IGF1 (Long R3 IGF-1) Profile

[The Anonymizer]

Long™R3IGF-I is an analog of human IGF-I.
· It is a superior alternative to insulin in serum-free media.
· It increases protein production by cells in culture medium.
· It increases cell viability by inhibiting apoptosis.
· It has a longer half-life in cell culture than insulin.
· It is readily available.
· There is secure and ample manufacturing capacity at GroPep Limited.
· No animal- or human- derived material is used in the manufacture or storage of Long™R3IGF-I.
· Long™R3IGF-I is already being used in the manufacture of three (3) biopharmaceuticals approved by FDA and EMEA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cell types will respond to Long™R3IGF-I?
All cells that have a Type I IGF receptor will potentially respond. Most commercially used cells including CHO, fibroblasts and hybridomas have a type I IGF receptor. All cells which respond to pharmacological concentrations of insulin (>1 mg/liter) will respond to Long™R3IGF-I (10-50 mg/liter).
Is storage of the stock solution at 4°C acceptable?
Yes
How long is the stock solution stable for under these storage conditions?
Liquid stability data shows that Long™R3IGF-I is stable for 3 years (-20°C to 37°C). Therefore, the stock solution should be stable at 4°C for 3 years.
What type of preparation is available?
Liquid formulation, preferable for GMP production.
Freeze dried preparation.
Is Long™R3IGF-I stable?
Re-test date for freeze-dried peptide is 3 years. Liquid formulation stability studies have recently been completed. It is stable for 3 years (-20°C to +37°C). We have data indicating stability in media at 4°C for 1 year.
Here is an article written by a self-experimenter.
December 15, 2000
Answer: What a perfect question! You actually have talked to just the right person. I have a business associate that worked for the company that produces this in Australia. Several years ago, I ordered 10mg of Long R3 IGF-1 and used it for several months. What I found out was truly amazing.
Before I tell you about my results, let me tell you that if you are going to use IGF-1 then make sure it is the Long R3 version! Let me explain. Regular IGF-1 like what is produced in your body is transported around connected to binding proteins. There are quite a few of these and their main purpose is to grab ahold of the IGF-1 peptide and keep it from being quickly degraded. Without these binding proteins, all of the IGF-1 would be metabolized in the body within a few minutes. The problem (at least it seems like a problem but might actually be a good thing) is that these binding proteins basically prevent the IGF-1 from performing its function. As long as IGF-1 is attached to the binding protein it cannot do the cool stuff that it wants to do. Regular IGF-1 must be released from its binding protein in order to accomplish its mission. Part of the problem is that much of the IGF-1 is degraded before it is released (seems like much is wasted doesn’t it?)
With Long R3 IGF-1 this problem doesn’t exist. Understand that the Long R3 version does not bind to the various binding proteins. It is free to move throughout your body and immediately start doing all the cool stuff that it wants to do. Again, understand that the Long R3 version is several orders of magnitude stronger than regular IGF-1.
If you would happen to use regular IGF-1, you would need several milligrams per day in order to get the desired effect. With the Long R3 version, you need only microgram quantities. Long R3 is also inherently MUCH cheaper to produce. What I am saying is that for the average person, regular IGF-1 is not practical-it is too expensive and you need to use too much. With Long R3 IGF-1, the price to results ratio is pretty good!
Something else I want to explain is how I went about preparing it for injection into my body. Unfortunately, this is not easy and the average person will have a hard time doing it. At the time, I worked in a sophisticated lab which had all of the necessary equipment. I ordered 10mg of Long R3 IGF-1 and it came in a single flip-top vial. 10mg might not seem like much but believe me, when it comes to Long R3 IGF-1, it is a ton! Some people might say to just add saline to the vial, keep it in the fridge and inject it when necessary. However, this will not work well because the IGF-1 is not highly stable and will degrade in an aqueous environment. 10mg was enough for many months and I needed a way that would allow the IGF-1 to remain potent during this entire time. I did my research and developed my method. I ordered what is known as microvials and sterilized them. I then diluted the IGF-1 with sterile water and added just a tad of acid to increase stability. Although it took quite a while, I then used a micropipette and alliquotted an amount of solution that contained 50mcg into one of my microvials. I closed the microvial and then froze it in a deep freezer. When I was ready to inject, I took out one or more of my microvials, thawed it out, combined it with saline and injected it.
