How do peptides work in the body?

Most peptides work by latching onto a specific receptor (a docking spot) on the surface of a cell. That is the same way the body's own hormones and signal chemicals work. It sets off a chain of events inside the cell. Semaglutide latches onto the GLP-1 receptor to slow digestion and cut appetite. Ipamorelin latches onto the ghrelin receptor to set off a burst of growth hormone. What happens next depends on the receptor it hits, not on the fact that it is a peptide.

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.