🔴IGF-1 DES | 1mg

IGF-1 DES (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 DES) is a truncated variant of IGF-1 that lacks the first three amino acids at the N-terminus, which significantly alters its biological properties, increasing its potency and receptor affinity. IGF-1 itself is a peptide hormone structurally similar to insulin, playing a crucial role in growth, development, and cellular repair by binding to the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor. This binding triggers an intracellular signaling cascade primarily through the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway, which promotes protein synthesis, cellular growth, and survival, and through the MAPK-ERK pathway, which regulates cell proliferation and differentiation. The DES variant exhibits an even greater affinity for IGF-1R due to the removal of its N-terminal sequence, which normally plays a regulatory role in its bioavailability and receptor interactions. This modification allows IGF-1 DES to bind more readily and act with increased potency at localized tissue sites, leading to more pronounced anabolic effects but also a significantly reduced half-life compared to other IGF-1 analogs.

Unlike IGF-1 DES, IGF-1 LR3 (Long R3 IGF-1) is an extended variant that includes an additional arginine substitution at position three and a 13-amino-acid extension at the C-terminus. These modifications enhance its resistance to binding proteins such as IGFBPs (Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Proteins), which normally regulate IGF-1 bioavailability in circulation. This reduced affinity for IGFBPs results in a dramatically prolonged half-life, allowing LR3 to persist in the bloodstream for much longer and exert systemic rather than localized effects. Functionally, while both IGF-1 DES and IGF-1 LR3 activate the same cellular pathways, DES operates in a more transient and localized manner due to its rapid degradation and strong receptor binding, making it highly potent at the site of injection, whereas LR3 circulates for extended periods, leading to a more prolonged but less targeted anabolic response. The primary distinction between the two is that IGF-1 DES is ideal for acute and site-specific anabolic stimulation, whereas IGF-1 LR3 is designed for sustained systemic action, making it more suited for overall muscle growth and metabolic enhancement.