IGF-1 DES
Des(1-3) Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 · DES(1-3)IGF-1 · IGF-1 DES(1-3) · des-IGF-1 · IGF-1 DES 1,3
Truncated IGF-1 analogue with roughly 10x potency and a 20-30 minute window of action.
Typical dose
100 mcg
Once daily
Range
50–150
mcg
Half-life
24 min
see Dosing
Evidence
Animal only
Intramuscular · Subcutaneous
What it is
IGF-1 DES is native IGF-1 with the first three amino acids of the N-terminus (glycine-proline-glutamate) removed, leaving a 67-residue peptide. That small deletion destroys most of the molecule's affinity for IGF binding proteins, so a much larger fraction of an injected dose stays free and can hit the IGF-1 receptor immediately.
The practical trade-off is potency without duration. In rodent work DES is roughly ten times more potent than intact IGF-1 on a per-microgram basis, but it is cleared from circulation in well under an hour. Users exploit that by injecting into or beside the muscle group they have just trained, on the theory that it acts locally before it degrades.
There are no human trials of des(1-3)IGF-1 as a physique drug. Everything past the animal literature is bodybuilding practice, and grey-market IGF-1 analogues vary enormously in purity and correct folding between suppliers.
How it works
In the body, IGF binding proteins sequester the overwhelming majority of circulating IGF-1 and release it slowly. Removing the N-terminal tripeptide wrecks the IGFBP contact site, so DES circulates unbound and binds the IGF-1 receptor directly. Receptor activation drives PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling, which raises muscle protein synthesis, increases glucose uptake and pushes satellite cells into proliferation.
Because nothing is holding it in circulation, DES is also cleared very fast. Its effect is a short, sharp pulse rather than the broader systemic exposure of IGF-1 LR3, which escapes the binding proteins and is dosed once daily as a background compound. That is exactly why the community uses DES around training instead.
Dosing
Many users run it on training days only, which is 4-6 doses a week rather than 7. Doses above ~150 mcg per injection mostly buy more hypoglycaemia rather than more growth.
Reconstitution calculator
Pre-loaded with IGF-1 DES’s vial size, water volume and typical dose. Change anything.
Typical: 100 mcg · range 50–150
Draw to
10 u
0.1 mL · 100 mcg
Concentration
1 mg/mL
10 mcg per unit
Doses per vial
10
Vial lasts
10 days
Draw to 10 units on the barrel.
Once mixed
Refrigerated at 2-8C and used within 2-3 weeks; IGF-1 analogues lose activity faster in solution than short-chain peptides, so do not batch-mix a month ahead.
1 mL of diluent into a 1 mg vial gives 1000 mcg/mL, so 100 mcg is 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. IGF-1 analogues are more stable in 0.6% acetic acid than in bacteriostatic water; if you use bac water, expect a shorter usable life. Aim the stream down the vial wall and swirl, never shake, as this peptide is disulfide-folded and shear will denature it.
Storage
Before mixing
Sealed and dry at -20C it holds for 18-24 months; a few weeks at 2-8C is fine for a vial in use.
After mixing
Refrigerated at 2-8C and used within 2-3 weeks; IGF-1 analogues lose activity faster in solution than short-chain peptides, so do not batch-mix a month ahead.
Reported benefits
- ▪Sharp, short-lived spike in IGF-1 receptor signalling at the injection site
- ▪Roughly tenfold more potent than intact IGF-1 in animal models because it evades IGFBPs
- ▪Drives satellite cell proliferation and muscle protein synthesis
- ▪Increases local glucose and amino acid uptake into recently trained tissue
- ▪Short duration means less systemic exposure than IGF-1 LR3
- ▪Unlike exogenous GH it does not act on the pituitary directly, but IGF-1 is itself the main negative-feedback signal on GH release, so systemic exposure still suppresses your own GH - the very short half-life just keeps that suppression brief
Side effects
- ▪Hypoglycaemia within 20-30 minutes of dosing: shakiness, sweating, hunger, confusion
- ▪Injection-site pain, swelling or a temporary lump
- ▪Joint aches and carpal-tunnel-type numbness at higher doses
- ▪Mild fluid retention
- ▪Theoretical acceleration of any existing precancerous or cancerous tissue, since IGF-1 signalling is mitogenic
- ▪Poorly folded or underdosed grey-market product producing no effect at all, or an immune reaction
Do not use if
- ▪Active cancer, a history of cancer, or strong family history of hormone-sensitive tumours
- ▪Proliferative diabetic retinopathy or other proliferative eye disease
- ▪Concurrent insulin use without glucose monitoring, as the hypoglycaemic effects stack
- ▪Uncontrolled hypoglycaemia or a history of severe hypoglycaemic episodes
Evidence level — Animal only
Preclinical animal data — no meaningful human trials.
