Cortagen vs MGF (Mechano Growth Factor)
Side-by-side comparison of key properties, dosing, and research.
Anti-Aging & LongevityRecovery & Repair
CortagenAnabolic & IGF
MGF (Mechano Growth Factor)- Summary
- Cortagen is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation as a cardioprotective and vascular bioregulator. It stimulates repair of cardiac and vascular tissue, with demonstrated benefits for coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, and cardiac aging.
- MGF (Mechano Growth Factor) is a splice variant of IGF-1 that is locally produced in muscle tissue in response to mechanical damage from exercise. It activates muscle satellite cells (stem cells) to proliferate and repair damaged fibers, making it specifically targeted at exercise-induced hypertrophy.
- Half-Life
- Short peptide half-life; gene regulatory effects persist beyond peptide clearance
- Native MGF: minutes. PEG-MGF: ~3 days
- Admin Route
- SubQ, IM, Oral
- SubQ, IM
- Research
- —
- —
- Typical Dose
- 10 mg SC or IM daily
- 200–400 mcg
- Frequency
- Once daily
- 1–2 times per week
- Key Benefits
- Cardioprotective — protects cardiac tissue from ischemic damage
- Promotes cardiac regeneration and repair
- Improves vascular endothelium function
- Reduces atherosclerosis progression
- Anti-aging effect on heart muscle cells
- Improves cardiac output and exercise capacity
- Reduces oxidative stress in cardiovascular tissue
- May reduce arrhythmia frequency
- Activates muscle satellite cells for repair and growth
- Accelerates recovery from muscle damage
- Synergistic with IGF-1 LR3 (different mechanisms)
- Promotes muscle hypertrophy specifically at exercised muscles
- Faster recovery between training sessions
- Potential for injury repair in connective tissue
- Side Effects
- Excellent safety profile
- Mild injection site reactions
- Rare: transient hypotension
- Rare: mild arrhythmia at initiation in cardiac patients
- Muscle soreness (satellite cell activation)
- Injection site irritation
- Hypoglycemia risk (modest, less than IGF-1 LR3)
- Stacks With
- —
- —