Cortagen

Areas of active research — not promised effects

Each tag links to other compounds with research into that goal. Research use only: these are areas of study, not human-use claims.

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Cortagen has no FDA-approved drug application and has not been identified on the FDA 503A Category 1 bulk drug substances list that permits compounding with a prescription. It does not appear to have been placed on the FDA Category 2 restricted substances list either (it is not among the seven Category-2 peptides under PCAC review for the July 23–24 2026 meeting, docket FDA-2025-N-6895). It may be sold as a Research Use Only reagent by chemical suppliers for laboratory research, but RUO labelling does not authorise human administration.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Cortagen

Origin

Cortagen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose sequence was identified through amino acid analysis of Cortexin, a polypeptide fraction isolated from bovine brain cortex. It belongs to the class of short peptide bioregulators developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology under Professor Vladimir Khavinson, which are designed to act as tissue-specific gene expression modulators.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

18439621

InChIKey

PLTRIMAUDDQYRV-NAKRPEOUSA-N

InChIKey

PLTRIMAUDDQYRV-NAKRPEOUSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilised powder (vendor-typical for synthetic tetrapeptides)

Solubility

Soluble in water; typically reconstituted in sterile bacteriostatic water or dil…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Tetrapeptides of this class are generally susceptible to proteolytic degradation in solution; avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Stability data specific to Cort

Vial sizes

10 mg

Purity grades

≥98% (HPLC, vendor-stated)

Salt forms

Free base (primary)

• GHS hazard class on file
• PPE & spill response
• Disposal guidance
• Not-for-human-consumption posture

How much research exists, and of what maturity — never a verdict on whether it works.

Mechanism of action

• Cortagen is proposed to exert its effects via an epigenetic mechanism: as a small tetrapeptide (MW ~430 Da), it is hypothesised to penetrate cell membranes and enter the nucleus, where it interacts with chromatin to facilitate decondensation of heterochromatin regions and upregulate transcription of specific gene clusters
• In elderly subjects' lymphocytes, the peptide induced ribosomal gene activation and release of condensed chromatin fibrils alongside other Khavinson bioregulators (PMID 15085253; PMID 37042594)
• In rodent brain and cardiac tissue, Cortagen modulated expression of over 100 genes across multiple functional categories, as demonstrated by microarray analysis of mouse heart tissue (PMID 15159690)
• In ischemic rat models it attenuated lipid peroxidation, preserved antioxidant enzyme activity in brain tissue, and accelerated recovery of disturbed behaviour, supporting a neuroprotective profile (PMID 21476278)

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

PK–PD note: No formal pharmacokinetic data identified in the retrieved literature. As a tetrapeptide of MW ~430 Da, rapid proteolytic clearance following systemic administration is expected based on class charact…

Reading the evidence

• Evidence quality and gaps vary by application — see the cited grades above.
• Indexed-article counts span all evidence tiers, not only completed human trials.
• No first-party human-dosing, efficacy, or benefit claims are made here.

Key reviews & evidence-gap sources

• PeptideInsight — Cortagen: Research Evidence & Safety Profile — Aggregator; states Cortagen has not been tested in human clinical trials and no validated human dosing exists.
• Peptide Biologix — Cortagen Molecular Specifications & Research Monograph — RUO-tagged vendor monograph citing Khavinson-school primary literature.
• The Peptide Toolkit — Cortagen Brain Bioregulator Guide — States no Western randomized controlled trials of injectable Cortagen for any cognitive indication.

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

No controlled human safety or tolerability studies for Cortagen were identified in the retrieved literature. Preclinical rodent studies (acute injection protocols) did not report overt adverse events. As a tetrapeptide with no approved human drug status in any major jurisdiction,…

WADA status

Not specifically listed by name on the 2026 WADA Prohibited List. However, peptide hormones, growth factors, and related substances are broadly covered under ca…

Dominant research route: IM (intramuscular) is the only route explicitly named in a retrieved PubMed-indexed primary Cortagen study (Turchaninova 2000, rat sciatic nerve); SC is the most frequently discussed route in secondary/community protocol sources but is not explicitly confirmed in primary abstracts.

Rat sciatic nerve regeneration model (Wistar rats); 10 µg/kg IM for 10 days after nerve transection and suturing

Bioavailability: Direct injection; no gastrointestinal absorption barrier. Primary abstract explicitly states 'Intramuscular injection of 10 microg/kg cortagen to rats.'

Only route explicitly named in a PubMed-indexed primary Cortagen study. Increased regenerating nerve fiber growth rate by 27% and conduction velocity by 40% in the rat model.

Mouse heart gene-expression microarray (female 6-month CBA mice); 'injections of Cortagen for 5 consecutive days'

Bioavailability: Injected parenterally; route not explicitly stated as 'subcutaneous' in the PubMed abstract (says 'injections'). Secondary aggregator sources describe the route as subcutaneous.

Primary abstract (Anisimov 2004, PMID 15159690) reports 'injections' without specifying SC/IM/IP; the SC designation comes from secondary aggregator commentary. 234 clones (1.53%) showed significant expression changes in mouse heart.

Reported by a secondary aggregator as 'intraperitoneal injection in a mouse behavior study'; not verifiable in retrieved PubMed abstracts

Bioavailability: Injected parenterally. Route attribution is from a secondary aggregator only; the retrieved primary abstracts (Zarubina 2011/2016, rat brain ischemia) do not specify injection route.

