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HGH Fragment 176-191

HGH Fragment 176-191 is a lab-made copy of the last 16 amino acids of human growth hormone. It is sold for fat loss and is often treated as the same thing as AOD-9604, but the two differ at the first amino acid: this fragment starts with phenylalanine, AOD-9604 with tyrosine. The human trials people cite were done with AOD-9604, not with this fragment.

Not approved · research onlyWADA Prohibited at all times (S2.2.3, growth hormone fragment)Checked October 2026
Open the HGH Fragment 176-191 calculatorSources

Approval status

No regulator has approved it for any use. WADA names it on the 2026 Prohibited List as a growth hormone fragment, banned at all times. Reviews often treat it as AOD-9604, which is also unapproved.78

What it’s used or studied for

  • Animal & lab only

    In rat studies from 1978 it caused a short rise in blood sugar, a longer rise in insulin and lower insulin sensitivity.3

  • Animal & lab only

    Tested in lab cells as an add-on to nanoparticles carrying the cancer drug doxorubicin; the mix was more toxic to breast cancer cells.6

  • No studies

    Sold for fat loss, but this exact fragment has not been tested for it; obese-mouse studies used the related fragments hGH 177–191 and AOD-9604.45

Each label shows how strong the evidence is: an approved use, human studies, animal or lab studies only, or a popular claim with no published studies. Being studied is not the same as being proven safe or effective.

Side effects

No published human studies of this exact fragment were found, so its side effects in people are unknown. Human safety data exist only for the related AOD-9604. In rats it raised blood sugar and insulin.38

Cautions

  • Human trial results often quoted for this fragment come from AOD-9604, a different peptide, which did not cause meaningful weight loss.81

Sources

  1. UniProt P01241: Somatotropin (human growth hormone)
  2. PubChem: hGH fragment 176-191, free peptide (CID 172966177; parent of the named acetate record CID 172966176)
  3. Ng FM, Bornstein J. Hyperglycemic action of synthetic C-terminal fragments of human growth hormone. Am J Physiol. 1978
  4. Natera SH et al. Reduction of cumulative body weight gain and adipose tissue mass in obese mice: response to chronic treatment with synthetic hGH 177-191 peptide. Biochem Mol Biol Int. 1994
  5. Heffernan MA et al. Increase of fat oxidation and weight loss in obese mice caused by chronic treatment with human growth hormone or a modified C-terminal fragment. Int J Obes. 2001
  6. Habibullah MM et al. Human growth hormone fragment 176-191 peptide enhances the toxicity of doxorubicin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2022
  7. WADA 2026 Prohibited List
  8. Dominikowski A et al. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF1 axis. Front Endocrinol. 2026

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