MGF (Mechano Growth Factor) vs Cortagen
Side-by-side comparison of key properties, dosing, and research.
Anabolic & IGF
MGF (Mechano Growth Factor)Anti-Aging & LongevityRecovery & Repair
Cortagen- Summary
- 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.
- 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.
- Half-Life
- Native MGF: minutes. PEG-MGF: ~3 days
- Short peptide half-life; gene regulatory effects persist beyond peptide clearance
- Admin Route
- SubQ, IM
- SubQ, IM, Oral
- Research
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- Typical Dose
- 200–400 mcg
- 10 mg SC or IM daily
- Frequency
- 1–2 times per week
- Once daily
- Key Benefits
- 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
- 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
- Side Effects
- Muscle soreness (satellite cell activation)
- Injection site irritation
- Hypoglycemia risk (modest, less than IGF-1 LR3)
- Excellent safety profile
- Mild injection site reactions
- Rare: transient hypotension
- Rare: mild arrhythmia at initiation in cardiac patients
- Stacks With
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