Cardiovascular · Investigational
Urocortin 2
No lawful US pathway
01 · Overview
Urocortin 2 is a 38-amino acid member of the corticotropin-releasing factor family that is selective for CRF receptor 2 (PMID 12970163). In the heart this receptor mediates increased contractility and protection against ischemia and reperfusion injury, with signaling through cyclic AMP and ERK1/2 pathways (PMID 12970163).
Its receptor selectivity distinguishes it from urocortin 1 and limits activation of the hypothalamic stress axis (PMID 12970163).
02 · Research summary & key findings
In animal work, urocortin 2 protected cardiomyocytes and isolated rat hearts from ischemia-reperfusion injury and reduced infarct size (PMID 12970163). In humans, intravenous urocortin 2 in eight men with chronic heart failure increased cardiac output and ejection fraction while lowering blood pressure and vascular resistance (PMID 17720993), and in the randomized UNICORN study of 53 patients with acute decompensated heart failure it raised cardiac output and lowered peripheral resistance, with a transient fall in renal indices (PMID 24621976). It also caused forearm vasodilation in patients and healthy subjects (PMID 27275843). No outcome trials have been completed.
03 · Regulatory status
Urocortin 2 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 2 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 2 infusion in human heart failure Eur Heart J, 2007. PMID 17720993
- [3]Urocortin-2 infusion in acute decompensated heart failure: findings from the UNICORN study (urocortin-2 in the treatment of acute heart failure as an adjunct over conventional therapy) JACC Heart Fail, 2013. PMID 24621976
- [4]Cardiovascular effects of urocortin 2 and urocortin 3 in patients with chronic heart failure Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2016. PMID 27275843
Primary literature
- PubMed: "Urocortin 2"
Peer-reviewed literature indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: "Urocortin 2"
Registered interventional and observational studies, including status and phase.
- PubChem: "Urocortin 2"
Chemical structure, molecular properties, and bioactivity data.
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