How do peptides work in the body?

Most peptides work by binding a specific receptor on a cell's surface, the same way the hormones and signaling molecules your body already makes do, triggering a cascade inside the cell. Semaglutide binds the GLP-1 receptor to slow digestion and reduce appetite. Ipamorelin binds the ghrelin receptor to trigger a pulse of growth hormone. The receptor targeted, not the fact that it is a peptide, determines what happens next.

Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use.

Part of research peptides, the category. What research peptides are, legally and practically, before getting into specific compounds.