by daily oral administration of a GH secretogo… PMID 8954023human study
2025MK-677WADA. 2025 Prohibited List. Section S2 — Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics. World Anti-Doping Agency.regulatory / registry
2025MK-677FDA. Bulk Drug Substances That Raise Significant Safety Risks (Category 2). Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee. Updated 2025.regulatory / registry
2020MK-677Shiimura Y, Horita S, Hamamoto A, Asada H, Hirata K, Tanaka M, Mori K, Uemura T, Kobayashi T, Iwata S, Kojima M. Structure of an antagonist-bound ghrelin receptor reveals possible ghrelin recognition mode. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):4160. PMID: 32814772. PMID 32814772research article
2018MK-677Sigalos JT, Pastuszak AW. The Safety and Efficacy of Growth Hormone Secretagogues. Sex Med Rev. 2018;6(1):45-53. PMID: 28870384. PMID 28870384research article
2001MK-677Murphy MG, Weiss S, McClung M, Schnitzer T, Cerchio K, Connor J, Krupa D, Gertz BJ. Effect of alendronate and MK-677 (a growth hormone secretagogue), individually and in combination, on markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. J Cli… PMID 11238495research article

Related pair pages

More research context

Frequently asked

Have Hexarelin and MK-677 been studied together?

Researchers have published mechanistic-level co-administration discussion of Hexarelin and MK-677. No human co-administration trials are catalogued in the Kalios profiles. The pair page lists each compound's classified literature; full citations sit on each individual profile.

What mechanisms do Hexarelin and MK-677 share?

Hexarelin and MK-677 do not share a specific mechanism tag on their Kalios profiles. They appear on the same pair page because at least one profile lists the other in its co-administration data.

What is the FDA status of Hexarelin and MK-677?

Hexarelin: Not approved; Category 2. MK-677: Not approved; WADA banned. FDA-status text is pulled verbatim from each compound profile. See /fda-pcac-2026.html for the broader FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee context.

Where can I find the full research on Hexarelin and MK-677?

Full citation lists, dosing tables from the literature, reconstitution data, and the FDA / WADA status are on the individual compound profiles: the Hexarelin profile and the MK-677 profile. The Kalios Stack Research Tool hub lists every compound covered.

Last updated: April 2026