MGF

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.

Related by research scope · open each to compare

MGF has no FDA-approved therapeutic indication. PEG-MGF was on the Category 2 'do not compound' list and was removed from that list effective approximately April 22, 2026 — but removal does not grant authorization for compounding. PEG-MGF is not yet on the 503A Bulk Drug Substances list (Category 1) and is scheduled for PCAC advisory committee review before February 2027. Formal FDA rulemaking requiring notice-and-comment (typically 1+ year) must follow any PCAC recommendation before compounding is permitted. Unmodified MGF (non-PEGylated) status follows the same general framework.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

MGF

Origin

MGF is the C-terminal E-peptide fragment produced by alternative 3′ splicing of the IGF-1 gene (Ec exon in humans). It is expressed locally in skeletal muscle, cardiac tissue, cartilage, periodontal ligament, and neural tissue following mechanical loading or hypoxic injury, distinct from the liver-derived systemic IGF-1Ea isoform.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

447728

InChIKey

GJOMWUHGUQLOAC-UHFFFAOYSA-K

Molecular formula

F3Mg-

Molar mass

81.301 g/mol

Monoisotopic

80.9802512 Da

InChIKey

GJOMWUHGUQLOAC-UHFFFAOYSA-K

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilized powder (typical for synthetic peptide preparations)

Solubility

Soluble in sterile water or dilute acetic acid solutions; exact solubility data …

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Native MGF E-peptide is highly susceptible to proteolytic degradation and rapid renal clearance in aqueous solution at physiological pH. Stability data are larg

Vial sizes

2 mg

Purity grades

≥98% HPLC (vendor-typical)

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

• MGF is generated when mechanical strain or ischemic stress shifts IGF-1 gene splicing toward the Ec variant, producing a 24-amino-acid C-terminal E-peptide
• This peptide activates resident muscle satellite cells and tissue-specific progenitor populations, promoting their proliferation and migration independently of the canonical IGF-1 receptor pathway
• Downstream signaling involves p38 MAPK, Akt/mTOR, Fyn-RhoA-YAP, and Fyn-FAK-ERK1/2 cascades depending on cell context, conferring anti-apoptotic, pro-proliferative, and anti-inflammatory effects
• In cardiac tissue the E-domain additionally modulates contractile function via 14-3-3 protein interactomes that regulate phospholamban and myosin-binding protein C phosphorylation states

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

Native MGF E-peptide: approximately 5–7 minutes in plasma (rapid proteolytic degradation and renal clearance); PEGylated form (PEG-MGF) reported at several hours to days in preclinical models

Clearance

Primarily renal filtration and serum protease degradation for native peptide; PEGylation substantially reduces both clearance mechanisms

PK–PD note: All PK data are from preclinical (rodent/in vitro) sources; no human PK studies published. Native MGF is considered impractical for systemic use due to ultra-short half-life.…

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

• Matheny RW Jr, Nindl BC, Adamo ML. Minireview: Mechano-growth factor: a putative product of IGF-I gene expression involved in tissue repair and regeneration. Endocrinology. 2010;151(3):865-75. PMID: 20130113. — Anchoring comprehensive review; distinguishes synthetic MGF peptide actions from any known endogenous Igf1 gene product; notes no analogous peptide product isolated in vivo.
• Zablocka B, Goldspink PH, Goldspink G, Gorecki DC. Mechano-Growth Factor: an important cog or a loose screw in the repair machinery? Front Endocrinol. 2012;3:131. PMID: 23125840. — Editorial review by MGF discoverer's group; discusses E-domain independent actions, tissue-specific isoform functions, and outstanding questions.
• Fornaro M, et al. Mechano-growth factor peptide...has no apparent effect on myoblasts or primary muscle stem cells. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2014;306(2):E150-6. PMID: 24253050. — Independent pharma reproduction failure: MGF peptide up to 500 ng/ml failed to increase proliferation of C2C12 or primary human skeletal muscle myoblasts; questions physiological role of MGF.
• PeptideInsight — MGF (Mechano Growth Factor, IGF-1Ec): Research Evidence & Safety Profile — Aggregator evidence summary; states no systematic safety studies or human clinical trials conducted with synthetic MGF or PEG-MGF; evidence base is preclinical only.

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

No controlled human safety or tolerability studies have been published for exogenous MGF or PEG-MGF administration. Potential concerns extrapolated from IGF-1 axis biology include mitogenic effects on pre-existing tumor cells, hypoglycemia risk, and tissue-compartment-specific gr…

WADA status

Prohibited at all times — WADA Prohibited List 2026, category S2 (Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics). MGF and its analogues incl…

Dominant research route: Intramuscular (IM) injection into the target/damaged muscle is the dominant preclinical route for unmodified MGF; subcutaneous (SC) is the dominant studied systemic route for PEG-MGF.

