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Muscle peptides: IGF-1 axis and myostatin blockers

Sixteen products sit in this category, built around two ideas: pushing the IGF-1 axis, or blocking myostatin, the protein that limits muscle growth. Both ideas sound convincing on paper. The human evidence behind them is the thinnest in the whole shop, and one of these molecules had its clinical programme closed on safety grounds.

Everything here is sold as research material. What the studies do and do not show is set out in the guide on muscle peptides.

The IGF-1 axis

Product Vial Manufacturer
IGF-1 LR3 1 mg Bio-Peptide, Genheal, Nouveaux Ltd.
DES (1-3) IGF-1 1 mg Bio-Peptide, Genheal
MGF 5 mg Bio-Peptide, Genheal
PEG-MGF 5 mg, 10 mg Bio-Peptide, Genheal, Nouveaux

Myostatin blockers

Product Vial Manufacturer
Follistatin 344 1 mg, 2 mg Bio-Peptide, Genheal, Nouveaux Ltd.
ACVR2B (ACE-031) 10 mg Bio-Peptide, Genheal, Nouveaux Ltd.

Prices are on each product page, in Polish zloty. Shipping abroad and payment are described on the shipping and payments page.

How the two ideas work

IGF-1 binds its receptor and activates the PI3K, Akt and mTOR pathway, which raises muscle protein synthesis, limits breakdown and stimulates satellite cells. IGF-1 LR3 is a modified analogue designed to bind carrier proteins weakly and stay active longer. MGF and its pegylated form are related molecules from the same axis.

Follistatin binds myostatin and other ligands of the TGF-beta family, lifting the brake on growth. ACE-031 is a decoy receptor that captures myostatin before it reaches cells.

What the human evidence looks like

For IGF-1 LR3 there is no published human pharmacokinetic study at all. Everything known about how it is distributed and broken down comes from rodents. For follistatin there are no randomised human trials on muscle mass; the striking results quoted in marketing come from mice bred without the myostatin gene.

ACE-031 did reach clinical trials, in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Those trials were halted on 21 April 2011 and the programme was closed on 2 May 2013. Some participants developed nosebleeds, bleeding gums and dilated vessels in the skin, linked to blocking BMP9 and BMP10 signals.

What this category does not promise

None of these molecules is approved for building muscle or improving performance anywhere. There is no established safe human dose for any of them. IGF-1 LR3 carries a described risk of hypoglycaemia and of suppressing the body’s own growth hormone and IGF-1 axis.

IGF-1 LR3 is on the World Anti-Doping Agency list in category S2, prohibited at all times, and the whole group targets mechanisms covered by anti-doping rules.

Practical notes

Vials here are small, often 1 mg, so the reconstitution arithmetic matters more than elsewhere: 1 mg with 1 ml of water gives 1 mg per millilitre, and with 2 ml, 0.5 mg per millilitre. Peptides in this group are also among those that lose stability fastest once dissolved. The procedure and the storage limits are in reconstituting a peptide and storing peptides.

Frequently asked questions

Does IGF-1 LR3 build muscle in humans?

That has not been demonstrated. There is no published human pharmacokinetic study and no efficacy data for muscle applications.

Why was the ACE-031 programme closed?

On safety grounds. Participants developed nosebleeds, bleeding gums and dilated skin vessels, and the companies closed the programme in 2013 without restarting it.

What is the difference between MGF and PEG-MGF?

Pegylation is intended to keep the molecule in circulation longer. Both come from the same axis, and neither has human efficacy data for muscle growth.

Are these allowed in sport?

IGF-1 LR3 is prohibited at all times under category S2. The whole group targets mechanisms covered by anti-doping rules.

Which manufacturer should I choose?

All three publish batch documentation. What matters more than the brand is that the code under the hologram verifies and that the certificate of analysis checks out at source.