Peptide Glossary

Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature. It is a tightly regulated physiological process…

Autophagy (from Greek: "self-eating") is a conserved cellular process in which damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and other cytoplasmic…

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a protein belonging to the neurotrophin family that plays a critical role in…

Bioavailability is the fraction of an administered compound that reaches systemic circulation in its active form. For peptides,…

Cytoprotection refers to cellular mechanisms and processes that protect cells from harmful stimuli including oxidative stress, inflammation, ischaemia,…

The Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor (GHSR), also known as the ghrelin receptor, is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)…

Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP), also known as gastric inhibitory polypeptide, is a 42-amino-acid incretin hormone secreted by K-cells…

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a 30/31-amino-acid incretin hormone produced by intestinal L-cells in response to food intake. It…

Growth Hormone (GH), also called somatotropin, is a 191-amino-acid polypeptide hormone synthesised and secreted by somatotroph cells in…

Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) is a 70-amino-acid polypeptide hormone structurally similar to insulin. It is primarily produced…

The IGF-1 Axis (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 Axis) is a signalling cascade that links growth hormone secretion to…

An incretin is a metabolic hormone released by the gastrointestinal tract in response to nutrient ingestion that potentiates…

Lyophilisation (freeze-drying) is the process of removing water from a peptide formulation by freezing it and then reducing…

The melanocortin system is a neuroendocrine signalling network centred on five melanocortin receptors (MC1R–MC5R) and their peptide ligands…

Myostatin (also called Growth Differentiation Factor 8, GDF-8) is a member of the TGF-β superfamily that acts as…

Neuroprotection refers to mechanisms and strategies that preserve neuronal structure and function against damage from injury, disease, or…

A peptide bond is the covalent chemical bond formed between the carboxyl group (-COOH) of one amino acid…

Peptide half-life refers to the time required for the concentration of a peptide in the body to decrease…

Pharmacokinetics (PK) is the study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolises, and excretes a compound over time.…

Preclinical refers to the stage of research conducted before a compound enters human clinical trials. This phase encompasses…

Receptor affinity describes how strongly a ligand (such as a peptide) binds to its target receptor. It is…

Reconstitution is the process of dissolving a lyophilised (freeze-dried) peptide powder back into solution for research use. It…

A secretagogue is a substance that stimulates the secretion of another substance. In peptide research, the term most…

Senescence is the process by which cells permanently cease dividing while remaining metabolically active. Unlike apoptosis (programmed cell…

Subcutaneous (SubQ) injection is the administration of a compound into the fatty tissue layer between the skin and…

Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences (TTAGGG in humans) capping the ends of chromosomes that protect genetic material from…