Is MGF (Mechano Growth Factor) an approved drug?

No. MGF is a research-use-only (RUO) material intended for laboratory research. It is not an approved drug in Canada or elsewhere and has not been tested in human clinical trials. It is not for human or veterinary use.

What is MGF and how does it relate to IGF-1?

MGF is a synthetic 24-amino-acid peptide matching the unique C-terminal 'E' domain of IGF-1Ec, a splice variant of insulin-like growth factor 1 that researchers observe is transiently expressed in muscle and other tissues after mechanical loading or damage.

How does MGF differ from PEG-MGF?

Native MGF has a very short reported half-life of roughly 5-7 minutes (per secondary sources). PEG-MGF is a PEGylated modification reported to resist degradation and persist longer. Both are research-use-only and neither is an approved drug.

MGF (Mechano Growth Factor) Dosage, Half-Life & Research

Q: What does the research on MGF actually show?

Evidence is preclinical and conflicting. Some cell-culture and animal studies reported that the E-peptide activated muscle satellite cells and increased myoblast proliferation, while other independent studies reported no effect from the synthetic peptide. No therapeutic effect has been demonstrated in humans.

Q: Why are the molecular formula and CAS number shown as uncertain or 'Not established'?

Reported chemical-identity values differ between suppliers, mainly because of amidated versus free-acid forms and a His/Arg difference at residue 23 between the synthetic and native human sequences. No dedicated PubChem compound record, InChIKey, or settled CAS number could be located, so those fields are marked 'Not established' rather than guessed.

MGF (Mechano Growth Factor) is a synthetic 24-amino-acid peptide corresponding to the unique C-terminal “E” domain of IGF-1Ec, a splice variant of insulin-like growth factor 1 that is transiently expressed in skeletal muscle, heart and other mechanically loaded tissues following exercise or tissue damage¹. It is sold strictly as a research-use-only (RUO) material and is not an approved drug in Canada or elsewhere; it has not been evaluated in human clinical trials⁵.

Readers should note two important caveats. First, the published evidence is preclinical only — limited to cell culture and animal models — and is internally conflicting: some studies reported activity for the E-peptide while others found no effect¹⁴. Second, chemical-identity values reported by suppliers vary (amidated versus free-acid forms; a His/Arg difference at residue 23 between the synthetic and native human sequences), and no PubChem compound record or settled CAS number could be located, so several identifiers below are marked “Not established.”

Structure

Sequence & identity

TyrGlnProProSerThrAsnLysAsnThrLysSerGlnArgArgLysGlySerThrPheGluGluHisLys

YQPPSTNKNTKSQRRKGSTFEEHK-NH₂ · C₁₂₁H₁₉₅N₄₁O₃₉ · ~2848 g/mol

Structure for the synthetic MGF E-peptide (amidated, His₂₃ form). No dedicated PubChem CID or InChIKey could be located for this peptide; reported molecular formulae differ between the amidated synthetic His₂₃ form (C₁₂₁H₁₉₅N₄₁O₃₉, ≈2848 g/mol) and the free-acid native human sequence (C₁₂₁H₁₉₉N₄₁O₄₀, ≈2868 g/mol)².

What the research shows

Mechanisms studied

Researchers reported that MGF arises from alternative splicing of the IGF-1 gene: a 49-bp insert in exon 5 (52 bp in rodents, giving IGF-1Eb) causes a reading-frame shift that produces a distinct C-terminal E-peptide¹³. In injured or mechanically loaded muscle, IGF-1Ec mRNA was observed to rise first, ahead of the systemic IGF-1Ea isoform¹. Yang and Goldspink reported that the isolated E-peptide increased myoblast proliferation while inhibiting terminal differentiation — the opposite of mature IGF-1 — and that an antibody blocking the IGF-1 receptor did not abolish this effect, leading them to propose action through a separate, still-unidentified receptor¹. Schlegel and colleagues likewise reported that the E-peptide carries no IGF-binding-protein or IGF-receptor binding sites and may act as a nuclear-localized factor³. This proposed mechanism remains unconfirmed, and the relevant receptor has not been identified.

Reported in studies

Dosing in the research literature

The figures below summarise regimens as reported in published research — they are not recommendations or directions for use.