When I first started taking Long R3 IGF-1, I used 50mcg every other day. Amazingly, within days, I started noticing some effects in my body. I felt super hungry all of the time and just felt “anabolic”. I can’t describe this feeling except to say that it was very similar to being on anabolic steroids (I wasn’t on at the time). Within one month, I gained almost 17 pounds of fairly lean mass! After the first month, something happened though and I noticed that it didn’t seem to be working that well. I upped the dosage several times over the next month to keep up the desired effects. On the third month, I was using several hundred micrograms per day but wasn’t noticing any further gains. All in all, I gained about 20 pounds of pretty solid mass!
Please notice that almost all of my gains were within the first month of taking the Long R3 IGF-1. After this first month, my gains slowed down considerably and eventually stopped altogether even though I was taking high dosages. Why did this happen?
From all of my research, I suppose one of two things might have happened to prevent me from making further gains. What I truly suspect is that the Long R3 IGF-1 downregulated the amount of binding proteins being produced by my body (research confirms this). When I first started to inject the IGF-1, I was supplementing my own body’s IGF-1. I not only had my own IGF-1 working throughout the day but I had the potent surges of Long R3 IGF-1 that I would inject. Over time though, the binding proteins were downregulated. Of course my body continued to produce some (albeit less) IGF-1, however, because there were very little or no binding proteins it was quickly degraded. From what I can tell, I was in a state where 95% of the day my body did not have the benefits of IGF-1. Basically, it got what it got when I injected the Long R3 version.
The other possibility is that I built up antibodies to the Long R3 IGF-1 which basically sought out and destroyed what I injected. Although possible, I don’t believe this actually happened because it is not supported by research. I have seen no evidence which suggests that Long R3 IGF-1 causes antibody production.
To fix the above problem, one would have to cycle the Long R3 IGF-1. The best thing would probably be to take it every other month. This would allow your own body’s IGF-1 and binding proteins to return to normal.
Overall, I had a good experience with Long R3 IGF-1. The results were different than with steroids. I have noticed that steroids cause preferential growth of certain muscles, especially those that are stressed (as in lifting). The IGF-1 though seemed to cause my entire body to get a little thicker. I guess IGF-1 is less compensatory in nature and exerts a more whole-body anabolicity.
Would I recommend IGF-1? To the right person who is very careful and knows what he’s doing and has a good background in the sciences and has access to a good lab, YES! However, you can tell that I have listed many prerequisites to using it. For the average Joe, I believe is is just too complicated to be safe.

[The Anonymizer]

So here we go.
If you have any technical questions please first read the following post :
The other official LR3IGF-1 thread
I will be refering to some of the info contained there.
THE PLAN
The suggested dose is 50 mcg per day divided in two doses. This way the kit would last 20 days ( 50 mcg x 20 = 1000 mcg or 1mg ). According to what I 've been reading, doses used have ranged from 20 mcg to 120 mcg per day.
I've decided to run my cycle a little differently. Each dose will be 20 mcg. I'm using slin pins so this is fairly easy to accomplish.
For the first 4 days I will be injecting one 20 mcg dose per day right after training. This will give me the opportunity to evaluate how my body is reacting and if my diet needs ajusting. Monday is a day off from the gym, so I will inject at about 24 hours after todays shot.
As of day 5, I will increase this to two doses. One after my morning shower, and the other after training. This way the cycle will last 27 days.
THE JUICE
For the past four weeks I've been on a low dose of Test prop. I will continue this throughout the LR3IGF-1 cycle. The logic here is that the LR3IGF-1 will stimulate growth of new muscle cells, while the test should help bring them to maturity. More discussion about this later.
THE DIET
For the past 16 weeks I've been on a CKD style diet - I say style because I quickly realised I needed a little extra carbs if I wanted to stcik with it. Today was a cheat day. As of tomorrow the diet will contain a little more carbs than I've been allowing myself so far. The most important change will be the protein content which will be close to 400 g per day. Obviously overall calories will go up as well. Honestly this scares me a little. I've been trying to cut some fat ( and it has been successfull ), but I can't see the LR3IGF-1 doing it's work without sufficient protein.
