Cortagen

What is it?

Cortagen is a synthetic Khavinson tetrapeptide: sequence Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro (AEDP). It’s one of approximately 15 organ-targeted peptides in the Khavinson bioregulator family (alongside Pinealon, Epithalon, Vilon, Thymalin, Cortexin, etc.), from the same Khavinson group / St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology lineage.

The Khavinson framework, in brief. Cortagen shares its origin story with sibling peptide Pinealon: a 1970s Soviet military-medicine research program at the Military Medical Academy in Leningrad extracted tissue-specific peptide fractions from organs and observed bioactive effects when re-administered. The theoretical claim is that short peptides (2-4 amino acids) cross cell + nuclear membranes → bind specific DNA promoter regions → modulate transcription in a tissue-specific way, with each peptide’s sequence claimed to reproduce a fragment originally extracted from its target organ tissue. Cortagen’s tissue specificity is cortical neurons. Western reception is split — conventional Western view: preclinical-only, single-research-group, weak methodology, heterodox mechanism; Russian/Eastern European view: a 50-year sustained research program with consistent reported outcomes and several sibling peptides (Cortexin, Thymalin) approved for clinical use in Russia. OHM’s lean: report both perspectives honestly.

What does it do in my body?

Same Khavinson framework as Pinealon and Epithalon: cross cell and nuclear membranes, bind specific DNA promoter sequences, modulate transcription in a tissue-specific way — Cortagen’s tissue specificity is cortical neurons.

Operational distinction vs. Semax / Selank:

• Semax → acute receptor-mediated signaling (MC4/MC3 → BDNF/NGF transcription; fast onset, days).
• Selank → acute multi-pathway modulation (BDNF + enkephalin + monoamine; fast onset, days).
• Cortagen → claimed gene-expression modulation → effects develop over a 10-20 day cycle and are claimed to persist 2-3 months after the cycle ends. Slow-onset, long-tail mechanism if the Khavinson framework holds.

How can it help me?

• Where the science stands: Animal (Morris water maze, hippocampal BDNF, oxidative neuroprotection) + unblinded Russian post-stroke human clinical data; no Western RCTs

The full evidence — every human, animal, and lab study, graded — is one tap away: use the See the deeper science → toggle at the top.

Is it dangerous? What are the side effects?

• Infrequent local injection-site reactions; transient mild headache early in the cycle.
• No serious AEs documented at standard doses in the Russian literature.
• Counterfeiting risk is real — flagged across multiple sources for this peptide specifically. A verified-COA vendor is essential.
• Long-term repeated-cycle safety in humans is not characterized in Western pharmacovigilance.

Regulatory status: Not FDA-approved. No Western RCTs; long clinical-use history in Russia under Khavinson-school protocols, including unblinded post-stroke cognitive-recovery studies.

Part 1 — How to reconstitute it

What's used: bacteriostatic water (sterile, preserved water the powder is mixed with) and a separate, larger reconstitution syringe used only for mixing — not the small syringe used for administration.

Storage: Lyophilized at -20°C is stable 2+ years; reconstituted (bacteriostatic water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol) refrigerate at 2-8°C and discard at 28 days.

How it's mixed

• The vial is tilted and the bacteriostatic water is added slowly down the inside glass wall — not squirted straight onto the powder.
• It is swirled gently to dissolve. It is never shaken — shaking can damage the peptide.
• The reconstituted vial is stored refrigerated and out of light.
• Reconstituted peptides are commonly used within a few weeks, inside the beyond-use window the source specifies — that window varies by peptide.

The free reconstitution calculator does the concentration math for any vial size and water volume, including the equivalent units on an insulin syringe.

Part 2 — Typical dosing

Educational context only — talk to a licensed medical provider before any protocol. What follows describes the doses and schedules most commonly reported in the research and by practitioners, shared so you can have an informed conversation. These compounds are sold for research use only, are not FDA-approved drugs, and this is not medical advice.

Administration as reported. Reported practice is subcutaneous administration (into the fat just under the skin) using a 0.3 mL U-100 insulin syringe, with sites rotated.

Cortagen has more route variety than most peptides — it’s available as SubQ injection, IM injection, sublingual drops, and oral capsule, with different protocols for each:

Cycling philosophy. Like sibling Khavinson peptides, Cortagen is run in short cycles (10-20 days), spaced across the year, rather than continuously — the claimed 2-3 month post-cycle persistence is the rationale for the pulse-and-rest pattern rather than daily maintenance dosing. This is the same cycled-bioregulator shape documented for Pinealon and Epithalon.

Turning milligrams into syringe units. On a U-100 syringe, 100 units = 1 mL, so 1 unit = 0.01 mL. At a concentration of C mg/mL, a dose of D mg = D ÷ C mL = (D ÷ C) × 100 units. Example: at 5 mg/mL, a 0.5 mg dose = 0.1 mL = 10 units. The exact units depend on the vial's mg and the water volume used.

What should I avoid combining — and what's synergistic?

Cortagen doesn't have a dedicated stacking protocol in our notes — the interactions that matter most are in the safety section above. For how people combine it with other peptides, the deeper-science view has the full detail.

Where do people source this?