A peptide has been isolated from ovine hypothalamus which, at 1 × 10 -9 M , inhibits secretion in vitro of immunoreactive rat or human growth hormones and is similarly active in vivo in rats. Its structure is H-Ala-Gly-Cys-Lys-Asn-Phe-Phe-Trp-Lys-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Cys-OH. The synthetic replicate is biologically active.