Bioregulators · Dosing reference

Cortagen dosage

What the human evidence does and does not show, how long studies ran, and the arithmetic for working with vials.

Not approved — research use onlyCPreclinical researchNone established

Full research page Cycle-length evidence Compare Prefer Amiravo on Google

Regulatory status: Not approved — research use only
Human amounts: None established in humans
Route studied: —
Frequency: Not established
Half-life: Not established
Evidence grade: Grade C · Preclinical research
Vial sizes on the market: 20 mg
Other forms seen: —

What Cortagen is

A short synthetic peptide of the bioregulator type, investigated in research on neural tissue and neuroprotection.

Cortagen is the tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, molecular formula C17H26N4O9 and average mass about 430 Da ^14. It was described as obtained by directed synthesis based on amino acid analysis of Cortexin, a polypeptide preparation derived from brain cortex, rather than as a fragment of a known signalling protein ^3. Its sister peptide Epithalon differs only in the C-terminal residue, glycine in place of proline ^8.… How it works →

Key evidence

Turchaninova et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · 2000 · Animals (rats, sciatic nerve transection and suture)
Cortagen was associated with increased growth rate and conduction velocity in regenerating nerve fibres compared with control. ¹
Anisimov et al., Neuroendocrinology Letters · 2004 · Animals (mouse heart)
A set of heart transcripts showed altered expression after Cortagen administration; the study was framed as a screen for molecular targets of peptide bioregulators. ⁴
Khavinson et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · 2002 · Cells (mouse thymocytes)
Cortagen produced no comitogenic effect on thymocyte proliferation and the least effect on membrane sphingomyelinase activity of the three peptides tested. ⁵

All studies on the research page

What the human evidence shows

No approved or established human dose

We searched PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov and found no human studies that administered Cortagen. The research described on its page is from cells or animals, and animal amounts do not translate to people.

How long did human studies run?

No human study durations are recorded for Cortagen.

Cycle-length evidence for Cortagen

Cortagen draw calculator

Pick the vial strength and the water added, enter an amount, and see the concentration, the units to draw and how many draws the vial holds. Arithmetic only.

1 · Vial strength

sizes on the market

2 · Water added

3 · Amount per draw

4 · Syringe

Your mix

20 mg + 2 mL water = 10 mg/mL

10 units holds 1 mg

Draw toEnter an amount in step 3

U-100 syringe · 100 units = 1 mL

Computed from your inputs. Not a dose or a recommendation.

Compare water volumes for this vialShow

More water = lower concentration = a larger, easier-to-measure draw. Tap a row to use it.

Water	mg/mL	Draw
0.5 mL	40	—
1 mL	20	—
1.5 mL	13.33	—
2 mL	10	—
2.5 mL	8	—
3 mL	6.667	—
5 mL	4	—

Supplies and handling

Lyophilized vial
Sealed vial with the freeze-dried cake. Check the label, lot and the certificate of analysis before opening.
Sterile diluent
The diluent named on the product documentation. Bacteriostatic water contains benzyl alcohol; sterile water does not.
Graduated syringes
Sized to the volume being measured. U-100 insulin syringes are graduated in units where 100 units = 1 mL.
Alcohol prep pads
For wiping vial stoppers before each puncture.
Nitrile gloves
Clean gloves for aseptic handling.
Sharps container
Puncture-resistant container for used needles.

Step-by-step reconstitution guide Storage and transport accessories

Storage

General research-context handling only. Lyophilised short peptides are typically stored dry, frozen and protected from light and moisture, with solutions treated as short-lived and freeze-thaw cycling avoided. Defer to the supplier's own documentation for the specific lot. No temperatures, concentrations, volumes or preparation steps are given here, and nothing in this section is an administration instruction.

Lyophilized (unmixed) vials: typically stored cold and dry, away from light, as the documentation directs. Many are stable longer frozen.
Reconstituted vials: typically refrigerated (about 2–8 °C), protected from light and not frozen.
Bacteriostatic water contains benzyl alcohol, which inhibits bacterial growth in multi-use vials; sterile water has no preservative.

Handling mistakes and troubleshooting

Added the wrong volume of diluent: The concentration changes, not the amount of compound in the vial. Recalculate with the volume actually added and relabel the vial.
Shook the vial and it foamed: Let it settle in the refrigerator. Foam is a sign of agitation; some peptides aggregate when shaken. Note it on the label.
The solution is cloudy or has particles: Do not use it. Cloudiness can indicate incomplete dissolution, contamination or degradation. Record the lot and contact the supplier with the certificate of analysis.
The powder cake looks melted or shrunken before reconstitution: This can indicate the vial was exposed to heat or moisture. Record the lot and condition on arrival.
Liquid sprayed back when the needle was removed: Pressure built up in the vial. Withdraw a small volume of air while adding diluent to keep pressure neutral.