The reason the diet will contain a touch more carbs is that IGF-1 does have insulin like properties. But I will watch this closely. If I don't feel fatigued, I will try and cut back on the carbs. Watch the daily posts. I will be commenting on this.
THE SUPPLEMENTS
Because of the insulin like affects, I will be eliminating ALA from my supps for the duration of the cycle.
I will continue my daily MultiVitamin, and some EFA's.
The only thing I plan to add is a liquid mineral supplement. There is an excellent product made by LANDART here in Québec. Extra calcium in particular is what I was looking for, but I always prefer to take minerals in proper balance. They suggest 1 TBS per day. I expect to use 3 per day for the duration of the cycle based on the dosages available in there product ( mineralex ).
Next post will be after the first injection.... wish me luck.
Well I just did the first shot boyz and galz.
My hunch was right. The dose it so small, it is totally useless to dilute. I felt absoultely no sting from it. I did loose a drop though. Once I pulled it out, I pushed on the plunger and an extra drop came out. Hey at these small doses every drop counts. So tomorrow I will do things a little more slowly.
If this happens again I may add some water just to dilute what may be lost - if I still loose a drop it would be of a diluted version, therefore I'd be waisting less active component.
The inject was Sub-Q on my stomach. I've started moving the protein grams up. I will move towards the 400 g mark between now and thursday ( day 5 ). I want to do this progressively. Hopefully get a little added anabolic affect from the added protein calories as well.
Well it's Day 2 :
Yesterday I noticed I was sweating a bit as I was doing some housework, which I found odd because it was a cool evening. I made nothing of it at the time, but did take note of it.
So I got home from work today and it was time to do the days inject. The shot was also Sub-Q on the oposite side of my body. I aspirated and everything went well. Did the shot a bit more slowly and as hoped I seem to get it all out.
A few minutes later I broke out in a sweat. I didn't inject in a blood vessel, but I must have been close to something..... so I grabed a glass of water and layed down. It lasted no more than two minutes. There was no axiety along with it and I felt fine, so I wasn't worried. It just caught me off guard. I did not feel light headed, so it does not seem to have been a blood sugar response either.
The feedings went well. I should hit roughly 360 g of protein today. Oh and surprising, though saturday was a cheat day ( and boy did I cheat.... turtle ice cream and all ), and yesterday I started eating more than I had been, my weight was down a pound this morning. Just woundering if the trend will continue.
Day three
Inject went well, with no adverse affects like yesterday.
I had a surprise this morning though. With all that I'm eating, my weight was down another two pounds. I increased fat intake a little today, and will be increasing protein a bit more over the next few days. I should hit 360g again today.
I don't know yet if the LR3IGF-1 has anything to do with this, but I could not fall asleep last night. I occasionnaly have this type of problem, but I was wide awake till 3 AM. I was sluggish when waking up, but the rest of the day I did not feel tired at all.
Another interesting note, I went bike ridding last night for over an hour and had no blood sugar reaction either. It looks like I will increase to 2 doses on schedule.
I found a few interesting abstracts that I'm adding to the other thread. They concern HGH, but refer to IGF-1. They seem to confirm that the use of test along with this is a great idea.
Day 4
Nothing much to report today. Though I was tired from lack of sleep 2 days ago, the training went well. I do 20 minutes of cardio at the end of the session and I did notice my heart rate going a little high at lower intensity than usual. I'm not ready to say it's the LR3IGF-1 at this point. It could be the fatigue and stress. I got some bad news that had me down a little today. It's great how the gym seems to bring the crap in our lives into perspective. I'm feeling much better now, but this may have been enough to push blood pressure up today. But since anything is possible, I will keep an eye on my heart rate.
Resting heart rate is fine, and I've started daily caliper readings along with my weight in the morning.
DAY 5
So as per my schedule, I started doing two injections today. One in the morning, and the other after training. On the weekend I usually train in the morning, so it will be one after training and one after diner.
I also started adding some sterile water to the shots. The idea is to make sure I'm not waisting any - I'm also thinking of trying IM injections on the weekend. I don't think I would enjoy pure BA as an IM shot, so I will dilute it as recommended if I do choose to do IM shots.
