What is TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone)?

A 3-amino-acid hypothalamic hormone (protirelin) that triggers TSH and prolactin release.

TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone) in the library · · Human Trials · What are peptides?

9 registered trials · 423 indexed papers · 456 human / 216 animal studies

From the PeptideWhiz library entry. "As described" sections summarize claims made in the sources; they are not PeptideWhiz endorsements.

What it is

A 3-amino-acid hypothalamic hormone (protirelin) that triggers TSH and prolactin release.

Type: Peptide hormone.

Definition (National Library of Medicine)

“A tripeptide that stimulates the release of thyrotropin and prolactin. It is synthesized by the neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. After being released into the pituitary portal circulation, trh (was called trf) stimulates the release of tsh and prl from the anterior pituitary gland.”

MeSH: Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone

Human research

The registered human trials and peer-reviewed human studies linked below are listed from ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed. A study is linked only when TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone) is one of its interventions, or is named in the study title or subject headings.

Listing a study does not mean it showed a benefit, and it is not medical advice.

Registered human trials (9)

Trial	Phase	Status	Year	Enrolled
LIRRH Trial for the Right-sided Colon Cancer		recruiting	2025	120
LISH Trial for the Hepatic Flexure and Proximal Transverse Colon Cancer		recruiting	2023	568
Study of Resistance to Thyroid Hormone After Long-term Exposure in People With Thyroid Cancer	Phase 1	withdrawn	2021
Thyroid Function in Critically Ill Patients With Acute Kidney Injury		completed	2019	32
Mechanistic Study of Subclinical Hypothyroidism In the Elderly		completed	2015	14
Evaluation of Synthetic Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH) as a Treatment for Cancer-related Fatigue	Phase 2	terminated	2006	11
Study of Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone in Normal Volunteers and in Patients With Thyroid or Pituitary Abnormalities	Phase 2	completed	2003	96
Study of Antenatal Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone in Women in Premature Labor to Prevent Lung Disease in Preterm Infants		completed	1998	996
Phase III Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Antenatal Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone in Pregnant Women With Threatened Premature Delivery	Phase 3	completed	1993	1090

Peer-reviewed studies (423)