Not approved by the FDA or EMA for any indication, sold only as a research chemical, and prohibited at all times under the WADA code.
Commonly run with
PEG-MGF
PEGylated IGF-1Ec E-peptide used after training to extend satellite-cell signalling.
200 mcg · 2x weekly
HGH
Recombinant human growth hormone, the reference compound every GH peptide tries to imitate.
2 IU · Once daily, split into two injections above about 4 IU
MK-677
Oral ghrelin mimetic that raises GH and IGF-1 for a full 24 hours from one daily dose.
10 mg · Once daily
Ipamorelin
The selective GHRP: a clean GH pulse with almost no cortisol, prolactin or hunger.
300 mcg · 1-3x daily
IGF-1 DES FAQ
Is IGF-1 DES actually site-specific?+
Only partly. Local concentration around the injection is higher than elsewhere for a short window, but the peptide diffuses and enters circulation, which is why people get systemic hypoglycaemia after a delt injection. There is no human evidence that site injection produces localised growth.
DES or LR3?+
They are used differently, though the usual explanation overstates the pharmacokinetic gap. DES is a 20-30 minute pulse injected peri-workout. LR3 is dosed once daily and treated as the all-day systemic option, but the 20-30 hour half-life quoted for it comes from supplier literature rather than measurement — no human PK exists, and in rats labelled LR3 actually clears faster than native IGF-1. The real difference is that LR3 escapes the binding proteins and distributes systemically, so it is dosed as a background compound; DES is the shorter, sharper local pulse. Running both at once mostly compounds the hypoglycaemia and the cost.
Do I have to reconstitute it with acetic acid?+
No, but it helps. IGF-1 analogues are considerably more stable in dilute (0.6%) acetic acid than in bacteriostatic water. Bac water works and is what most people use, but plan to finish the vial in two to three weeks rather than two months.
Why do I feel dizzy and starving after injecting?+
That is hypoglycaemia from IGF-1 receptor and cross-reactive insulin receptor activation. Have carbohydrate available before you inject, dose after training rather than fasted, and drop the dose if it happens at 50-100 mcg.
How long should a run be?+
Four to six weeks is the usual block. There is no receptor-desensitisation data to justify a specific limit, so the ceiling is practical: cost, injection-site tolerance, and not wanting to keep a mitogenic signal elevated indefinitely.
References
- 1.Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and especially IGF-I variants are anabolic in dexamethasone-treated rats — Biochemical Journal (1992) PMID 1371669
- 2.Insulin-like growth factor-I and its N-terminal modified analogues induce marked gut growth in dexamethasone-treated rats — Journal of Endocrinology (1992) PMID 1613443
- 3.Insulin-like growth factor-I and more potent variants restore growth of diabetic rats without inducing all characteristic insulin effects — Biochemical Journal (1993) PMID 7683875
More growth factors
ACE-031
Myostatin and activin decoy receptor; human trials were halted over bleeding side effects.
1 mg · Once weekly
Follistatin 344
Activin- and myostatin-binding protein run in short daily courses; data are animal-only.
100 mcg · Once daily
IGF-1 LR3
Modified IGF-1 that evades its binding proteins, making it far more potent than the native hormone.
40 mcg · Once daily
PEG-MGF
PEGylated IGF-1Ec E-peptide used after training to extend satellite-cell signalling.
200 mcg · 2x weekly