I felt a little tired today : apparently this is one of the sides.
My body weight is stable even though I'm eating huge amounts of food. So it's doing something Zeus ! Now that the doses are doubled let's give it a few days and see what happens
Day 6 and 7
Yesterday was uneventfull. Two sub-Q shots. On thursday ( day 5 ) I had not eaten as much; I got a little distracted at work. So this may explain why I had a little constipation on friday. But all is back to normal today.
I was a little more daring this morning. I did a first IM shot. I first diluted it with enough water so the BA would dilute fully ( 20 mcg or 2 units on the slin pin, and added 50 units of water ). Did a delt shot -totally pain free. I can feel I did a shot in the area, but barely.
My weight is not changing, but I find i seem to be getting a bit leaner.
My diet changes are similar to turning up the volume. A lot more calories, primarily protein, but I have not been as strick with carbs as I had been the last 3 months. This too could account for the mood changes. I polished off that turtle ice cream I got last week :laugh2:
I can't say I'm hungrier than usual...... I'm like a suitecase, there is always room for a little more :funny2:
Do remember this is just the third day at 40 mcg's
DAY 8
So it's been a week now ( 4th day taking two shots ). I continued with IM shots today. They are totally painless. The only possible advantage of doing Sub-Q shots would be that the compund is released into the blood stream more slowly. I'll try and read a bit more, but I'm considering alternating between the two types of shots.
I've read on other threads to expect arthritis like symptoms. People were claiming they get pain in there hands. Well my right foot has been a little unconfortable now for a few days, but I mostly noticed that all my joints are cracking, a lot more than usual. In my case though it is far from being painfull. This may simply be because i'm on a lower dose.
I'm amazed at my weight staying relatively stable. I'm up one pound over the last few days. But with all the food I'm taking in this has me really hyped ! So I'm going to try and up the protein a bit more this coming week. I just don't know how I will manage doing this at work. I'll figure something out. I also plan on adding more EFA's - this will bring up the calories as well.
My forearms and legs are looking leaner - now if this trend could only move to the stomach I'd be really happy.
DAY 9
Well it happened. I finally know that the body composition changes I'm seeing are not all in my head. My old roomate stoped by tonight. As soon as he walked in he said " Wow, you've lost a lot of weight " . This is significant because he saw me two weeks ago, just before I started this experiment. I was exactly the same weight as I am today. So the changes are as I thought - cosmetic and visible.
I did a Sub-Q shot this morning simply because it was more expedient. I was a little late, so I ran thru my morning routine. Tonight I did a tricep shot. I have a weird sensation right now. The tri feels tight. Again there is no pain, just a tightness.
I'll probably end up around 360 g of protein again. Breakfast is really a chore. I"m never hungray. The only option I see to increase cals and protein is to add another meal. I just don't know where I'm going to fit it in. I'll keep you updated.
DAY 13
Well an interesting week. My weight moved up 3 lbs, and then down 2 lbs. I weigh myself daily, however I use the weeks average to make calculations. So that will be tomorrow. At the end of the first week I was down 1 lbs, now it looks like I will be up.
The most interesting part of this is that my BF % is down, by quite a bit. In the range of 3 %. But once again I prefer to finish the week and post the exact numbers tomorrow.
It's been a week now since I started doing 2 injects a day. I am starting to feel more joint discomfort, but nothing to hinder my training. And I am feeling the lithargy I have seen mentioned by others. Getting up in the morning is the worst. I even had to nap yesterday after work before I could get to the gym. Intensity while training is good and steady. I don't seem to run out of steam towards the end. Weights are up on most exercises.
I started getting some acne after last weekend. I may have overdone the carbo privileges. So I cut down on carbs a bit, and it seems to be under controle. No turtle ice cream this weekend :cry:
I have increased EFA's and i'm maintianing protein between 360 g and 400 g daily.
I've done a few other SUB-q injections. They are usually in the morning when time is an issue. But otherwise all shots are IM.
DAY 15
I'm just past the half-way mark. So as promissed here are the numbers.
