Somatostatin
Somatostatin-14
Somatostatin Explained
Somatostatin is a natural hormone your body makes in several places—your brain, pancreas, stomach, and immune cells. Think of it as your body's "brake pedal" for growth and digestion. People use synthetic versions of it medically to treat conditions like tumors that overproduce hormones, because somatostatin can shut down excessive hormone release.
Here's how it actually works: When somatostatin shows up, it attaches to special receptors scattered throughout your body like locks waiting for the right key. In your pituitary gland, it hits the brakes on growth hormone and thyroid hormone, essentially limiting how much of these gets released. In your pancreas, it dampens both insulin and glucagon, keeping your blood sugar balanced. In your stomach and intestines, it slows down acid production, digestion speed, and enzyme release—basically calming your whole digestive system down.
The tricky part is that somatostatin disappears incredibly fast, lasting only one to three minutes in your bloodstream. That's why doctors use longer-lasting synthetic versions in real treatments. Your body naturally juggles somatostatin (the brake) against other hormones like ghrelin (the gas pedal), and this back-and-forth determines how much growth hormone gets released in pulses throughout your day. It's basically your body's volume control for growth.
Dosage Information
Typical Dose
Reference compound — see octreotide for therapeutic analog dosing
Frequency
N/A for native somatostatin
Administration
Reference compound
Half-Life
1–3 minutes
Notes
Native somatostatin has a 1-3 minute half-life making it impractical therapeutically. Octreotide and lanreotide are the clinical analogs. This entry provides mechanistic context for the GH axis and GH secretagogue peptide class.
Why this matters
Extremely short; clinical analogs (octreotide) extend half-life to hours.
Where does Somatostatin sit?
See how this peptide compares across all 150 peptides in our database.
Evidence Score
0.67
Compound Data
Molecular Formula
C76H104N18O19S2
Molecular Weight
1637.90 g/mol
IUPAC Name
(4R,7S,10S,13S,16S,19S,22S,25S,28S,31S,34S,37R)-19,34-bis(4-aminobutyl)-31-(2-amino-2-oxoethyl)-37-[[2-[[(2S)-2-aminopropanoyl]amino]acetyl]amino]-13,25,28-tribenzyl-10,16-bis[(1R)-1-hydroxyethyl]-7-(hydroxymethyl)-22-(1H-indol-3-ylmethyl)-6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27,30,33,36-undecaoxo-1,2-dithia-5,8,11,14,17,20,23,26,29,32,35-undecazacyclooctatriacontane-4-carboxylic acid
PubChem CID
16129706Potential Side Effects
Somatostatin discussions
Quick Facts
- Administration
- Reference compound
- Typical Dose
- Reference compound — see octreotide for therapeutic analog dosing
- Frequency
- N/A for native somatostatin
- References
- 0 curated + 34 from PubMed
- Clinical Trials
- 49 registered
- Evidence Score
- 0.7 / 100
Frequently Asked Questions about Somatostatin
What is Somatostatin?
Somatostatin is a 14-amino-acid cyclic peptide hormone produced throughout the body — in the hypothalamus pancreas gastrointestinal tract and immune cells — that functions as a broad inhibitory hormone regulating growth hormone insulin glucagon and numerous digestive secretions. It is FDA-approved as octreotide (a synthetic analog) for acromegaly carcinoid tumors and other neuroendocrine tumors. Understanding somatostatin provides essential context for GH secretagogue peptides since somatostatin is the primary physiological brake on GH release that GHRPs and GHRHs work against.
How does Somatostatin work?
Somatostatin acts through five G-protein-coupled receptors (SSTR1-5) distributed throughout the body. In the pituitary it inhibits GH and TSH secretion — the primary mechanism limiting GH pulse amplitude. In the pancreas it inhibits both insulin and glucagon secretion providing glucose homeostasis. In the GI tract it reduces gastric acid secretion slows intestinal motility and inhibits digestive enzyme and hormone release. Somatostatin's short half-life (1-3 minutes) necessitated the development of longer-acting analogs like octreotide and lanreotide for therapeutic use. The interplay between somatostatin (inhibitory) and GHRH plus ghrelin (stimulatory) determines the amplitude and frequency of GH pulses — understanding this axis is essential for optimizing GH secretagogue protocols.
What is the recommended dosage for Somatostatin?
The typical dose is Reference compound — see octreotide for therapeutic analog dosing. N/A for native somatostatin. Administration: Reference compound. Native somatostatin has a 1-3 minute half-life making it impractical therapeutically. Octreotide and lanreotide are the clinical analogs. This entry provides mechanistic context for the GH axis and GH secretagogue peptide class.
What are the side effects of Somatostatin?
N/A for native somatostatin — see octreotide for analog side effects. Class effects include GI symptoms and glucose dysregulation
Questions reflect common community inquiries. This is not medical advice.