Could not confirm IP route in any retrieved primary abstract. Listed only because a secondary aggregator explicitly names it; treat as unverified.

Khavinson-program oral capsule formulations; no PubMed-indexed Cortagen-specific oral pharmacokinetic or RCT study identified

Bioavailability: Oral bioavailability of tetrapeptides is poor (probably under 5%) per secondary aggregator analysis; Khavinson group hypothesizes 2–4 residue peptides resist complete enzymatic degradation. No human PK characterization exists.

Oral route is supported only by Khavinson-program mechanistic claims and commercial capsule products, not by retrieved primary Cortagen PK data. Pharmacokinetics in humans (oral/sublingual bioavailability of intact tetrapeptide) have not been characterized.

Mentioned in secondary aggregator sources as appearing in some Russian protocols; no retrieved primary Cortagen study specifies intranasal administration

Bioavailability: No Cortagen-specific intranasal bioavailability data retrieved. Secondary sources note intranasal may have 'potentially lower bioavailability compared to injection.'

Route appears only in secondary/community aggregator descriptions of Russian protocols; no primary PubMed-indexed Cortagen intranasal study was retrieved.

Animal & human figures are kept visibly separate so studied animal doses are never misread as human guidance.

Sorted A–Z by vendor — never by price

Weekly median $/mg from the live vendor crawl.

Researched storefront prices, bucketed

p25 $2.25 · median $2.75 · p75 $3.05 · 9 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $2.25–$3.50/mg.

Value rule: don't just buy the cheapest — a price under $3/mg is a red flag. Pair price with COA and independent-test grade.

Estimated cost of research (10 mg)

Vial (best researched price)

$16

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

What each test proves — general guidance, plus this compound's researched purity data

Independent labs cited for this compound

No FDA recall specifically naming Cortagen was located. The only compound-specific enforcement action found is a Health Canada public advisory (RA-77807, 2025-08-01) in which Cortagen is explicitly listed among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized from Canada Peptide. No US FDA warning letter, seizure, or recall naming Cortagen was identified in the searched records.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Cortagen is not FDA-approved as a drug; marketed as RUO/research chemical with no approved human therapeutic indication.
• Explicitly named in Health Canada seizure advisory (RA-77807) of unauthorized injectable peptide drugs from Canada Peptide (2025-08-01).
• No compound-specific independent third-party purity/identity test (Janoshik/MZ Biolabs/Finnrick) was located in publicly retrievable records.
• Origin in Russian peptide bioregulator literature (Khavinson, St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology); no robust Western human clinical trials.
• Falls under FDA Import Alert 66-41 (DWPE of unapproved new drugs) as an unapproved peptide drug.
• Injectable peptide products sold online may be counterfeit, contaminated, or mislabeled per Health Canada and FDA general warnings.

GMP vs research-grade: the chemistry (SPPS + HPLC + MS) is identical — the difference is the quality system.

Underdosing / mislabeling: No Cortagen-specific independent lab test (Janoshik, MZ Biolabs, Finnrick) was located in publicly retrievable records. A general industry claim (PeptideJournal, citing FDA) that up to 40% of tested online/compounded peptides contained incorrect dosages exists but is not Cortagen-specific and cannot be attributed to this compound. public.janoshik.com was not retrievable (HTTP 403) and no Cortagen entry was confirmed in the public test database.

• Detention Without Physical Examination (DWPE) of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted in the U.S. (revised 05/19/2026). Applies to unapproved new drug peptide imports generally; Cortagen is not specifically named on the Red List in the retrieved alert text, but as an unapproved peptide drug marketed for structure/function effects it falls within the alert's scope.FDA Import Alert 66-41
• An RUO label is not an import exemption — CBP judges actual intended use.
• Lyophilized powder is ambient-stable in transit; temperature control needed for > 7-day transit.
• US-warehouse vendors dodge import scrutiny — they cost more but ship more reliably.

Every item dated & sourced

Not specifically named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List; classified under Section S0 (Non-Approved Substances) because it lacks approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use.

No granted patents identified in current seed. Composition-of-matter coverage is limited given the peptide's synthetic origin.

• IACUC / IRB research context
• RUO buyer responsibilities & documentation
• Veterinary / alternative-use where lawful
• Jurisdiction-aware "who may lawfully obtain"

What people discuss

Reported concerns — discussion, not established effects

Reading caveats

• small-n anecdotal self-experimentation
• vendor-affiliated guides and affiliate-linked YouTube/podcast content
• Russian-origin evidence base with limited independent replication
• conflation of Cortagen with Cortexin (natural-extract precursor)
• enthusiast community extrapolation from preclinical data

Manually researched from reddit, youtube— theme weights are research estimates, not live counts; aggregated & de-identified. No individual posts, quotes, or usernames are ever shown.

Relative research / market volume — populated once the activity stream is wired

Inline tooltips for lyophilized, RUO, EU/mg, SPPS, 503A and more.

Toggle plain-language ↔ scientific in the header.

• How to read a COA
• Free base vs acetate
• Understanding evidence grades

Synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro derived from cerebral cortex extract analysis; studied for neuroprotective and nerve-regenerative properties in animal models. Approximately 13 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Research Use Only — not FDA-approved, not on 503A/503B compounding lists. Research use only.

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