I had taken a baseline reading the previous week before I started the cycle. My total body weight has bounced around over the last two weeks, but stays within a 6 pound range. This indicates to me that I pretty much have the diet on track. To get the following numbers I used the average weight and caliper readings for the past week and compared them to the baseline readings.
mean fat % change : -4.2% ( translates to 8.31 lbs )
mean LBM gained : 8.74 bs
If I compare day one to yesterdays reading the numbers are slightly higher. But I feel more confortable using averages. I feel it offsets any variations in water retention etc.. that may affect my weight and any variations in reading the calipers. They are not perfect. Since the reading is done in milimeters ( mm ), a slight variation in pressure can affect the days reading.
The mirror and comments from friends confirm that over the past few weeks I have gone thru an important change in body composition. I'm really pleased with these results so far. The sides are minimal and the affects are significant in such a short periode of time. I can't wait to see what happens once i'm off. I expect the fat loss to slow down, but the weight gains to continue after the last inject. I plan on updating this journal for a few weeks after the last inject.
Cutting out some simple carbs seems to have taken care of the acne situation. I still have a little on my face, but I have this problem even when clean. So it is not worst than usual.
Yesterday was chest day. I had an amazing workout. The best pumps ever, and weights are still going up. I maintained the pump for the rest of the day. My joints are cracking all the time, and i have some discomfort as mentioned. But it is far from the arthritis pains described by other users. The level of pain or discomfort may vary with age, overall joint health and dosage on the LR3IGF-1. If you are contemplating using Long IGF-1 and have joint issues already I would suggest you start a cycle of sodium hylauronate 2 to 4 weeks prior, and continue using it during your LR3IGF-1 cycle. This should pervent joint pains from developping.
DAY 22 ***** Warning - adult content below *****
Well it appears this will be the last day of injections. I must have been injecting slightly more han I thought. I will have gotten a total of 40 injections out of it, so the actual dosage used per dose would work out to 25 mcg. So here are the numbers. Like last weeks post I'm using the weeks average and comparing it to the baseline.
mean fat % change : -5.6% ( translates to 10.91 lbs )
mean LBM gained : 12.27 lbs
Overall I am really excited about the results. The sides were minimal, but the affects were very significant. Over the next week I plan to slowly ajust my diet back to my variation on the CKD diet. Protein should stay high, but carbs will be reduced one again. I will post updates here, but I expect the gains should remain , and with proper dieting and cardio, I should start cutting up more.
The weights used ion training are up on all exercises.The increases range between 20 and 50 %. Now this is certainly the result of a combination of things. I changed my program ( and training style ) one week before starting the IGF-1, and I am using test alomg with it. But there was a significant increase during the last two weeks. I'm looking forward to see if the strength gains will continue after stoping the injects.
I hadn't mentioned this because I wasn't sure it was one of the sides from the IGF-1. I've been getting some strange night sweats. I'd wake up about an hour or two after falling asleep and my pillow would be all wet. It is summer and i'm used to sweating when it is warm, but this was consistent throughout the cycle, regardless of the weather. What really made me think it is the IGF-1 was how my body reacted during sex. No need to be in the throws of passion, just as soon as I get excited I turn into a sprinkler. Now this is not normal. We simply got naked, and I was kneeling on top of this incredibly beautifull young blond ( yeah I'm a dirty old man - but hell if 20 yr olds still want me, can you blame me ? ) and I broke out into a furious sweat. Hopefully this will subside over the next few days and get bck to normal.
Trying to get the last two shots out of the vial, when there is only a few drops left in there was almost impossible, so I estimated there was enough for about three shots. I added the correct amount of water back to the vial shot this mixture. From what I read it should be stable. I'm leaving it like this for 24 hours. My last shot will be tonight.
A LITTLE UPDATE
Well it's been a week since the last injection of LR3IGF-1. I'm still on test prop. So here is where I stand.
My weight seems to have levelled off after going up another two pounds. I've been at a steady weight since the middle of last week. However calliper readings continue to show some improvement. Still using averages for the past week:
mean fat % change : 7,20% ( translates to 13.83 lbs )
mean LBM gained : 16,69 lbs
I was expecting the gains to continue beyond the treatment. But this is more than I could have hoped for. Though I'm still carrying a bit of a tire around the waist, my shoulders, back and chest have really improved throught this experiment. My legs are at there peak.
