Weight loss
A targeted fat-destroying peptide that works like a smart missile, cutting off blood supply to fat cells and causing rapid weight loss in primate studies.
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Adipotide is an experimental weight-loss peptide that destroys the blood vessels feeding fat tissue, causing the fat cells to starve and die. It has produced rapid fat loss in animal studies, including several primate species, but it has not been through human trials. It is a research compound and is not FDA approved.
Adipotide works like a guided missile for fat tissue. It has two parts: a targeting sequence that finds and locks onto blood vessels feeding your fat cells, and a destructive payload that kills those blood vessel cells. When the blood supply to fat tissue gets cut off, the fat cells starve and die. Your body then naturally clears away the dead tissue. This is completely different from diet or exercise, which just shrink fat cells - Adipotide actually eliminates them by destroying their lifeline.
Adipotide (CKGGRAKDC-GG-D(KLAKLAK)2) is a hybrid peptide-like molecule with two parts. The first part, a ring-shaped chain of nine amino acids (CKGGRAKDC), acts as a homing device. It sticks tightly to prohibitin (PHB) and annexin A2 (ANXA2), two proteins found on the inner surface of the blood vessels that feed white fat. The second part, D(KLAKLAK)2, is a man-made peptide that damages mitochondria (the cell's power plants) once it gets inside a cell. After the cell takes it in, this part goes to the mitochondria and triggers release of cytochrome c (a protein that signals the cell to die). This sets off caspases (enzymes that carry out the self-destruct program), and the cell dies by apoptosis (programmed cell death). Only the cells lining fat's blood vessels are hit. When those vessels are destroyed, the fat cells they supply die from lack of blood flow (ischemic necrosis). The selectivity comes from prohibitin: it is highly present on the blood vessels of fat but barely present on blood vessels in other tissues. The D-form of the KLAKLAK sequence (a mirror-image version of the amino acids) resists being broken down by protein-cutting enzymes, which extends its half-life (how long it stays active in your body) in the body to about 24 hours.
Evidence check
Animal studies only — extensive
It has been studied a lot, but in animals, not people. Results in mice or rats often don't carry over to humans.
Every numbered marker on this page links to one of the 5 sources at the bottom.
Fat Elimination
Works by destroying the blood supply to white fat rather than by changing metabolism or appetite signalling. In obese monkeys it produced rapid weight loss and a marked reduction in white adipose tissue confirmed by MRI and DEXA. All of the efficacy evidence is in animals; none of it is human.
Metabolic Improvement
Insulin resistance improved in the obese monkeys treated in the Science Translational Medicine study, and metabolism normalised in the original mouse work. Whether that holds in people is unknown — no human trial has reported metabolic outcomes.
Speed of Results
Fast for a fat-loss compound, in animals: about 10.6% of body weight lost over 28 days at the best-performing dose in obese monkeys. In rodents the fat loss came with no change in energy expenditure and no sign of illness on a conditioned taste aversion test. There is no human timeline — the one registered human study posted no results.
The most-asked question
The research-reported range is No standard dose range on file. Studies used different doses for different situations — find yours:
Research use only
0.10 mg/kg
Adipotide is research-only and has never been approved for people. These numbers come from a dose-finding study in obese monkeys, where the dose was raised step by step every 2 weeks 2. The first-in-man Phase 1 study started lower, at 0.03 mg/kg under the skin once daily for 28 days; it enrolled 4 people and was terminated without posting results 5.
Research use only
0.25 mg/kg
Middle step in the rhesus macaque dose-finding study — not an approved or established human dose. Renal tubular degeneration with elevated creatinine was dose-dependent in those macaques, and this level sits at the point where that injury was observed. The mechanism makes it expected rather than incidental: adipotide is a homing sequence fused to a pro-apoptotic domain, and the kidney accumulates it. 2
Research use only
0.43 mg/kg
This was the best-working ("optimal") dose in obese monkeys, leading to about 10.6% body-weight loss over 28 days. It is from animal research and is not an approved or established human dose. 2
The ceiling: 0.43 mg/kg once daily for no more than 4 weeks
Reconstitution, in plain words
Peptides usually arrive as a freeze-dried powder in a small vial. “Reconstitution” just means adding sterile water back in so you can measure a dose. Here's how it works for Adipotide:
10mg vial + 2mL BAC water = 5mg/mL concentration. For an 80kg person at 0.25 mg/kg dose: 80 x 0.25 = 20mg needed. At 5mg/mL, draw 4mL total (split into multiple injections if needed).
Calculate your dose in mg by multiplying your body weight in kg by the mg/kg dose. Then divide by your concentration to get the volume to inject.
