Cardiovascular · Investigational
Urocortin 1
No lawful US pathway
01 · Overview
Urocortin 1 is a 40-amino acid peptide of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family that binds both CRF receptor 1 and CRF receptor 2, so unlike urocortins 2 and 3 it also activates the stress axis (PMID 12970163). Through CRF receptor 2 in the heart it has been linked to protection against ischemia and reperfusion injury in animal models (PMID 12970163).
Its cardiovascular profile includes vasodilation and increased contractility in preclinical studies.
02 · Research summary & key findings
In the one published human infusion study, intravenous urocortin 1 in eight healthy men raised ACTH, cortisol, and atrial natriuretic peptide and suppressed ghrelin, but produced no hemodynamic or renal effects at the dose tested (PMID 15001641). Cardiovascular benefit therefore rests on animal work, where CRF receptor 2 activation was cardioprotective in rodent ischemia-reperfusion models (PMID 12970163). No efficacy trials in heart failure patients with urocortin 1 have been published, and clinical development has focused on the CRF2-selective urocortins 2 and 3 instead.
03 · Regulatory status
Urocortin 1 is in the investigational stage. While preclinical and early-phase data exist, it has not received regulatory approval for clinical use in the United States.
No lawful pathway today
Urocortin 1 is not FDA-approved and does not currently have a lawful prescription or compounding pathway in the United States, so we do not sell it and will not book a consultation for it. That can change: in 2026 FDA began reviewing several peptides for compounding.
See the 4 FDA-approved compounds in Cardiovascular
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04 · Administration routes
- Intravenous
References
- [1]Urocortin-II and urocortin-III are cardioprotective against ischemia reperfusion injury: an essential endogenous cardioprotective role for corticotropin releasing factor receptor type 2 in the murine heart Endocrinology, 2004. PMID 12970163
- [2]Urocortin-1 infusion in normal humans J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2004. PMID 15001641
Primary literature
- PubMed: "Urocortin 1"
Peer-reviewed literature indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: "Urocortin 1"
Registered interventional and observational studies, including status and phase.
- PubChem: "Urocortin 1"
Chemical structure, molecular properties, and bioactivity data.
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