The night sweats I mentioned in the last post have gotten better, even though we've had some pretty muggy weather. I'm still sweating, but i'm not waking up in a pool of water.
I finally decided not to go CKD style yet. I have reduced my overall caloric intake slightly, but not much. Protein is now around 325 to 350g per day. I did however increase EFA's slightly.

[The Anonymizer]

Passages taken from "Grow Young With HGH" by Ronald Klatz, MD, president of the Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

The most abundant hormone made by the pituitary gland is human growth hormone, also called somatotrophin. Growth hormone production hits its peak during adolescence. Most HGH is secreted into the bloodstream in brief bursts, and most HGH secretion takes place during the early hours of REM (deep) sleep.
Once in the bloodstream, human growth hormone stays there for only a short time, only a few minutes, just long enough to stimulate its uptake into the liver, where it is then converted into growth factors. The most important of these growth factors is called IGF-1, short for Insulin-like Growth Factor-1. IGF-1 is also known as somatomedin C.
Growth hormone exerts its actions either directly or indirectly through its intermediary insulin growth factors (IGF-1) to every organ system of the body. Almost nothing escapes its magic touch. In the same ways that it grows the bones of young children, it increases the size of most organs and tissue. Even the brain is affected. The latest studies in animals show that it can regenerate damaged brain tissue.
It is IGF-1, rather than growth hormone itself, which can vary widely through the day, that is used as a measurement of how much growth hormone is being secreted by the body. IGF-1 is directly responsible for most of the benefits and actions associated with HGH. IGF-1 is 10 times more potent than human growth hormone and is now under investigation as a separate drug for many of the same indications of human growth hormone. Phil Micans of International Aging Systems in London believes that IGF-1 will be the hormone of choice in a few years.
HGH and IGF-1 Get at the Blueprint of Aging
"The blueprint of aging is in the DNA under the hood of the telomere", the "clock" at the end of every chromosome that is shortened with each cell division, says noted plastic surgeon and antiaging researcher, Vincent Giampapa, MD, director of clinical research at the Longevity Institute International in Montclair, New Jersey. To actually reverse aging at the cellular level, we will need a substance that will restore telomere length and like a genie turn old cells into young ones. That is not yet available, although Giampapa believes it will be in less than a decade. Until then, growth hormone and its attendant hormone IGF-1 can do the next best thing, help keep the cell in as healthy a state as possible.
The cell's ability to function depends on the genetic material, the DNA, in the nucleus of the cell which codes for all the proteins, hormones, and enzymes that make the cell run. The DNA is like an army under constant attack from oxygen free-radicals, ultraviolet light, the heat of the body, and other damaging factors. Although the DNA has the ability to repair itself, it falls down on the job with age, a victim of the same aging process that affects the cell. At the same time, damage is accumulating in the energy center of the cell, the mitochondria, which has its own DNA. Up until now, one of the few ways we could limit the damage to the DNA was to take antioxidant supplements such as vitamin C and E to bolster our own defenses.
But, according to Dr. Giampapa and Thierry Hertoghe, MD, a physician specializing in hormone replacement therapy in Brussels, the latest European research shows that human growth hormone and IGF-1 can go further than antioxidants and can do what antioxidants cannot. Human growth hormone and IGF-1 act like carriers to bring the cell the raw materials it needs for renovation and repair. IGF-1 launches the delivery of the nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, right into the cell nucleus, where the DNA resides. The nucleic acids are used to repair damage to the DNA and stimulate cell division. Growth hormone initiates the transport of amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and nucleic acids into the cytoplasm of the cell, the area outside the nucleus. This includes the cell membranes and intracellular organelles, such as the mitochondria. In this way, human growth hormone and IGF-1 don't just minimize the damage to the DNA and cellar structures, they help heal the cell and the DNA. These two hormones actually treat the blueprints of aging.
Information on IGF-1
IGF-1 is the other end of the growth hormone chain, the downstream player that actually exerts most of the effects we associate with human growth hormone. IGF-1 is causing a great deal of excitement among two groups, researchers who are exploring its vast potential and bodybuilders who are already using it and claiming eyepopping gains in muscle.