Three quick questions — your vial, your water, your dose — and it tells you the exact syringe mark. “Find dose amount” is preloaded with Adipotide's recorded schedule.
Injection sites & technique
Injection under the skin once daily
Timing
Morning, at a consistent time each day
Can be administered with or without food. Ensure adequate hydration throughout the day.
If using BPC-157 for potential renal support, administer at a different time of day. Avoid combining with other nephrotoxic substances.
The honest list
These show up most often. They usually fade as your body adjusts.
The most consistently observed effect in primate studies, indicating the kidneys are processing the compound.
What to do Monitor with regular blood tests. Usually normalizes within 4 weeks of stopping treatment. Stay well-hydrated.
Mild to moderate protein appearing in urine, reflecting kidney filtration changes.
What to do Monitor with urinalysis. Reduce dose if marked. Ensure adequate hydration.
Glucose appearing in urine even with normal blood sugar, due to effects on kidney tubules.
What to do Monitor blood glucose to ensure it remains normal. Not typically concerning if blood sugar is stable.
Decreased food intake observed in all treated animals - appears to be genuine appetite reduction rather than nausea.
What to do Ensure adequate protein intake despite reduced appetite. This effect contributes to weight loss.
Worth knowing about, but most people never see these.
Can occur especially at higher doses due to increased urination and reduced fluid intake.
What to do Proactively increase water intake. Monitor for signs like dark urine, dry mouth, or dizziness.
Occasional redness, swelling, or discomfort at injection sites.
What to do Rotate injection sites regularly. Clean technique reduces risk. Apply ice if needed.
Rare, but if any of these happen, stop and contact a medical professional.
At doses above the therapeutic range, kidney tubule cells can be affected. This was reversible in all primate studies.
What to do Do not exceed recommended doses. Stop immediately if kidney function tests become significantly abnormal. Effects resolved within 28 days of stopping in studies.
Week by week
Is it right for you?
Adipotide is a research compound without FDA approval. Use only under medical supervision with regular kidney function monitoring. Stop immediately and consult a healthcare provider if you experience any concerning symptoms.
Can compound kidney stress - avoid during Adipotide use
May affect kidney function - monitor closely if combining
Increases dehydration risk significantly - avoid combination
Generally safe but monitor kidney function more frequently
May provide protective effects for kidneys - consider using for support
No known interactions, but avoid adding kidney stress
Both target fat loss through different mechanisms - use caution with combination
Different mechanisms but overlapping goals - not recommended to combine
Highly recommended to keep you hydrated and your minerals in balance
Recommended to protect muscle mass during rapid fat loss
May throw off creatinine tests (a blood test used to check kidney function); consider stopping during treatment
Very high doses may raise the risk of kidney stones; use moderate amounts
Adipotide specifically seeks out and destroys the blood vessels feeding white adipose tissue. Unlike diet or exercise that shrink fat cells, this peptide actually eliminates fat tissue by cutting off its blood supply - a completely unique mechanism.
Because it targets the blood vessels feeding fat tissue directly, Adipotide may be particularly effective for stubborn fat deposits that resist traditional methods. The peptide homes in on prohibitin (a protein found specifically on the blood vessels that supply fat tissue).
Primate studies showed remarkable improvements in insulin sensitivity - treated monkeys used about 50% less insulin after treatment. This makes it interesting for research into obesity-related metabolic dysfunction.
As a pioneering vascular-targeting peptide, Adipotide represents a new class of potential therapeutics. Its unique mechanism of targeting specific tissue vasculature has implications beyond obesity research.
Everything known about adipotide's safety comes from animals. It has been given to mice 1, to mice and rats 4, and to obese monkeys of three different species 2.
The main safety finding is the kidneys. In the monkey study, the doses that worked best also produced changes in the function of the renal proximal tubule — the part of the kidney that reabsorbs what the body needs from filtered blood. Those changes were dose-dependent and they reversed after treatment stopped 2.
The selectivity claim comes from a direct comparison rather than an impression: the same peptide that completely reversed diet-induced obesity in mice on a high-fat diet did not reduce body weight in animals on a low-fat diet 4.
There is no human safety data. One first-in-man Phase 1 study opened in 2012 in men with metastatic prostate cancer and obesity. Four people were enrolled. It was terminated, the registry records the reason as the principal investigator's request rather than a safety finding, and no results have ever been posted 5.
The animal work is real and was published in serious journals — Nature Medicine 1, Science Translational Medicine 2 and Diabetes 4. The monkey study is the one that matters most, because rodent obesity results often fail to translate, and it showed weight loss and improved insulin resistance in a primate 2. But there is no published human trial. The only registered human study enrolled 4 people and closed without posting results 5, so the human safety profile is unknown — including whether the reversible kidney changes seen in monkeys behave the same way in people.
