ID: igf1_lr3_des
Aliases: Long R3 IGF-1, LR3-IGF-1, IGF-1 LR3, des(1-3)IGF-I, IGF-1 DES, DES IGF-1, IGF-1LR3
Type: compound_family
Route/form: investigational IGF-axis peptide analog context; no approved human performance route
Status: research
Evidence level: preclinical
Best data tier: direct preclinical; label comparator
Support scope: human, non-human/mechanistic, review/regulatory
Source types: label, preclinical, review
Linked sources: 7
Broad outcomes: Hormones / fertility / sexual health, Muscle growth / performance / recovery, PEDs / AAS / thermogenics, Safety / regulatory, mTORC / autophagy / nutrient signaling
Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.
Targets / mechanism
- IGF-1 receptor agonism
- reduced IGF-binding protein interaction
- PI3K-Akt-mTOR muscle signaling
Optimization domains
- IGF1
- muscle
- muscle hypertrophy
- recovery
- growth hormone
- doping
- mTORC1
- PI3K-Akt-mTOR
Research basis
- DES(1-3)IGF-I and Long R3 IGF-I literature supports the mechanistic idea that IGF-1 analog modifications can change potency, binding-protein interaction, exposure, and endocrine feedback.
- Animal and mechanistic muscle literature links IGF-1 signaling to protein synthesis, satellite-cell biology, Akt/mTOR-related signaling, and skeletal/cardiac muscle pathway activation.
- This entry is useful as the unapproved-performance contrast to mecasermin: plausible biology, sparse human performance evidence, and much larger uncertainty.
Limits, risks, and missing evidence
- There is no approved human performance use and little credible controlled human evidence for bodybuilding LR3/DES protocols.
- Long R3 animal data include endocrine feedback and non-simple growth outcomes, so the analog story is not just longer half-life equals more muscle.
- Systemic IGF biology raises hypoglycemia, edema, organ/cardiac/tissue-growth, neoplasia, product-identity, and local-injection-targeting concerns.
Risk flags
- unapproved research chemical
- hypoglycemia
- growth signal risk
- cardiac tissue concern
- product identity risk
Linked papers, labels, and reviews
- Des(1-3)IGF-I: a truncated form of insulin-like growth factor-I
review / pubmed_des13igf1_review_1996
Review describing DES(1-3)IGF-I structure, reduced binding-protein interaction, potency, and clinical uncertainty. - Increased weight gain, nitrogen retention and muscle protein synthesis following treatment of diabetic rats with insulin-like growth factor-I and des(1-3)IGF-I
preclinical / pubmed_des13igf1_diabetic_rats_1991
Diabetic-rat anabolic/protein-synthesis study for IGF-I and DES(1-3)IGF-I. - Differential effects of des IGF-1 on Erks, AKT-1 and P70 S6K activation in mouse skeletal and cardiac muscle
preclinical / pubmed_des_igf1_skeletal_cardiac_muscle_2002
Mouse skeletal/cardiac muscle signaling study; useful for both muscle rationale and cardiac-growth caution. - Long R3 insulin-like growth factor-I infusion stimulates organ growth but reduces plasma IGF-I, IGF-II and IGF binding protein concentrations in the guinea pig
preclinical / pubmed_long_r3_igf1_guinea_pig_1995
Guinea-pig Long R3 IGF-I infusion study documenting systemic organ-growth biology. - The therapeutic potential of IGF-I in skeletal muscle repair
review / pmc_igf1_skeletal_muscle_repair_review_2013
Review of IGF-I, muscle repair, satellite cells, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, and myogenic signaling. - DailyMed label: INCRELEX mecasermin injection
label / dailymed_increlex_label
Mecasermin/rhIGF-1 label for severe primary IGF-1 deficiency; includes subcutaneous route, hypoglycemia, neoplasia, intracranial hypertension, and lymphoid hypertrophy warnings. - Long [R3] insulin-like growth factor-I reduces growth, plasma growth hormone, IGF binding protein-3 and endogenous IGF-I concentrations in pigs
preclinical / pubmed_long_r3_igf1_pigs_1997
Long R3 IGF-I animal source showing systemic endocrine feedback and non-simple growth outcomes; useful caution against simplistic LR3 claims.