Cortagen (AEDP): What the Research Shows, Dosage and Legal Status

Cortagen is one of several Khavinson bioregulator peptides on this site, alongside Epitalon and Pinealon. As with those, the research is real but thin, comes mostly from a few Russian groups, and doesn’t include a verified human trial.

What is Cortagen?

Cortagen is a short synthetic peptide of four amino acids, Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro (AEDP). It comes from Vladimir Khavinson’s organ-specific bioregulator programme, which also produced Epitalon and Pinealon.

Its sequence was designed from an analysis of the amino acids in Cortexin, an older, less chemically defined brain-cortex extract used clinically in some countries Anisimov 2004 - Anisimov SV, Khavinson VKh, Anisimov VN. Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2004;25(1-2):87-93., in the references below. The two are related but different products. This page covers only Cortagen.

Cortagen structure

Molecular formula

C₁₇H₂₆N₄O₉

Molecular weight

430.4 g/mol

Length

4 amino acids

Sequence

AEDP

PubChem CID

18439621

Identity checked against Georgian Medical News (Lezhava et al. 2023), via PubMed.

How Cortagen works

Researchers propose that Cortagen regulates gene activity in specific tissues. Two animal studies support the idea:

• Mouse hearts. Five days of Cortagen injections changed the activity of 234 gene clones (110 known genes) in heart tissue on a large microarray panel. The authors compared the pattern with two related bioregulator peptides (Vilon and Epitalon) and the pineal hormone melatonin, tested in the same experiment, and found both shared and Cortagen-specific effects Anisimov 2004 - Anisimov SV, Khavinson VKh, Anisimov VN. Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2004;25(1-2):87-93., in the references below.
• Rat brains. In rats with chronic reduced blood flow to the brain (ischemia), Cortagen and the extract Cortexin sped recovery of disturbed behaviour. They also reduced markers of excess fat oxidation (lipid peroxidation) and depleted antioxidant activity in brain tissue, in rats both more and less resistant to low oxygen Zarubina 2011 - Zarubina IV, Shabanov PD. [Cortexin and cortagen as correcting agents in functional and metabolic disorders in the brain in chronic ischemia]. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2011;74(2):8-15., in the references below.

Cortagen benefits: what the research shows

The introduction of the mouse paper, citing other work rather than its own data, says “in humans, Cortagen demonstrated a pronounced therapeutic effect upon the structural and functional posttraumatic recovery of peripheral nerve tissue,” and that “other effects were also observed in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular parameters.” I couldn’t find and verify the primary study behind that claim.

Beyond that mention, I found no published human trial of Cortagen for cognition, brain injury or anything else.

Cortagen dosage

No published trial or regulator has set a dose. Research-chemical dosing guides describe 200 mcg to 10 mg injected under the skin once a day, ideally in the morning, from a 10 mg vial. Cycles last roughly 10-20 days, with a 3-6 month break. That is common practice, not a tested dose, and the two sources I checked disagree sharply on the amount within that wide range.

Common protocol

What is commonly used, not a dose established in trials. No regulator has set a dose for Cortagen. Sources differ, so the ranges below span them.

Dose per administration

200-10000 mcg

How often

once daily, subcutaneous, ideally in the morning; sources give very different amounts depending on intended use

Route

Subcutaneous injection

Cycle length

1.4-2.9 weeks

Break between cycles

13-26 weeks

Common vial size

10 mg

The two sources disagree sharply on dose: one gives a single fixed 200 mcg/day figure from a 10 mg vial reconstituted to 5 mg/mL; the other describes a much wider 1-10 mg/day range, split into a lower 1-3 mg 'nootropic' tier and a higher 5-10 mg 'neurological support' tier, with morning dosing preferred. Both describe daily subcutaneous injection in roughly a 10-20 day cycle with a months-long break; an oral capsule alternative is also described by both but is not what this record covers.

Plan a cycle in the protocol builder or work out injection volume in the dosage calculator.

The common Cortagen dose is 200-10000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, ideally in the morning; sources give very different amounts depending on intended use. From a 10 mg vial mixed with 1 mL of bacteriostatic water, 5 mg is 50 units (0.5 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe.

Cortagen 10 mg vial: units per dose

Full 10 mg vial page: mixing, doses per vial, how long it lasts →

Water added	Concentration	1 unit =	200 mcg	5 mg	10 mg
1 mL	10 mg/mL	100 mcg	2 units	50 units	100 units
2 mL	5 mg/mL	50 mcg	4 units	100 units	over 100 units
3 mL	3.33 mg/mL	33.33 mcg	6 units	over 100 units	over 100 units

Cortagen 20 mg vial: units per dose

Full 20 mg vial page: mixing, doses per vial, how long it lasts →

Water added	Concentration	1 unit =	200 mcg	5 mg	10 mg
1 mL	20 mg/mL	200 mcg	1 unit	25 units	50 units
2 mL	10 mg/mL	100 mcg	2 units	50 units	100 units
3 mL	6.67 mg/mL	66.67 mcg	3 units	75 units	over 100 units

All Cortagen vial sizes: 10 mg · 20 mg

Units are on a standard U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL), rounded to the nearest half unit - half-unit marks are on 0.3 mL syringes. Water volumes are examples: more water means more units per dose, not more doses per vial. For any other vial or dose, use the dosage calculator.

