Research Evidence Anecdotal Efficacy Side Effects Price Dosing & Protocol Regulatory Safety Notes

MGF

MGF (Mechano Growth Factor), a splice variant of IGF‑1, is used off‑label to promote muscle growth, recovery, and to aid injury‑related tissue repair. In the community the most common dosing is about 15 mg per day, with reported amounts ranging from 200 µg up to 30 mg; clinicians often prescribe 200 µg weekly by intramuscular injection, though schedules are rarely specified. Because there is no FDA‑approved indication, all human use is off‑label or compounded, and injection‑site reactions have not emerged as a consistent theme in user reports.

Half-life~7 min

Data last updated June 26, 2026

Measured on 4 of 6 axes

Research Evidence

Evidence shape

MGF currently exists as an animal-only research peptide, as there are no published human clinical trials investigating its effects. Research is restricted to preclinical and mechanistic studies, meaning there is no data regarding safety, efficacy, or dosing in human subjects. Because no trials have been registered or completed in humans, the evidence base remains entirely theoretical and lacks the necessary human-grade validation required to support any clinical application.

Depthhow much

0 registered trials

Breadthhow many areas

1 indication mapped

1 animal-only

Qualityhow rigorous

No completed trials

Breadth and depth18 rows captured

Human

direct clinical signal

0

Animal

translational support

12

In vitro

mechanistic support

6

HighMediumLow

Source data

Every row behind the score.

18 total

AnimalPMID 19038252

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested mouse · Mechano-growth factor, an IGF-I splice variant, rescues motoneurons and improves muscle function in SOD1(G93A) mice.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 25588515

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rabbit · Mechano-growth factor accelerates the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of rabbit mesenchymal stem cells through the PI3K/AKT pathway.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 26260632

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rat · Mechano growth factor E peptide promotes rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell migration through CXCR4-ERK1/2.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 27334712

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rat · Mechano-growth factor E peptide promotes healing of rat injured tendon.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 27623796

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rat · Intramuscular injection of mechano growth factor E domain peptide regulated expression of memory-related sod, miR-134 and miR-125b-3p in rat hippocampus under simulated weightlessness.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 27863093

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rat · Potential effect of mechano growth factor E-domain peptide on axonal guidance growth in primary cultured cortical neurons of rats.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 28683812

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested mouse · Mechano growth factor, a splice variant of IGF-1, promotes neurogenesis in the aging mouse brain.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 37835191

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rat · Mei-Gin Formula Ameliorates Obesity through Lipolysis, Fatty Oxidation, and Thermogenesis in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Rats.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 38489223

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested mouse · Adaptive responses of the ileum of NOD mice to low-dose fluoride: A proteomic exploratory study.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 41272763

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rat · Mechanical growth factor inhibited syndesmophyte formation and the progression of osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis-like symptoms in HLA-B27/Hu-β2m transgenic rats.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 41537771

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested mouse · Mangiferin Alleviates Formaldehyde-Induced Tau Hyperphosphorylation and Cognitive Impairment in Mice via the PI3K/AKT/GSK3β Pathway: Insights From Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

AnimalPMID 41946299

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested rat · Mangiferin ameliorates methotrexate-induced nephrotoxicity via suppression of oxidative inflammation, caspase apoptosis and genotoxicity in rats.

result Preclinical publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; effect details require paper-level extraction.

In vitroPMID 27040239

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested In vitro and in vivo degradation and mechanical properties of ZEK100 magnesium alloy coated with alginate, chitosan and mechano-growth factor.

result In-vitro publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; assay details require paper-level extraction.

In vitroPMID 34015701

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested Pretreatment with mechano growth factor E peptide attenuates osteoarthritis through improving cell proliferation and extracellular matrix synthesis in chondrocytes under severe hypoxia.

result In-vitro publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; assay details require paper-level extraction.

In vitroPMID 36500651

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested In Vitro Evaluation of the Interaction of Seven Biologically Active Components in Anemarrhenae rhizoma with P-gp.

result In-vitro publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; assay details require paper-level extraction.

In vitroPMID 41244473

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested Mangiferin as a Novel In Vitro Polyphenolic Inhibitor of Amyloid Aggregation.

result In-vitro publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; assay details require paper-level extraction.

