Last reviewed: October 2026 · Cleared Peptides research team
Research use only. Liraglutide: Research Guide to the Acylated GLP-1 Analog is supplied for laboratory research. It is not a drug, food, cosmetic, or dietary supplement. It is not FDA-approved. It is not for human or veterinary administration. This page does not give a dose or a method of administration. A study cited on this page describes that study’s own test article. It does not make this lot an approved medicine. To check a fact, open the PubMed or DOI link, confirm the authors and year, and match the paper’s compound name, CAS number, or sequence to the specification table. The full method is on the research desk page. Identity and purity for a lot are only what that lot’s certificate of analysis reports. An HPLC percentage is not a sterility result and not an endotoxin result unless the certificate prints those tests.
Liraglutide (NN2211) is a synthetic analog of GLP-1(7–37). One lysine is acylated with a C16 fatty diacid through a γ-glutamyl spacer, and another position is arginine so that the remaining lysine can carry that chain. Published cell assays describe it as a GLP-1 receptor agonist.
This page is limited to structure and receptor class. It does not describe administration or study outcomes.
| Name | Liraglutide |
|---|---|
| Other names | NN2211; NNC 90-1170 |
| CAS number | 204656-20-2 |
| Molecular formula | C172H265N43O51 |
| Molecular weight | 3751.20 g/mol |
| Class | Acylated GLP-1(7–37) analog; GLP-1 receptor ligand |
| Catalog status | Not a current Cleared Peptides lot. Included as a research reference. |
Structural notes
The fatty-acyl chain is the same general design idea used on later GLP-1 receptor peptides: a lipid attached to a lysine so the peptide can bind albumin in laboratory binding studies. Position 34 is arginine in liraglutide, which leaves Lys26 as the acylation site described in the original medicinal-chemistry paper.
Compare it with semaglutide, which is also a GLP-1 receptor peptide but uses a different fatty diacid and an Aib residue. Liraglutide does not add GIP or glucagon receptor activity in the way tirzepatide and retatrutide are described.
Analytical testing notes for Liraglutide
Liraglutide is identified in this guide as CAS 204656-20-2, formula C172H265N43O51, listed mass 3751.20 g/mol. An identity test compares a measurement with those values. A mass spectrum is the usual measurement for a peptide. FTIR, when a certificate uses it, is a supporting infrared fingerprint and is less specific for closely related sequences.
Liraglutide carries a fatty-acid or other lipophilic modification, so it is among the later-eluting peptides on a C18 column. Laboratories often raise the acetonitrile fraction, the column temperature, or move to a C8 or C4 column so the main peak is sharp enough to integrate. The mass used for identity has to include the lipid chain and linker, not only the amino-acid backbone. Area-percent purity still ignores water and counterion.
HPLC purity for this material is an area-percent result at the wavelength and gradient the laboratory states, commonly ultraviolet detection near 214 nm on a reversed-phase column. The instrument is a gradient pump, injector, column oven, and UV or diode-array detector. That percentage is not the number of milligrams in the vial. Water, acetate, trifluoroacetate, and other UV-silent material can dominate the gross weight while the purity figure stays high. Net peptide content, from an assay or amino-acid analysis, is the separate result to read when the certificate reports it.
A sterility test and an endotoxin test are not included in a chemical purity result. The compendial sterility test is a culture method (USP <71>): membrane filtration or direct inoculation into fluid thioglycollate medium and soybean-casein digest medium, incubated for 14 days. A PCR sterility screen uses a thermal cycler to detect microbial DNA and is a different method. The endotoxin test (USP <85> LAL, or USP <86> recombinant Factor C) reports endotoxin units with an incubating reader or a cartridge reader. Use a result only when that method is printed on the lot certificate. One published example in this catalog states that the report does not cover microbial contamination or endotoxins. The full description of equipment, standards, and how US laboratory accreditation works is in peptide analytical testing. Lot records are on the COA page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What receptor is liraglutide studied at?
Published assays describe liraglutide as a GLP-1 receptor agonist. This page does not assign GIP or glucagon receptor activity to it.
Is liraglutide the same compound as semaglutide?
No. Both are acylated GLP-1 analogs. Semaglutide is CAS 910463-68-2. Liraglutide is CAS 204656-20-2.
Is this for human use?
No. The guide is laboratory reference only. No dosing or administration is provided.
Selected References
Registry records and peer-reviewed literature listed as scientific background. Citation does not imply endorsement, a benefit, or any use.
- Knudsen LB, Nielsen PF, Huusfeldt PO, et al. Potent derivatives of glucagon-like peptide-1 with pharmacokinetic properties suitable for once daily administration. J Med Chem. 2000;43(9):1664-1669. Cited here for the acylated GLP-1 analog series that includes liraglutide.
Research Use Only Notice
This guide is provided for educational and laboratory reference purposes. It summarizes published structural and biochemical literature. It does not describe, recommend, or imply any use in humans or animals. These materials are not drugs, foods, cosmetics, or dietary supplements on this page, are not offered here as a treatment, and no dosing or administration instructions are provided. Cleared Peptides does not currently list a lot for every compound on this page.
