IGF-DES
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (des 1-3)
Truncated, potent IGF-1.
Half-life
~ short
Mol. weight
7670 g/mol (approx)
Sequence
Truncated IGF-1 (des 1-3)
Discussions
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Overview
A truncated variant of IGF-1 missing the first three N-terminal amino acids (des 1-3), which occurs naturally in the body and is more potent than the full molecule. Removing those three residues reduces binding to IGF-binding proteins, leaving more free peptide to activate receptors — the same engineering principle as IGF-1 LR3, achieved by truncation rather than substitution.
Mechanism of action
IGF-DES (des 1-3 IGF-1) is a naturally occurring cleaved form of IGF-1. Removing the first three amino acids reduces its affinity for IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), so a greater fraction of the peptide remains free and receptor-active. The result is higher receptor potency and stronger localized anabolic signaling than native IGF-1 — the recurring theme that smaller fragments can be more active because they escape the regulatory proteins that limit the parent molecule.
Researched benefits
- Higher receptor potency than native IGF-1
- Reduced binding-protein interference
- Naturally occurring variant (not fully synthetic)
Considerations
- Potent insulin-like effects — hypoglycemia risk
- Short half-life
- Strictly research context
Key Academic Literature & Studies
Search more in PubMedPeer-reviewed citations and clinical trials evaluating IGF-DES in scientific literature.
Query PubMed for recent peer-reviewed preclinical and clinical publications on IGF-DES:
View IGF-DES index on PubMed (NCBI)