Regulatory status

Status: Cortagen is not approved by the FDA for any use, has no openFDA drug label, and does not appear in any of the three categories of FDA's 503A bulk drug substances list as updated May 14, 2026 ^13. No registered clinical trial of Cortagen was identified on ClinicalTrials.gov ^15. The published literature is small, mostly Russian-language or Russian-journal, and almost entirely from the group that developed the peptide; independent replication was not identified ^{1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10.}
United States (FDA): Cortagen has no approved FDA application and no openFDA drug label. It does not appear in any of the three categories of FDA's 503A bulk drug substances list (Category 1 under evaluation, Category 2 raising significant safety concerns, Category 3 nominated without adequate support) as updated May 14, 2026 ^13. Nothing was identified indicating any marketing authorisation outside the United States either; the Russian-language sources describe it as a peptide drug preparation studied experimentally, and this review did not verify any national registration ^12.
Sport (WADA): Cortagen is not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List ^17. That absence is hedged negative evidence, not a clearance. The S0 Non-Approved Substances class provides that "Any pharmacological substance which is not addressed by any of the subsequent sections of the List and with no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use (e.g. drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development or discontinued, designer drugs, substances approved only for veterinary use) is prohibited at all times", and its examples are introduced as "including but not limited to" ^17. A short synthetic peptide with no approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use would fall within the S0 wording on its face; athletes should obtain a ruling from their anti-doping organisation rather than rely on the absence of a name.

Status varies by country and changes over time. How we describe regulatory status.

Cortagen compared with related compounds

Compound	Status	Evidence	Human amounts	Half-life
Cortagen	Not approved — research use only	C	None established	—
Vesugen	Not approved — research use only	C	None established	—
Vilon	Not approved — research use only	C	None established	—
Cartalax	Not approved — research use only	D	None established	—
Livagen	Not approved — research use only	C	None established	—
Cerebrolysin	Approved outside the US	A	Ex-US label	Not directly measurable (peptide mixture

Frequently asked questions

What doses of Cortagen have been studied in humans?

None that establish an amount. Cortagen is not approved anywhere and we found no human studies that administered it. Amiravo does not publish community or vendor figures.

Is there an established Cortagen cycle length?

No. We found no human studies that report treatment duration for Cortagen.

How much bacteriostatic water should be added to a Cortagen vial?

There is no compound-specific volume. The diluent volume only sets the concentration: concentration = mass in the vial ÷ volume added (for example, 10 mg in 2 mL gives 5 mg/mL). The calculator on this page shows the arithmetic for any combination.

How many units is a given amount on an insulin syringe?

On a U-100 syringe, 100 units = 1 mL. Units for an amount = amount ÷ (concentration per unit). The calculator converts any amount you enter at the concentration you choose; a unit is a volume mark, not an amount of compound.

Is Cortagen FDA-approved?

Not approved — research use only. Cortagen is not approved by the FDA for any use, has no openFDA drug label, and does not appear in any of the three categories of FDA's 503A bulk drug substances list as updated May 14, 2026 ^13. No registered clinical trial of Cortagen was identified on ClinicalTrials.gov ^15. The published literature is small, mostly Russian-language or Russian-journal, and almost entirely from the group that developed the peptide; independent replication was not identified ^{1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10.}

References

Effect of tetrapeptide cortagen on regeneration of sciatic nerve Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2000
The delayed effect of cortagen on the restoration of injured nerve function Doklady Biological Sciences. 2002
Tissue-specific effects of peptides Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2001
Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray Neuroendocrinology Letters. 2004
Effects of short peptides on thymocyte blast transformation and signal transduction along the sphingomyelin pathway Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2002
In vitro effect of short peptides on expression of interleukin-2 gene in splenocytes Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2002
Effects of short peptides on lymphocyte chromatin in senile subjects Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2004
Effects of epithalon and cortagene on immunity and hemostasis in neonatally hypophysectomized chicken and old birds (Russian) Advances in Gerontology. 2008
Effects of bioactive tetrapeptides on free-radical processes Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2007
Tissue-specific action of peptides in tissue culture of rats of various ages (Russian) Advances in Gerontology. 2002
Epigenetic modification under the influence of peptide bioregulators on the "old" chromatin Georgian Medical News. 2023
Cortexin and cortagen as correcting agents in functional and metabolic disorders in the brain in chronic ischemia (Russian) Eksperimentalnaia i Klinicheskaia Farmakologiia. 2011
Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (updated May 14, 2026) FDA. 2026
Cortagen (CID 18439621): compound summary and computed properties PubChem. 2026
PubMed search for Cortagen (approximately 15 records) and ClinicalTrials.gov search (no registered studies) PubMed / ClinicalTrials.gov. 2026
Production of lymphocyte-activating factors by mouse macrophages during aging and under the effect of short peptides Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2006
World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List 2026 WADA. 2026
[Neuroprotective effects of peptides bioregulators in people of various age] Adv Gerontol. 2013

Last reviewed October 23, 2026 by the Amiravo editorial team. Editorial policy · Report an error