In vivo local injection into damaged/target skeletal muscle in mice and rats (e.g., single 50 ng synthetic MGF E-peptide IM injection into damaged mouse tibialis anterior accelerated regeneration ~25% and increased fiber cross-sectional area ~20%; MGF-Ct24E peptide injected IM into mouse TA muscles at 0–10 µg on days 0,3,7,14,21 post-transplant)

Bioavailability: Unmodified MGF E-peptide is rapidly degraded by serum proteases (half-life ~5–7 min), so IM delivery is used to achieve high local concentration at the target muscle; systemic exposure is negligible. PEG-MGF extends half-life to several hours, enabling IM administration with systemic distribution.

Dominant preclinical route for native (unmodified) MGF because systemic injection leads to degradation before reaching target tissue; effects are highly localized to injected muscle.

In vivo in rodent/rabbit preclinical models for PEG-MGF (systemic distribution with reasonable bioavailability); MGF-Ct24E peptide administered SC at 2.5 or 5 mg/kg in a mouse myogenic precursor cell transplantation study

Bioavailability: PEG-MGF: high bioavailability when injected SC, with extended half-life (hours) enabling systemic distribution; unmodified MGF is essentially limited to local injection because of rapid proteolytic degradation.

SC is the principal systemic route studied for PEG-MGF; unmodified MGF is not suitable for SC systemic delivery due to ~5–7 min serum half-life.

Not established as a studied route; systemic administration of unmodified MGF results in rapid degradation before reaching target tissues (mechanistic inference from serum half-life data)

Bioavailability: No characterized IV pharmacokinetics in published preclinical literature; unmodified MGF would be degraded within minutes by serum proteases, precluding meaningful systemic exposure.

IV is not a practical studied route for unmodified MGF due to near-instant proteolytic clearance; PEG-MGF IV data not identified in retrieved sources.

Not studied; no oral bioavailability or oral stability data identified in retrieved sources

Bioavailability: Oral route not studied. The 24-aa MGF E-peptide is rapidly degraded by proteases in biological systems (serum half-life ~5–7 min), and as an unprotected peptide would be expected to undergo gastrointestinal/proteolytic degradation; no oral absorption data exist.

Oral stability ≠ oral absorption: no oral administration studies were found; the peptide's intrinsic protease lability makes oral delivery implausible without protective formulation.

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 $17.90 · median $24.00 · p75 $24.50 · 7 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $11.80–$25.00/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)

$118

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

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

Purity on the current market (researched)

Vendor self-reported purity claims for MGF commonly state ≥98% by HPLC (e.g., chemdope lists '≥98% (HPLC Verified)'; peptides.net states 'Every batch is HPLC-tested to ≥98% purity'). These are vendor claims, not independent third-party confirmations specific to MGF.

Independent labs cited for this compound

No FDA recalls, seizures, or product-specific enforcement actions naming MGF (mechano growth factor) or PEG-MGF were found in FDA enforcement databases or the retrieved sources. This is an honest 'none found' result, not an assertion of absence.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• MGF is not FDA-approved for any indication and is sold only as a research-use-only chemical; products have not been evaluated by FDA for safety, identity, or purity in humans.
• MGF is prohibited at all times under WADA 2026 Prohibited List S2.3; athletes face sanction risk.
• Vendor purity claims (≥98% HPLC) are self-reported; no independent third-party COA specific to MGF was publicly retrievable.
• MGF has a very short half-life (~5–7 minutes), increasing the risk of misrepresentation or substitution with PEG-MGF or other IGF-1 analogs in gray-market products.
• No completed human efficacy RCTs exist for exogenous MGF; one independent laboratory reported a replication failure (no proliferative effect on primary human myoblasts).
• PEG-MGF was identified as likely to remain restricted under HHS peptide reclassification, signaling continued regulatory risk for the compound class.

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

Underdosing / mislabeling: No independent lab test results (Janoshik, MZ Biolabs, Finnrick) specific to MGF were publicly retrievable; Janoshik's public test portal returned access-restricted and no MGF-specific report was located in the retrieved sources. Aggregate peptide-market testing by Janoshik-affiliated reviewers found lower-tier vendors showing actual purities of 71–91% despite claiming 99%+, but no MGF-specific prevalence figure could be sourced.

• Detention Without Physical Examination of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted In The U.S. (revised 05/19/2026). MGF/PEG-MGF, as unapproved new drug products without an approved NDA/BLA, fall within the scope of this alert; the alert is not MGF-specific but applies to unapproved peptide drug imports generally.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

Prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) under WADA Prohibited List Section S2 (Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances, and Mimetics). MGFs have been explicitly classified as prohibited by WADA since 2005.

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

• self-experimentation anecdote bias
• bodybuilding-community overrepresentation
• affiliate-linked aggregator content
• no controlled human trials cited in discussion

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

Mechano Growth Factor (IGF-1Ec) is an alternatively spliced IGF-1 isoform that activates satellite cells and progenitor populations in response to mechanical stress and tissue injury. Approximately 204 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Research use only; not approved; compounding status unresolved. Research use only.

Emitted as JSON-LD: ChemicalSubstance · BreadcrumbList · FAQPage.

• Price-drop & back-in-stock alerts
• Regulatory-change email digest
• Print / share this datasheet