Cite this answer
Cortagen: quick citable summary
Cortagen is listed by PeptaHub as a cognitive peptide with a research only legal-status classification. The page summarizes mechanism, research context, common routes, safety notes, and references for writers and AI answer engines.
PeptaHub. “Cortagen: Mechanism, Research Context, Safety.” peptahub.com, 2026. https://peptahub.com/peptides/cortagen. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. Link back to https://peptahub.com/peptides/cortagen.
What is Cortagen?
Cortagen is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) developed by Khavinson as a brain cortex bioregulator. Its published data is rodent: altered cardiac gene expression in mice and reduced ischemic damage in rats. No human trial exists.
Overview
Cortagen is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) developed by Professor Vladimir Khavinson as a brain cortex bioregulator. It belongs to the family of Khavinson short peptide bioregulators and is studied primarily for neuroprotection, peripheral nerve regeneration, and restoration of cortical function in aging. It acts on the central nervous system and has secondary effects on cardiac and immune tissue.
Mechanism of action
Cortagen is proposed to act as an epigenetic regulator in the Khavinson model: short peptides penetrate cell membranes and interact with DNA, modulating transcription. The transcriptomic result usually quoted for it comes from mouse heart, not brain. Anisimov and colleagues injected female CBA mice with Cortagen for 5 consecutive days and profiled 15,247 cardiac transcripts by cDNA microarray; 234 clones, matching 110 known genes, changed significantly, with maximum up- and down-regulation of +5.42 and -2.86 fold. The genes spanned various functional categories, and the study did not single out oxidative stress or apoptosis pathways. In rats with chronic brain ischemia, Cortagen and Cortexin accelerated behavioral recovery and limited lipid peroxidation. Heterochromatin decondensation is a proposed extension from the wider bioregulator literature rather than a Cortagen-specific result.
Reported study ranges
| Purpose | Route | Reported range | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| neuroprotection and nerve regeneration (research) | subcutaneous | 1–5 mg | once daily | Range quoted in supplier material. No published study established a human dose for Cortagen, and no human pharmacokinetic data exists. Research use only. |
Reported ranges are for research context only. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before using any peptide.
Convert Cortagen research-range units
Need to convert mg to mcg, dose volume, or U-100 syringe units? The Cortagen dose calculator is preloaded with these ranges, or use the general dose unit converter.
Research summary
Cortagen has a small but real literature, almost entirely Russian-language and preclinical. The best-documented findings are a mouse cardiac transcriptome study, rat models of chronic brain ischemia and ischemic preconditioning where Cortagen limited lipid peroxidation and aided behavioral recovery, and work on tetrapeptide effects on free-radical processes. The 2004 microarray paper states in its introduction that Cortagen showed a therapeutic effect on posttraumatic peripheral nerve recovery in humans, but that is a background assertion pointing at other work rather than data reported in the paper, and the underlying human study could not be located. No randomized controlled trial of Cortagen exists in any language, and no Western replication has been published as of 2026.[1][2][3][4]
Evidence grading
Each claimed benefit is graded by the strength of available evidence. Grades reflect study quality, not effect size.
Strong = multiple RCTs · Moderate = limited trials or observational · Preliminary = animal or in vitro only · Insufficient = anecdotal or no published data
Side effects
Side effects vary by individual. This is not an exhaustive list. Report unusual symptoms to a healthcare professional.
Common stacks
Peptides commonly paired with Cortagen for synergistic effects.
Legal status
Not FDA or EMA approved. Sold by research peptide suppliers in the US and EU as a research compound. Not a scheduled substance. Human self-administration outside clinical research is not endorsed by regulatory bodies.
Sourcing & access
Research compound
Cortagen is classified as a research compound. Regulatory status varies by jurisdiction. Always verify current legal status and source from vendors providing third-party certificates of analysis (COA).
Frequently asked questions
Cortagen is a synthetic tetrapeptide (AEDP) from Professor Vladimir Khavinson's bioregulator family, studied primarily for neuroprotection, peripheral nerve regeneration, and restoration of cortical function in aging. It is classified as a research compound and is not FDA-approved.
Cortagen is proposed to act as an epigenetic regulator that enters cells and interacts with DNA to modulate transcription. The supporting measurement is a microarray study in mouse heart, where 5 days of injections changed expression of 110 genes. Note that this was cardiac tissue in mice, not brain tissue and not human cells, so it establishes that the peptide does something to gene expression rather than showing a specific neurological mechanism.
Human safety data is essentially absent. No toxicology study or human trial of Cortagen was located. Anecdotally reported side effects include injection site reactions and headache. The evidence base is Russian-language rodent work without independent replication.
No human dose has been established by any published study. Supplier material quotes 1 to 5 mg subcutaneously daily in cycles, but no trial tested that range and there is no human pharmacokinetic data for the peptide. The intranasal figures previously listed here had no source and have been removed.
Research references
- Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarrayPubMed
- [Cortexin and cortagen as correcting agents in functional and metabolic disorders in the brain in chronic ischemia] (Russian-language; rats)PubMed
- Neuroprotective Effects of Peptides during Ischemic PreconditioningPubMed
- Effects of bioactive tetrapeptides on free-radical processesPubMed