How many 10 mg vials a cycle takes

Scenario	Dose	Doses a week	Weeks	Total	10 mg vials
Low end of the common protocol	200 mcg	7	1.4	2 mg	1
High end of the common protocol	10 mg	7	2.9	200 mg	20

Whole vials, rounded up. Plan a cycle with your own numbers in the protocol builder. Keep mixed vials cold and use them within the window in how long reconstituted peptides last; where to inject: subcutaneous injection sites.

Cortagen side effects

No published human safety study of Cortagen exists, and no side-effect rate, common or rare, has been established in people. The mouse study measured gene activity in heart tissue, not safety. The rat study measured recovery and oxidation markers in a disease model, not general tolerability.

It is sold through unregulated research-chemical channels, so no regulator checks that a vial matches its label. For redness or swelling where you inject, a general risk of injections rather than of this compound, see peptide injection-site reactions.

Is Cortagen legal?

Cortagen is not approved by the FDA or any other regulator for anything. It is sold through research-chemical channels, not a regulated pharmaceutical supply chain.

Regulatory changes for this compound and others, as they happen: US peptide regulation tracker.

Related reading

• Bioregulator peptides: the Khavinson family, explained
• Epitalon - the longevity-focused peptide from the same research programme
• Pinealon - a cognition-focused peptide from the same programme
• Are peptides safe?

How Cortagen compares

Bioregulators. Doses for unapproved compounds are common practice, not trial-established. All bioregulators peptides →

Compound	Main use	Evidence	Usual dose	US status
Cortagen	Marketed as a brain-cortex bioregulator for cognitive aging, from the Khavinson organ-specific peptide programme. Its sequence was derived by amino-acid analysis of the natural brain-cortex extract preparation Cortexin.	Animal / lab only	200-10000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, ideally in the morning; sources give very different amounts depending on intended use	Research use only
Epitalon	Sold for longevity and anti-aging on the basis of telomere research.	Animal / lab only	5-10 mg, once nightly, every night, for the length of the cycle	Research use only
Pinealon	Sold for cognition, focus and healthy aging.	Limited human data	1-2 mg, once daily, morning preferred; some protocols run 5 days a week rather than every day	Research use only
Cartalax	Marketed for cartilage and joint support, sold as a "cartilage bioregulator" for age-related joint wear.	Animal / lab only	200 mcg, once daily	Research use only
Testagen	Marketed for testosterone and reproductive-system support, sold as a "testes bioregulator."	Animal / lab only	10-20 mg, once daily by mouth	Research use only
Vilon	Marketed as a thymus and immune-system bioregulator, sold for immune support and healthy ageing.	Animal / lab only	10-20 mg, once daily by mouth	Research use only
Vesugen	Marketed as a vascular-tissue bioregulator for cardiovascular and blood-vessel aging; more recent papers from the same research group also study it as a candidate for age-related cognitive decline.	Limited human data	500-5000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, commonly started low and titrated upward over the first 1-3 weeks	Research use only
Cardiogen	Marketed as a heart-tissue bioregulator for cardiovascular aging, from the Khavinson organ-specific peptide programme.	Animal / lab only	200-2000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, most commonly cited around 1 mg/day	Research use only

Where to buy Cortagen for research

Each vendor is checked against my vendor checklist.

1. 1.Next Level PharmFeatured

   20 mg vial

   • No FDA warning letter found
   • Names its testing lab
   • Batch COAs published
   • Takes card payment

   $43.99as of 3 October 2026

   View product →My Next Level Pharm review

2. 2.BioEdge Research Labs

   20 mg vial

   • No FDA warning letter found
   • Names its testing lab
   • Batch COAs published

   $59.00as of 3 October 2026

   View product →My BioEdge Research Labs review

See all vendors and how they compare →

Common questions

What is the usual Cortagen dose?

No trial or regulator has set one. Two research-chemical dosing guides I checked describe one injection under the skin a day from a 10 mg vial, for roughly 10-20 days. They disagree sharply on amount: one gives a fixed 200 mcg a day, the other 1-10 mg a day depending on intended use. The dosing section below has the sourcing.

What are the side effects of Cortagen?

No published human safety study of Cortagen exists, so no verified side-effect rate can be given. The side effects section on this page covers what is and isn't known.

Is Cortagen the same thing as Cortexin?

No. Cortexin is an older, less chemically defined brain-cortex extract used in some countries. Cortagen is a later synthetic peptide with a single sequence, worked out by analysing Cortexin, and it is what this page covers. They are related, and evidence for one doesn't automatically apply to the other.

References (2 sources)

Show

Bibliographic detail is fetched from PubMed, not written by me - so a citation here cannot drift from the paper it names. Study design comes from PubMed's own tags rather than my judgement.

1. 1.Anisimov SV, Khavinson VKh, Anisimov VN. Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2004;25(1-2):87-93.StudyPMID 15159690
2. 2.Zarubina IV, Shabanov PD. [Cortexin and cortagen as correcting agents in functional and metabolic disorders in the brain in chronic ischemia]. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2011;74(2):8-15.StudyPMID 21476278

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