MGF (Mechano-Growth Factor) is a form of IGF-1 that results from alternative splicing. Studies suggest it may all be aided by the growth of new tissues, the mending of old ones, cardiac tissue repair, and skeletal muscle restoration. Research data suggests that MGF may expedite physical exertion and injury recovery.
MGF Peptide and IGF-1 Splicing
The scientific community has been aware of alternative splicing for quite some time. This method uses alternative mRNA strands to describe how a cell may generate several proteins from a single DNA sequence. It turns out that IGF-1 is at the far end of the alternative splicing spectrum. With six exons and several transcription sites, IGF-1 may be spliced into classes consisting of three main isoforms (IGF-1Ea, IGF-1Eb, IGF-1Ec) for at least six distinct proteins. Research suggests these peptides may be further altered to provide many new possibilities.
MGF Peptide: What is it?
The IGF-1Eb isoform is also known as the mechano-growth factor. Muscle remodeling, cell proliferation, and cellular survival have all been linked to its presence. Recent studies have purported that this isoform may counteract the effects of aging on muscle tissue by activating satellite cells in skeletal muscle, protecting neurons, and possibly preventing muscular atrophy.
Findings imply the principal function of MGF may be in acute muscle healing, notably after physical activity or damage. As suggested by rat studies, there may be a substantial correlation between MGF in muscle and the multiplication and differentiation of skeletal muscle cells after muscle damage.
MGF Peptide and Inflammation
Regeneration of damaged muscle tissue is facilitated by signaling chemicals secreted by inflammatory cells. Macrophages seem to be the predominant makers of MGF in the context of muscle cell inflammation, suggesting they may play a pivotal role in this process. In addition to its possible anti-inflammatory properties, IGF-1Ea (MGF) has been assumed to increase the lifespan of macrophages. MGF presentation is hypothesized to increase muscle cell repair rates by influencing macrophages, albeit the precise importance of this action has yet to be explained.
MGF Peptide and Cartilage
Cartilage damage may develop due to injury, repeated joint usage (osteoarthritis), or inflammatory illness (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis). Unfortunately, cartilage does not repair effectively for many reasons, including limited blood supply and a shortage of stem cells essential for considerable regeneration. However, studies on MGF purport that the peptide may aid in overcoming some of the intrinsic limits of cartilage regeneration.
Researchers have hinted that MGF may promote the survival of chondrocytes, the cells responsible for maintaining and repairing cartilage. In other words, when cartilage is subjected to physical stress, MGF seems to increase the survival of cells essential for protecting against that stress and repairing whatever damage it produces. The YAP signaling pathway, which encourages chondrocyte migration into cartilage, seems to mediate these properties.
Aside from its possible curative potential after cartilage damage, MGF has also been linked to serving as a preventative measure against future harm or incapacity. Because chondrocytes suffer apoptosis (programmed cell death) when subjected to excessive stress, mechanical strain is a major contributor to disc degeneration in the spine. Data from studies in rats suggests that MGF may help prevent disc degeneration by blocking cell apoptosis. Scientists are looking into whether or not MGF might slow the progression of spinal degeneration brought on by repetitive motion.
MGF Peptide and the Brain
As early as 2010, studies speculated the neuroprotective properties of MGF and suggested its existence in the developing brains of mice. Studies in animal models later purported that MGF may be overexpressed in brain areas where neuron regeneration occurs and is expressed at high levels in brain hypoxia. Finally, research using a mouse model of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) hinted at the peptide’s efficacy in protecting neurons. The death of motor neurons, the underlying cause of ALS, seems to be slowed by MGF presentation, which in turn reduces the general increasing muscular weakening observed in the condition. MGF has been discovered in adult research model brains regenerating after suffering from global ischemia, and it is theorized to be substantially better at preserving neurons in this context than any other IGF-1 isoform. There is optimism that MGF may be utilized in the context of muscular function in ALS and prevent motor neurons from death.
MGF Peptide and the Heart
MGF has been speculated to protect heart muscle against ischemia in experimental models of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) in sheep. The research indicated that MGF may significantly improve cardiac function after a heart attack, decreasing cardiomyocyte impairment by 35%. This is a major result since, to date, there have been a limited number of substances that might minimize the effect of a heart attack while it is occurring. In the early stages of a heart attack, almost little can be done other than stent implantation or the administration of clot-busting compounds, both of which have the danger of causing fatal bleeding. Most concentrate on minimizing tissue damage and restoring as much function as possible after an incident.
References
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[ii] A. M. Oberbauer, “The Regulation of IGF-1 Gene Transcription and Splicing during Development and Aging,” Front. Endocrinol., vol. 4, Mar. 2013.
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[vi] P. Mills, J. C. Dominique, J. F. Lafrenière, M. Bouchentouf, and J. P. Tremblay, “A Synthetic Mechano Growth Factor E Peptide Enhances Myogenic Precursor Cell Transplantation Success,” Am. J. Transplant., vol. 7, no. 10, pp. 2247–2259, 2007.
[vii] X. Jing et al., “Mechano-growth factor protects against mechanical overload induced damage and promotes migration of growth plate chondrocytes through RhoA/YAP pathway,” Exp. Cell Res., vol. 366, no. 2, pp. 81–91, May 2018.
[viii] Q. Xu, H. Fang, L. Zhao, C. Zhang, L. Zhang, and B. Tian, “Mechano growth factor attenuates mechanical overload-induced nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis through inhibiting the p38 MAPK pathway,” Biosci. Rep., vol. 39, no. 3, Mar. 2019.