IGF-1 More Potent Than Human Growth Hormone
Human growth hormone exerts most of its effects through IGF-1. Therefore, it is not surprising that IGF-1 injections will do for you what human growth hormone does--and then some, according to its proponents. It increases lean body mass, reduces fat, builds bone, muscle, and nerves. By taking it directly, you bypass the pituitary gland, which may be "burnt out" with aging.
IGF-1 appears to be even more potent than growth hormone in its anti-aging action. According to Keith Kelly, Ph.D., who did the work showing that growth hormone reversed the shrinking of the thymus, when he does his experiments on cells in culture, only IGF-1--and not growth hormone-- works. But both IGF-1 and growth hormone work in the living animal. "I know that both growth hormone and IGF-1 are substantially elevated in the old animals treated with growth hormone," he says, "but my prediction is that the main player is going to be IGF-1."
IGF-1 and It's Potentials
IGF-1 Preventing Brain Aging and Disease
One of the spectacularly exciting uses of growth hormone and IGF-1 may be to prevent and treat the effects of brain aging. In an experiment that has momentous implications for brain injury, stroke, aging, and neurodegenerative disease, a team of scientists in New Zealand showed that IGF-1 can stop the death of cells in the brain. Barbara Johnston, Peter Gluckman, and their colleagues at the University of Auckland found that injections of IGF-1 given 2 hours after brain injury in fetal lambs rescued the damaged neurons and salvaged cells that would otherwise have died during apoptosis, which is the programmed cell death that is believed to cause the loss of brain cells for up to 3 days after the original injury. The treatment was effective in stopping the cell death throughout the brain, including the hippocampus, the cortex, the areas associated with thinking and memory. The treatment was also effective in the striatum, the part of the brain that plays a role in Parkinson's disease in humans. IGF-1 replacement was also found to reduce seizures in animals with brain damage.
These researchers also suggest that IGF-1 might be used to inhibit the effects of neonatal hypoxia during birth (lack of oxygen to the brain) which can leave a baby with permanent brain damage. If IGF-1 can stop the programmed death of cells, then this opens up a world of undreamed-of-possibilities. For instance, the programmed death of cardiac cells after a heart attack leaves the victim with a heart full of dead tissue that before could not be repaired. Brain tissue is destroyed due to a stroke (CVA), and this cell death many times leaves the victim unable to walk, talk, or think clearly. It may also play a role in other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis. For the first time we may have a weapon against death at the cellular level.

IGF-1 Improving Glucose Metabolism
As its name indicates IGF-1, or insulin-like growth factor-1, has similar properties to insulin, and it has been shown to improve blood sugar profiles in type 2 diabetic patients. High doses of growth hormone have been shown to increase insulin resistance, but IGF-1 administration actually normalized the insulin resistance in a group of healthy volunteers.
In the latter study, Nelly Mauras and Bernard Beaufrere of the Nemours Children's Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, were looking at several different things: the effect of IGF-1 on protein metabolism; its ability to stop the protein-wasting caused by glucocorticosteroid drugs like prednisone, and its effect on insulin and glucose metabolism. They divided the volunteers into three groups who got one of the following: IGF-1 alone, IGF-1 plus prednisone, and prednisone alone. The study found that IGF-1 at 100 micrograms per kilogram of body weight given twice daily enhanced the body's protein metabolism in the same way as growth hormone. Like growth hormone, it markedly decreased the protein breakdown in the volunteers who were taking prednisone. But whereas growth hormone in an earlier study caused carbohydrate intolerance and insulin resistance when given in combination with prednisone, IGF-1 did not cause these diabetes-like effects. Instead, those subjects who received IGF-1 along with prednisone had normal glucose metabolism. This was remarkable, say the researchers, in light of the fact that glucocorticoids are known to suppress circulating insulin and decrease insulin sensitivity. As a result of this and previous studies, the researchers believe that IGF-1 offers promise in the treatment of protein catabolic states, such as patients who require IV feedings after surgery.

IGF-1 Helping Diabetes
Two 1997 double-blind clinical studies showed that recombinant IGF-1 injections can markedly reduce the need for insulin by up to 45% in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. One study involved 8 adults between ages 24 and 49 and the other 43 children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 17. In the adult trial, IGF-1 also lowered the total cholesterol and triglycerides after only four days of treatment.
