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| Formula | C30H39FN4O4 |
| Molar mass | 538.664 g·mol−1 |
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Ulimorelin (INN, USAN) (developmental code name TZP-101) is a drug with a modified cyclic peptide structure which acts as a selective agonist of the ghrelin/growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR-1a). [1] Unlike many related drugs, ulimorelin has little or no effect on growth hormone (GH) release in rats. [2] However, like ghrelin and other ghrelin agonists, ulimorelin does stimulate GH release with concomitant increases in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in humans. [3] It has been researched for enhancing gastrointestinal motility, especially in gastroparesis [4] and in aiding recovery of bowel function following gastrointestinal surgery, where opioid analgesic drugs used for post-operative pain relief may worsen existing constipation. [5] [6] [7] [8] While ulimorelin has been shown to increase both upper and lower gastrointestinal motility in rats, [8] and showed promising results initially in humans, [4] [6] it failed in pivotal clinical trials in post operative ileus. [7]
A common side effect of ghrelin is reduced blood pressure. Ulimorelin has been shown to inhibit vasoconstriction of rat arteries in vitro elicited by the α1-adrenoceptors agonists phenylephrine and methoxamine, and to increase artery tension at high concentrations. [9] Effects on blood pressure, however, were not observed in human clinical trials. [4] [7]