Growth & GHPeptideEvidence C2 cited

MGF

Mechano Growth Factor

aka Mechano Growth Factor · MGF peptide · IGF-1Ec

A splice variant of IGF-1 released by mechanical stress, researched for satellite cell activation and muscle repair.

Half-life

1 h

estimated

Tmax

30 min

Route

Subcutaneous injection

Sequence

One-letter24 residues

YQPPSTNKNTKSQRRKGSTFEEHK

Three-letter

Tyr-Gln-Pro-Pro-Ser-Thr-Asn-Lys-Asn-Thr-Lys-Ser-Gln-Arg-Arg-Lys-Gly-Ser-Thr-Phe-Glu-Glu-His-Lys

Read this before quoting the sequence

24-residue C-terminal E-domain peptide of the IGF-1Ec (mechano growth factor) splice variant. IMPORTANT DISCREPANCY: this is the sequence used and printed in the primary research literature (Mavrommatis 2013, PMID 23712705), but the reviewed UniProt human IGF-1 isoform 4 (P05019-4) ends '...YQPPSTNKNTKSQRRKGSTFEERK' with Arg, not His, at position 23. Both are recorded here rather than picking one. Mavrommatis et al. additionally used a stabilised analogue (C-terminal amidation; Arg14 and Arg15 as D-stereoisomers), which is a modification of the native peptide, not the native peptide itself.

Source ↗

Mechanism of action

MGF is a splice variant of IGF-1 that is produced in response to mechanical overload in muscle tissue. It activates satellite cells, which are essential for muscle repair and growth. MGF also promotes protein synthesis and inhibits protein degradation, facilitating muscle hypertrophy. It may enhance local muscle regeneration by increasing the proliferation of muscle progenitor cells.

What the evidence actually shows

Grade C

There are no human clinical trials specifically investigating MGF. Most evidence comes from animal studies and in vitro experiments, which suggest potential benefits for muscle repair and growth. The lack of human data and clinical trials is a significant gap.

Regulatory status

Status

Not approved as a medicine in any jurisdiction; no marketing authorisation anywhere.

Clinical stage

Preclinical only. No human trial of administered MGF was identified in PubMed/Europe PMC searches.

WADA

Prohibited. The WADA Prohibited List section S2.3 (Growth Factors and Growth Factor Modulators) names 'Mechano growth factors (MGFs)' explicitly, alongside IGF-1. Prohibited at all times, in and out of competition.

research_compound

In the UK, MGF is considered a research compound and is not approved for medical use by the MHRA.

Source ↗

Pharmacokinetics

Half-life

1 h

Tmax

30 min

Absorption

subcutaneous

Elimination

renal

Washout

2 days

Low-confidence pharmacokinetics

These figures are recorded as estimated rather than measured in a published PK study. Treat them as an order of magnitude. Anything downstream of them — accumulation, steady state, washout — inherits that uncertainty.

Dosing — what backs each figure

MGF (the IGF-1Ec splice variant / E-domain peptide) has no published human dosing of any kind - no approved label, no clinical trial, not even a phase 1 safety study. Preclinical work is local application to cartilage and muscle at concentrations (ng/mL to ug/mL), which cannot be converted into an injectable microgram dose for a person. The circulating 100-200 mcg post-workout figure is community convention.

PreclinicalAnimal studies — not a human dose

MGF-C24E 0.1-10 ug/mL applied to the knee joint over 2 weeks in an osteoarthritis model; companion in vitro work used 10-60 ng/mL on human OA chondrocytes for 12 hours
rabbit · intra-articular (knee joint) · PMID 28599103
Constitutive and lac-operon-inducible transgenic MGF overexpression from 1, 3 or 12 months of age, assessed at 24 months (genetic overexpression, not an administered dose)
mouse · transgenic overexpression · PMID 28683812

Animal doses do not convert to human doses by body weight alone. Route matters too — a compound dosed intraperitoneally in mice tells you little about subcutaneous use.

Commonly circulatedNot established by any study

Dose: 100-200 mcg/dose
Frequency: Post-workout
Cycle: 4-6 weeks· unsourced

Why this isn't evidence
There are no human trials of MGF at any dose, the animal work is local tissue exposure expressed in ng/mL or ug/mL rather than a systemic microgram dose, and 'post-workout' timing and a 4-6 week cycle appear only in bodybuilding forum and vendor material.

This figure is shown because it is what circulates and what people search for — not because it is supported. Cycle lengths in particular tend to be convention copied between compounds rather than anything derived from a compound's own pharmacokinetics.

No established human dose

No approved label or completed human trial establishes a dosing regimen for this compound. Anything presented as a standard protocol for it — anywhere — is someone's convention rather than a finding.

Handling and storage

No compound-specific stability data exists

No peer-reviewed or regulatory stability data specific to MGF was located. There is no approved product and no label. Only generic lyophilised-peptide handling guidance exists. General peptide handling still applies — reconstitute gently, keep it cold, keep it dark — but any specific figure you see quoted for this compound elsewhere is someone's assumption, not a measurement.

→ Reconstitution walkthrough → Reconstitution calculator

Safety

Commonly reported

·Injection site irritation
·Muscle soreness

Rarely reported

·Potential for abnormal tissue growth

Contraindications

·Active cancer
·Pregnancy

Drug interactions

·Insulin-like growth factor inhibitors may reduce effectiveness

Reported combinations

Reported as synergistic

·IGF-1
·Creatine

Reported as antagonistic

·Corticosteroids

Combination claims in this dataset are largely unsourced and should be treated as folk knowledge until a citation appears beside them.

References (2)

Kandalla PK, Goldspink G, Butler-Browne G, Mouly V. (2011) Mechano Growth Factor E peptide (MGF-E), derived from an isoform of IGF-1, activates human muscle progenitor cells and induces an increase in their fusion potential at different ages ↗
Mech Ageing DevPMID 21354439DOI
In vitro study: the synthetic MGF E-domain peptide increased proliferation and fusion potential of cultured human muscle progenitor cells from donors of different ages. Cell culture only, no human administration.
Mavrommatis E, Shioura KM, Los T, Goldspink PH. (2013) The E-domain region of mechano-growth factor inhibits cellular apoptosis and preserves cardiac function during myocardial infarction ↗
Mol Cell BiochemPMID 23712705DOI
Animal study: a synthetic MGF E-domain peptide administered during experimental myocardial infarction reduced apoptosis and limited pathological remodelling. Reports the 24-residue sequence used.

Data provenance

Chemistry and citations on this page were checked against primary sources on 2026-08-14. Values that could not be verified were left blank rather than filled with a plausible guess.

Could not verify
molecularFormula, molecularWeight, casNumber, pubchemCid, storage.lyophilized, storage.reconstituted, storage.lightSensitive, reconstitution.solvent

Research use only

This profile is educational reference material. It is not medical advice, not a prescription, and not an endorsement of self-administration. Compounds discussed here are research chemicals and most are not approved for human therapeutic use.

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