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Not FDA approved and sold as a research chemical. This page is educational information only. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation to use anything.
IndexedBuilt automatically from public databases on 2026-09-30. Not yet hand-reviewed by PLOBT.How this works →

Cortagen

Not FDA approved

Synthetic short peptide bioregulator

Evidence score
21/ 100
Thin evidence

Very thin human evidence

  • Regulatory standing. Sold as a research chemical, not approved
  • Animal / preclinical only. Evidence is largely animal or in-vitro
  • No registered human trials. Nothing registered on ClinicalTrials.gov
  • 1 cited source. Includes primary / regulatory sources

Computed with the same four public criteria as every profile. The human-evidence grade on an indexed profile is set automatically and may change when it is hand-reviewed. It is not a safety score, not a purity rating, and not medical advice, and not a claim that this compound treats, cures, or prevents any condition.

What it is

Cortagen is a small synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) developed by Russian researchers as part of the 'peptide bioregulator' program associated with Vladimir Khavinson. It was modeled on extracts from brain cortex tissue and is proposed to influence gene expression and nerve tissue repair, though the mechanism is not well established.

What the evidence shows

Automatic summaryAnimal / preclinical

There are no registered human clinical trials, and the roughly 13 published papers are mostly animal and cell studies, largely from a single research group. Any effects in humans remain unproven.

Key facts

Molecular formula
C17H26N4O9
Molecular weight
430.4 g/mol

Registered human trials

Live from ClinicalTrials.gov, refreshed daily.

0registered studies
Nonemost advanced phase
0completed (sample)
0recruiting (sample)

Published literature

Live from Europe PMC. This is how much has been published, not how much is proven in humans.

13papers referencing Cortagen

Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray.

Neuro Endocrinol Lett2004

Synthesis of IL-2 mRNA in cells of rat hypothalamic structures after injection of short peptides.

Bull Exp Biol Med2005

Effects of short peptides on thymocyte blast transformation and signal transduction along the sphingomyelin pathway.

Bull Exp Biol Med2002

In vitro effect of short peptides on expression of interleukin-2 gene in splenocytes.

Bull Exp Biol Med2002

Sources

Risks, side effects and study doses are only published on hand-reviewed profiles. Want this one reviewed, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.