Paper	Authors	Journal	Year	Type
Bexarotene-induced central hypothyroidism assessed by TRH stimulation test in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma patients	Toi N et al.	Endocrine journal	2022	Observational Study
Effects of intravenous thyrotropin-releasing hormone on (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in human brown adipose tissue: a randomized controlled trial	Heinen CA et al.	European journal of endocrinology	2018	Randomized Controlled Trial
Pituitary response to thyrotropin releasing hormone in children with overweight and obesity	Rijks J et al.	Scientific reports	2016	Clinical Trial
Thyroid hormones are needed to sustain "inappropriately" normal TSH during non-thyroidal illness syndrome: a clinical observation in severely ill patients with primary hypothyroidism	Lado-Abeal J	Neuro endocrinology letters	2015	Observational Study
The dynamic pituitary response to escalating-dose TRH stimulation test in hypothyroid patients treated with liothyronine or levothyroxine replacement therapy	Yavuz S et al.	The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism	2013	Randomized Controlled Trial
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone as a treatment for cancer-related fatigue: a randomized controlled study	Kamath J et al.	Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer	2012	Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of ghrelin and thyrotropin-releasing hormone on prolactin secretion in normal women	Messini CI et al.	Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme	2010	Clinical Trial
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone can relieve cancer-related fatigue: hypothesis and preliminary observations	Kamath J et al.	The Journal of international medical research	2009	Clinical Trial, Phase II
[Clinical and immunobiochemical study of efficacy and stress-protective properties of thyroliberin at the acute stage of carotid ischemic stroke]	Skvortsova VI et al.	Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova	2006	Randomized Controlled Trial
Endocrine function is altered in chronic migraine patients with medication-overuse	Rainero I et al.	Headache	2006	Clinical Trial
Rapid antidepressant response after nocturnal TRH administration in patients with bipolar type I and bipolar type II major depression	Szuba MP et al.	Journal of clinical psychopharmacology	2005	Randomized Controlled Trial
Simultaneous use of thyrotropin-releasing hormone test and combined dexamethasone/corticotropine-releasing hormone test for severity evaluation and outcome prediction in patients with major depressive disorder	Isogawa K et al.	Journal of psychiatric research	2005	Clinical Trial
Acute hyperglycemia and activation of the beta-adrenergic system do not exhibit synergistic inhibitory actions on thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-induced thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) secretion	Park C et al.	Endocrine journal	2005	Randomized Controlled Trial
The influence of 4-week treatment with sertraline on the combined T3/TRH test in depressed patients	Schüle C et al.	European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience	2005	Clinical Trial
The combined T3/TRH test in depressed patients and healthy controls	Schüle C et al.	Psychoneuroendocrinology	2005	Clinical Trial
The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis and melatonin in humans: possible interactions in the control of body temperature	Mazzoccoli G et al.	Neuro endocrinology letters	2004	Clinical Trial
Relationship between mood and TSH response to TRH stimulation in bipolar affective disorder	Larsen JK et al.	Psychoneuroendocrinology	2004	Clinical Trial
Raloxifene decreases serum IGF-I in male patients with active acromegaly	Dimaraki EV et al.	European journal of endocrinology	2004	Clinical Trial
Effects of antidepressant treatment on thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation, growth hormone response to L-DOPA, and dexamethasone suppression tests in major depressive patients	Esel E et al.	Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry	2004	Clinical Trial
Thyroid indices and response to fluoxetine and nortriptyline in major depression	Gendall KA et al.	Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)	2003	Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of kelp supplementation on thyroid function in euthyroid subjects	Clark CD et al.	Endocrine practice : official journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists	2003	Randomized Controlled Trial
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone administration does not affect seizure threshold during electroconvulsive therapy	Zervas IM et al.	The journal of ECT	2003	Controlled Clinical Trial
[A quantitative evaluation of spinocerebellar degeneration by an acoustic analysis--the effect of taltirelin hydrate on patients with Machado-Joseph disease]	Shirasaki H et al.	Rinsho shinkeigaku = Clinical neurology	2003	Clinical Trial
Thyroxine treatment modified in infertile women according to thyroxine-releasing hormone testing: 5 year follow-up of 283 women referred after exclusion of absolute causes of infertility	Raber W et al.	Human reproduction (Oxford, England)	2003	Clinical Trial
Panic-related responses to pentagastrin, flumazenil, and thyrotropin-releasing hormone in healthy volunteers	Zedkova L et al.	Depression and anxiety	2003	Randomized Controlled Trial
Disturbances in hypothalamo pituitary adrenal and thyroid axis identify different sleep EEG patterns in major depressed patients	Staner L et al.	Journal of psychiatric research	2003	Clinical Trial
Apparent increase in type I 5'-deiodinase activity induced by antiepileptic medication in mentally retarded subjects	Premachandra BN et al.	Hormone research	2002	Clinical Trial
Long-term effects of the substituted benzamide derivative amisulpride on baseline and stimulated prolactin levels	Schlösser R et al.	Neuropsychobiology	2002	Randomized Controlled Trial
The effects of sub-chronic administration of hydrocortisone on hormonal and psychological responses to L-tryptophan in normal male volunteers	Porter RJ et al.	Psychopharmacology	2002	Randomized Controlled Trial
Influence of long term erythropoietin therapy on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in patients undergoing capd	Tokgöz B et al.	Renal failure	2002	Clinical Trial

More cited research

Conditions researched

Related compounds

FAQ

What is TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone)?

A 3-amino-acid hypothalamic hormone (protirelin) that triggers TSH and prolactin release.

How many registered human trials study TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone)?

The PeptideWhiz trial index lists 9 registered trials for TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone), the most recent from 2025.

How much published research exists on TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone)?

The PeptideWhiz paper index links 423 PubMed papers to TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone); by study type, 456 human and 216 animal studies.

Which conditions is TRH (Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone) researched for?

Concussion, traumatic brain injury & stroke recovery, Dementia, Alzheimer's & cognitive decline, Endometriosis, Fat loss, obesity & body recomposition, Fatigue & low energy (incl. midlife), Female fertility, Insulin resistance, prediabetes & type 2 diabetes, Kidney protection (CKD, diabetic kidney, lupus kidney), Low testosterone (without or alongside TRT), Migraine, Muscle gain, sarcopenia & building muscle after 40, Pancreatitis (after the acute phase), Parkinson's disease, Pregnancy and breastfeeding: safety notes, Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Skin, hair loss, wounds & mast-cell/histamine reactivity, Sleep problems (incl. insomnia on peptides), Thyroid problems.

Research and education only. Not medical advice. No dosing guidance. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov registry and PubMed via the PeptideWhiz index (204,289 studies).

Reported dosing ranges from research