Histrelin acetate, sold under the brand name Supprelin among others, is a nonapeptide analogue of

gonadotropin-releasing hormone Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a releasing hormone responsible for the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior pituitary. GnRH is a tropic peptide hormone synthesized and rele ...

(GnRH) with added potency. When present in the bloodstream, it acts on particular cells of the

pituitary gland The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, the pituitary gland is located at the base of the human brain, brain, protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus contr ...

called

gonadotrope 1. Introduction Gonadotropic cells (also known as gonadotropes, gonadotrophs, delta cells, or delta basophils) are endocrine cells in the anterior pituitary that produce gonadotropins. More specifically, gonadotrophs produce and secrete glyco ...

s. Histrelin stimulates these cells to release

luteinizing hormone Luteinizing hormone (LH, also known as luteinising hormone, lutropin and sometimes lutrophin) is a hormone produced by gonadotropic cells in the anterior pituitary gland. The production of LH is regulated by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (G ...

and

follicle-stimulating hormone Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a gonadotropin, a glycoprotein polypeptide hormone. FSH is synthesized and secreted by the gonadotropic cells of the anterior pituitary gland and regulates the development, growth, puberty, pubertal maturat ...

. Thus it is considered a

gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist A gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist) is a type of medication which affects gonadotropins and sex hormones. They are used for a variety of indications including in fertility medicine and to lower sex hormone levels in the tre ...

or GnRH

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...

Medical uses

Histrelin is used to treat hormone-sensitive cancers of the

prostate The prostate is an male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found in all male mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemica ...

in men and

uterine fibroids Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas, fibromyoma or fibroids, are leiomyoma, benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus, part of the female reproductive system. Most people with fibroids have no symptoms while others may have dysm ...

in women. In addition, histrelin has been proven to be highly effective in treating central

precocious puberty In medicine, precocious puberty is puberty occurring at an unusually early age. In most cases, the process is normal in every aspect except the unusually early age and simply represents a variation of normal development. There is early developm ...

in children. It is available as a daily intramuscular injection. Histrelin is also available in a 12-month subcutaneous implant (Vantas) for the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer, since 2005 in the US, and since January 2010 in the UK. A 12-month subcutaneous implant (Supprelin LA) for central precocious puberty (CPP) was approved in May 2007, by the US

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

. Histrelin can be part of the primary care protocol in transgender children/youth, which is an

off-label use Off-label use is the use of pharmaceutical drugs for an unapproved indication or in an unapproved age group, dosage, or route of administration. Both prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs (OTCs) can be used in off-label ways, although mo ...

in the USA and the UK, and is used in suppressing cis-sex puberty, until the patient is ready to begin cross-sex hormonal therapy. It is also sometimes prescribed to transgender adults who benefit from having their sex hormone production halted. In this application, patients often keep the implant for two years before replacing, with regular blood tests to monitor the hormone levels. Implants left too long are more difficult to replace.

Side effects

Common side effects include headache,

hot flashes Hot flushes are a form of flushing, often caused by the changing hormone levels that are characteristic of menopause. They are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with sweating and rapid heartbeat, and may typically last from tw ...

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...

, reduced

libido In psychology, libido (; ) is psychic drive or energy, usually conceived of as sexual in nature, but sometimes conceived of as including other forms of desire. The term ''libido'' was originally developed by Sigmund Freud, the pioneering origin ...

gynecomastia Gynecomastia (also spelled gynaecomastia) is the non-cancerous enlargement of one or both breasts in men due to the growth of breast tissue as a result of a hormone imbalance between estrogens and androgens. Updated by Brent Wisse (10 Novemb ...

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

, renal impairment, weight loss, testicular atrophy, and

erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is a form of sexual dysfunction in males characterized by the persistent or recurring inability to achieve or maintain a Human penis, penile erection with sufficient rigidity and durat ...

Pharmacology

In a process known as

downregulation In biochemistry, in the biology, biological context of organisms' regulation of gene expression and production of gene products, downregulation is the process by which a cell (biology), cell decreases the production and quantities of its cellular ...

, daily stimulation of pituitary gonadotropes causes them to become desensitized to the effects of histrelin. As a consequence, levels of

(LH) and

(FSH) fall after a short period of time. From that point forward, as long as histrelin is administered, the levels of LH and FSH in the blood remain low. This prolonged lowering of LH and FSH levels is the rationale for therapy using GnRH agonists. Since LH and FSH stimulate the

gonad A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a Heterocrine gland, mixed gland and sex organ that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gon ...

s to produce

estrogen Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three ...

s and

androgen An androgen (from Greek ''andr-'', the stem of the word meaning ) is any natural or synthetic steroid hormone that regulates the development and maintenance of male characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors. This includes ...

s in females and males respectively, histrelin can effectively be used to decrease the

sex steroid Sex hormones, also known as sex steroids, gonadocorticoids and gonadal steroids, are steroid hormones that interact with vertebrate steroid hormone receptors. The sex hormones include the androgens, estrogens, and progestogens. Their effects a ...

s in the blood of patients.

Society and culture

Since 2020, Vantas is not available anymore. Endo, its manufacturer said batches of the medication were not coming out right. They added that although Supprelin and Vantas were manufactured in the same facility, they were not identical product (though both contain 50 mg of histrelin acetate.) As of 2023, Vantas is still not available and the only available implant is Supprelin LA.

Economics

Vantas was priced around $4400 in 2004 while Supprelin LA was priced at $37,000 in 2007.

References

{{Authority control GnRH agonists Nonapeptides Puberty blockers