In vitroPMID 41638092

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested Discovery of mangiferin lipophilic amide derivatives as novel fatty acid synthase inhibitors with potent anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity.

result In-vitro publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; assay details require paper-level extraction.

In vitroPMID 41794501

Preclinical / mechanistic research

tested Scavenging multiple reactive carbonyl species simultaneously by mangiferin and its aglycone norathyriol in vitro and in vivo.

result In-vitro publication captured from PubMed/Europe PMC; assay details require paper-level extraction.

Anecdotal efficacy

Muscle growth & recovery

About roughly two-thirds of users reported positive results for muscle growth and recovery, while a notable minority saw no benefit or felt it required high IGF1 levels to work. Those who found it effective described stronger lifts, faster recovery allowing daily training, and fuller pumps with better mind‑muscle feel during hard sessions.

1-2 of 2

−“Nothing happened when I used it for 20 days.”r/PEDs · 1 upvotes −“Mgf in my experience needs high igf1 levels to do anything”r/PEDs · 1 upvotes

MGF side effects

Clinical research side effects

Clinical safety table not projected yet.

Anecdotal side effects

Side effect source data

8 linked sources are available across clinical rows and community reports.

Clinical 0Anecdotal 8

1-6 of 8

“my balls ached so I stopped both”Other (uncategorised) · r/Peptides · while stacking · stopped over this · 1 upvotes

“pain in hands and feet”Other (uncategorised) · r/Peptides · while stacking · stopped over this · 1 upvotes

Fluid retention

“water retention”Water retention · r/Peptides · while stacking · stopped over this · 1 upvotes

Fluid retention

“but yeah i got water retention”Water retention · r/Peptides · while stacking · 1 upvotes

Gastrointestinal

“For me peg mgf causes bloating, goes away when i stop using it”Bloating · r/Peptide_World · stopped over this · 1 upvotes

Gastrointestinal

“bloating”Bloating · r/Peptides · while stacking · stopped over this · 1 upvotes

Price

Full buying guide →

1

--

20 mg

$44.00

$2.2/mg

2

peptides-eu.com

--

5 mg

$22.85

$4.57/mg

3

GB

2 mg

$10.86

$5.42/mg

4

GB

2 mg

$13.42

$6.71/mg

5

new-zealand.direct-peptides.com

NZ

2 mg

$16.48

$8.24/mg

6

Pharma Lab Global Japan

Japan

2 mg

$16.62

$8.31/mg

price offers can be sorted by column

1-6 of 45

MGF dosing & protocol

How MGF is dosed across research, clinician, and community sources — each evidence tier kept separate so the dose range, frequency, timing, and cycling stay visible without flattening different levels of evidence.

Research trials

Published clinical-trial protocols

Typical dose

—

0
µg
µg
µg
µg

no dose captured for this tier yet

No structured protocol details captured for this tier yet.

Clinician practice

Doctor & published-protocol guidance · n = 1

Typical dose

200 µg

typical

0
µg
µg
µg
µg

across 1 dosed source · darker = more agree

By reported cadence

Weekly200 µg · n=1

Frequency: weekly
Route: IM

One clinician source documents 200 mcg administered intramuscularly once weekly.

1 source

Anecdotal

Community-reported real-world use · n = 1

Typical dose

100 µg100 µg – 400 µg

typical

0
µg
µg
µg
µg

distribution of 2 reported doses · darker = more

Frequency: unspecified
Route: subQ

Reported subcutaneous doses across 12 community sources span a wide range — from 200 mcg to 30 mg — with no dominant figure; the only cadence reported is 500 mcg five times per week from a single source. Frequency is unspecified for the rest, and no cycling patterns were noted.

1 source

Dose & protocol sources

2 linked sources are available across the research, clinician, and community tiers. Each card states what that source says, with a link to it.

Research trials 0Clinician practice 1Anecdotal 1

Clinician practicePeptide List

Dose 200 mcgFrequency weeklyRoute IM

Peptide List — Longevity Insights LLC (peptidelist.org) ↗

Anecdotalr/peptidehelper

Dose 100-400 mcgRoute subQ

View source ↗

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