Synthetic peptides having pituitary growth hormone releasing activity

Abstract

Novel pentapeptides having the following amino acid sequence X--Y--Z--E--G--J--L wherein X is selected from a group consisting of --NH.sub.2, --NHCH.sub.3, and --N(CH.sub.3).sub.2 ; Y and G are independently selected from a group consisting of tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine; Z is selected from a group consisting of D-tyrosine, D-tryptophan, and D-phenylalanine; E is selected from a group consisting of glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, methionine, and isoleucine; J is selected from a group consisting of glycine, alanine, D-alanine, valine, D-valine, leucine, D-leucine, isoleucine, D-isoleucine, proline, D-proline, hydroxyproline, D-hydroxyproline, serine, D-serine, threonine, D-threonine, cysteine, D-cysteine, methionine, and D-methionine; and L is a C-terminal functional group selected from a group consisting of amide, amide lower alkyl, amide di(lower alkyl), lower alkoxy, hydroxy, and carboxy and the lower ester derivatives thereof; and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These peptides act directly on the pituitary to release growth hormone therefrom.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.