Source / model	Regimen reported	Notes
Cell-culture studies (in vitro)¹⁴	Synthetic E-peptide applied to myoblasts/progenitor cells at concentrations up to ~500 ng/mL	As reported in laboratory studies on cultured cells — not a human-use regimen. Results conflicted: Yang & Goldspink and Kandalla reported proliferative effects, whereas Fornaro et al. observed no effect at these concentrations.
Rodent neurogenesis model⁶	MGF delivered via transgenic over-expression (not exogenous injection)	As reported in the aging-mouse study; exposure was genetic over-expression, so no injected amount applies.
Human study-reported dosing	Not established	No human clinical trials of administered MGF have been published; human data are limited to muscle IGF-1Ec mRNA changes after exercise⁵. Any vendor ‘protocol’ figures are not supported by published human research.

Research use only. Peptigo products are sold to qualified researchers for laboratory use. This information summarises published research for reference and is not medical advice, a dosing recommendation, or directions for human or animal use.

Reported in studies

Effects observed in research

In skeletal-muscle cell models, studies reported that the MGF E-peptide activated quiescent satellite cells and increased myoblast proliferation while delaying their fusion and senescence, an effect that one study observed in cells from neonatal and young-adult but not old-adult muscle¹⁴. In a sheep model of myocardial infarction, researchers reported that the MGF E-domain was associated with reduced loss of cardiac function relative to controls⁷, and in aging mice MGF over-expression was reported to increase neural progenitor proliferation in the dentate gyrus and subventricular zone⁶.

These findings are not uniform. Fornaro and colleagues reported that the synthetic C-terminal MGF peptide produced no measurable effect on C2C12 cells or primary human myoblasts up to 500 ng/mL, while mature IGF-1 and full-length IGF-1Eb did drive proliferation⁴; Schlegel et al. similarly observed no significant effect on cultured growth-plate chondrocytes³. No therapeutic effect in humans has been demonstrated.

Honest assessment

Strength of evidence

Grade C

Grade C — animal and in-vitro evidence only, and internally conflicting. The case for biological activity rests on cell-culture work and a small number of animal models (muscle, heart, brain)¹⁶⁷. Notably, at least two independent groups reported that the isolated synthetic E-peptide had no effect in their systems³⁴, and the key early paper carried a published corrigendum. Human data are confined to observed changes in muscle IGF-1Ec mRNA after exercise, with no interventional clinical trials and no regulatory approval⁵. The proposed dedicated receptor for the E-peptide has not been identified. Evidence should be read as exploratory.

Handling

Reconstitution & storage

Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water for laboratory handling. Store lyophilised material frozen and reconstituted material refrigerated. Use Peptigo’s reconstitution calculator and storage cheat sheet for working figures.

References

Yang SY, Goldspink G. Different roles of the IGF-I Ec peptide (MGF) and mature IGF-I in myoblast proliferation and differentiation. FEBS Lett. 2002;522(1-3):156-160. PMID 12095637. doi:10.1016/S0014-5793(02)02918-6
Mechano growth factor. Wikipedia (chemical-identity summary: synthetic 24-aa E-peptide; molecular formula and mass; species sequence difference). Accessed June 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechano_growth_factor
Schlegel W, Raimann A, Halbauer D, et al. Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) Ec/Mechano Growth Factor — a splice variant of IGF-1 within the growth plate. PLoS One. 2013;8(10):e76133. PMID 24146828. PMC3795771. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0076133
Fornaro M, Hinken AC, Needle S, et al. Mechano-growth factor peptide, the COOH terminus of unprocessed insulin-like growth factor 1, has no apparent effect on myoblasts or primary muscle stem cells. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2014;306(2):E150-E156. PMID 24253050. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00408.2013
PeptideInsight. MGF (Mechano Growth Factor, IGF-1Ec): research evidence and safety profile (notes no human clinical trials; human data limited to exercise mRNA changes). Accessed June 2026. https://peptideinsight.com/en/peptides/mgf
Tang JJ, Podratz JL, Lange M, Scrable HJ, Jang MH, Windebank AJ. Mechano growth factor, a splice variant of IGF-1, promotes neurogenesis in the aging mouse brain. Mol Brain. 2017;10(1):23. PMID 28683812. doi:10.1186/s13041-017-0304-0
Carpenter V, Matthews K, Devlin G, et al. Mechano-growth factor reduces loss of cardiac function in acute myocardial infarction. Heart Lung Circ. 2008;17(1):33-39. PMID 17581790. doi:10.1016/j.hlc.2007.04.013

Written by the Peptigo Research Team · scientifically reviewed by Peter, Peptigo Research Team · Last reviewed June 2026. We cite primary literature and flag where evidence is limited. Our sourcing & RUO policy →