Keeping it good
Store lyophilized powder at -20°C for long-term storage (up to 2 years) or 2-8°C for short-term storage (up to 3 months). Keep in original container protected from light. Do not expose to repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Refrigerate immediately at 2-8°C. Store upright to prevent contamination of the stopper. Use within 14 days of reconstitution. Never freeze reconstituted solution as this will destroy the peptide.
Not our opinion — the published record
2004
This foundational study found that the CKGGRAKDC peptide homes in on the blood vessels that feed white fat by binding prohibitin (a protein on those vessels). When it was linked to a sequence that makes cells die, it destroyed fat tissue in a targeted way and quickly reversed obesity in mice, with no detectable side effects.
Kolonin MG, Saha PK, Chan L, Pasqualini R, Arap W
2011
Obese rhesus monkeys lost an average of 11% of their body weight in just 4 weeks of treatment. MRI scans confirmed a 17-27% drop in white fat tissue. Treated monkeys showed 50% better insulin sensitivity (how well the body responds to insulin). Effects on the kidneys were predictable and fully reversible.
Barnhart KF, Christianson DR, Hanley PW, et al.
2011
This study confirmed that the peptide screening method used to discover Adipotide works. It showed that aiming at markers found only on certain blood vessels can be used as a treatment. The approach could matter beyond obesity, for delivering drugs to exact targets.
Kolonin MG, Pasqualini R, Arap W
2010
Lean and obese mice and rats were given the fat-homing peptide (which makes target cells die) for 4 or 27 days. It completely reversed diet-induced obesity in mice. It lowered body weight in mice and rats on a high-fat diet, but not in animals on a low-fat diet. This comparison is where the selectivity for excess fat comes from. Weight loss happened with no change in energy burned and with less food eaten, and a conditioned taste aversion test (a test for whether animals feel sick) found no sign of illness. All of this is rodent data.
Kim DH, Woods SC, Seeley RJ
2012
The only registered human study of adipotide. It opened in May 2012 in men with prostate cancer that had spread, and obesity. It started at 0.03 mg/kg injected under the skin once daily for 28 days. Four people were enrolled. The record closed in January 2019 with the status TERMINATED and the reason given as "Terminated per PI's request" (the lead researcher's request). The registry does not blame a safety finding for the termination. No results have been posted, so there is no published human efficacy or safety outcome for adipotide.
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
If this isn't the right fit
Your questions
No, Adipotide is currently a research compound only. While it showed impressive results in mice and primate studies, it has not undergone human clinical trials and is not approved by any regulatory agency. It should only be used in research settings.
Most weight loss drugs work by suppressing appetite or blocking fat absorption. Adipotide is unique because it physically destroys fat tissue by targeting and killing the blood vessels that feed fat cells. This is a completely novel mechanism that actually eliminates fat rather than just shrinking fat cells.
In primate studies, kidney effects (elevated creatinine, protein in urine) were dose-dependent and fully reversible within 4 weeks of stopping treatment. However, exceeding recommended doses caused more significant kidney stress. Regular monitoring and staying within studied doses is critical.
In the rhesus monkey studies at the optimal dose, animals lost an average of 11% of their body weight in just 4 weeks. Some individuals lost up to 20%. However, human results may vary, and there are no human trials to reference.
Because Adipotide actually destroys fat tissue rather than just shrinking fat cells, the fat loss may be more permanent than with other methods. However, new fat cells can eventually form if caloric excess continues. Maintaining results requires proper diet and lifestyle.
The kidneys filter the peptide from the blood, and the proapoptotic (cell-killing) portion may have some effect on kidney tubule cells. The targeting sequence has some affinity for kidney tissue as well. This is why dose and duration limits are important.
Interestingly, in primate studies, lean animals given Adipotide did not lose weight. The compound appears to preferentially target excess fat tissue, suggesting it may have built-in selectivity for obese conditions. This selectivity is encouraging for safety.
Blood tests measuring serum creatinine and BUN (blood urea nitrogen) should be done before starting, at week 2, and at week 4. Urinalysis checking for protein and glucose in urine is also recommended. Stop immediately if values become significantly abnormal.
5 sources
Every numbered marker on this page points to one of these. Same sources, same numbering as the Adipotide research profile on Peptide Initiative.
Want the deep science?
Every claim on this page traces back to the research database behind Peptide Initiative — studies, citations, clinical trial data, and the technical detail we deliberately left out here.
Open the research profileThis guide is education, not medical advice. Adipotide is a research compound that is not FDA-approved for human use. Talk to a clinician before taking anything.
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