While these were short term trials lasting nineteen days and four weeks, respectively, that fact that the insulin requirement dropped markedly and there were no serious side effects make IGF-1 a promising drug for the treatment of diabetes. While it does not do away with the need for insulin, it improved the control of blood sugar and thus may help prevent the dire complications of diabetes, including heart disease, blindness, and peripheral nerve damage that can lead to amputation.

IGF-1 Regenerating Nerves
Another exciting potential use of IGF-1 is in the repair of peripheral nerve tissue that has been damaged by injury or illness. If a nerve is torn in the arm or leg, it means that the connection to the muscle may be impaired, and as a result there is loss of movement and the muscle atrophies. While peripheral nerves can regenerate to some extent, severe tears of more than a few millimeters may result in permanent injury. Now IGF-1 has repaired and reconnected severed nerve endings of up to a distance of 6 millimeters, a feat previously unheard of.
Swedish scientist Hans-Arne Hansson of the Institute of Neurobiology at the University of Goteborg found that IGF-1 in combination with other growth factors could stimulate even more dramatic regeneration. "IGF-1 by itself and in combination with other growth factors is likely to be of importance in promoting healing and repair processes in clinical practice within a few years," he writes.
In studies of cells in culture and in animals, IGF-1 has been shown to have remarkable effects on the spinal cord motor neurons. It increased motor neuron activity in spinal cord cultures by 150 to 270 percent. And it significantly decreased programmed cell death in developing chick embryos. In animal studies, it enhanced the sprouting of axons of the spinal cord motor neurons. And it increased intramuscular nerve sprouting a whopping ten fold when it was given to normal adult rats. In fact, according to a group of researchers at Cephalon, Inc., in West Chester, Pennsylvania, IGF-1 may be the "long-sought endogenous motor neuron sprouting factor."
The implications of this work for helping people is nothing short of mind-boggling. If IGF-1 can regenerate spinal cord motor neurons, it may be useful in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a devastating disease in which the loss of spinal cord and cortical motor neurons results in complete paralysis and death. It may also be useful for peripheral neuropathies, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome.
John Wittig, MD, of UCLA has been using IGF-1 to prevent AIDS wasting in HIV infected patients. IGF-1 may allow more aggressive chemotherapy of certain cancers, since drugs like vincristine and cisplatin can cause peripheral neuropathies at higher doses.

The Growth Factor Army
IGF-1 is only one of the body's many growth factors that are now being identified, isolated, and cloned using genetic engineering technology for use as drugs. As growth factor researcher Eric Dupont, Ph.D., says, "Growth hormone is the general and growth factors are the foot soldiers." Growth factors function like hormones, hooking onto the receptors of cells and sending a biochemical signal across the cell's interior. Whereas hormones usually send long distance messages, growth factors for the most part do local calls.

IGF-1, The Bodybuilder's Dream
A number of world-class bodybuilders are using IGF-1 and reporting massive muscle magnification of up to 20 pounds. An article in Muscle Mass 2000 trumpets IGF-1 as "Possibly the Most Potent Bodybuilding Drug Ever!" According to author T.C. Luoma, "IGF-1 is out there on the streets of America right now; it's being sold out of the trunks of cars in Venice and brown paper packages containing it are being discreetly handed out at Southern California gyms." While there are no controlled studies supporting the musclemen's claims, the anecdotal evidence is building up. "Bodybuilders are claiming they are experiencing drops of 5% body fat in a month, while increases in lean body mass and strength are 'incredible.' Statements like, 'It's the most wonderful stuff in the world, and 'I couldn't believe it man' are the norm."
There are skeptics, such as Mauro Di Pasquale, MD, an expert in performance-enhancing compounds, but there is a rationale for the belief that HGH taken with IGF-1 will work better. There is a feedback mechanism between the human growth hormone in the pituitary gland and the IGF-1 in the liver. The human growth hormone stimulates the release of IGF-1, but when the levels of IGF-1 rise to a certain point in the circulation, it signals the shutdown of growth hormone. But there is a lag time in all of this, which means that growth hormone levels increase at night and IGF-1 levels increase during the day. Bodybuilders hope that taking the two together will have a double-fisted effect on protein synthesis.