Cortagen Reconstitution Calculator, Units & Half-Life
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[Peptide · Compound guide]

Cortagen: reconstitution, units and half-life

Vial sizes · Worked example · Units chart · Half-life notes

What is cortagen?

Cortagen is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) from the same Russian research group as Epitalon, based on the brain-cortex extract Cortexin. It is not approved as a drug in the US, and human evidence is very limited.

Also known as: Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, AEDP peptide.

Common vial sizes

Cortagen powder vials are usually labeled 20 mg.

Water and syringe-unit charts by vial size: 20 mg

Worked reconstitution example

Here is the math for a 20 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, drawing 1 mg with a U-100 insulin syringe (1 mL = 100 units).

  1. Concentration. 20 mg ÷ 2 mL = 10 mg/mL
  2. Volume to draw. 1 mg ÷ 10 mg/mL = 0.1 mL
  3. Syringe units. 0.1 mL × 100 = 10 units
The amount here is an example to show the math, not a recommendation. How much to take is a decision for you and your prescriber.

Units chart at 10 mg/mL

20 mg vial + 2 mL water. Amounts are examples for the conversion, not doses.
AmountVolumeU-100 syringe
500 mcg0.05 mL5 units
1 mg0.1 mL10 units
2 mg0.2 mL20 units

Same amount, different water volumes

Adding more water doesn't change how much cortagen is in the vial. It only spreads it over more liquid, so each draw is bigger and easier to read.

1 mg from a 20 mg vial.
Water addedConcentrationVolumeU-100 syringe
1 mL20 mg/mL0.05 mL5 units
2 mL10 mg/mL0.1 mL10 units
3 mL6.67 mg/mL0.15 mL15 units
5 mL4 mg/mL0.25 mL25 units

For any other vial size or amount, the free peptide reconstitution calculator works backwards from the amount you want and suggests a water volume that lands on a clean syringe mark.

What is known in people?

Most work on cortagen is in rats. After a cut and repaired sciatic nerve, 10 days of injections into muscle increased the growth rate of the regrowing nerve fibers by 27% and their conduction speed by 40% (Turchaninova 2000). In rats with reduced blood flow to the brain, it sped up recovery of behavior and limited oxidative damage (Zarubina 2011).

In people, the only study we found was in lab dishes: it loosened tightly packed chromatin in white blood cells from people aged 75 to 88 (Khavinson 2004). We could not find a published clinical trial.

Cortagen half-life and time to peak

  • Half-lifeNot listed
  • Time to peak (Tmax)Not listed

We could not find a published human half-life for this compound. Figures quoted online usually come from animal or cell studies, so we do not list one here.

How to track cortagen in Dose Track

  1. Add cortagen as a custom compound. Start typing its name and Dose Track fills in the details from its research library for you to check, and it sits next to everything else you take.
  2. Save your vial: enter the vial size and how much water you added. From then on every amount you log shows as syringe units, and the reconstitution planner suggests a water volume that lands on a clean mark.
  3. Log each shot. The app subtracts it from the vial, shows what is left, and warns you before you run out.
  4. Set reminders on your own schedule, whether that is daily, weekly or every few days.
  5. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

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Frequently asked questions

How much bacteriostatic water do I add to a 20 mg cortagen vial?+
There is no single right amount. More water makes each draw bigger and easier to measure; less water makes it smaller. For example, 2 mL in a 20 mg vial gives 10 mg/mL, so 1 mg is 0.1 mL, or 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. That amount is only an example for the math, not a recommendation. The free Dose Track reconstitution calculator works it out for any vial and amount.
How many units is 1 mg of cortagen?+
It depends on the concentration in your vial. At 10 mg/mL (20 mg mixed with 2 mL), 1 mg is 0.1 mL, which is 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe, where 1 mL is 100 units. Divide the amount by the concentration to get mL, then multiply by 100.
What is the half-life of cortagen?+
We could not find a published human half-life for this compound. Figures quoted online usually come from animal or cell studies, so we do not list one here.
Can I track cortagen in Dose Track?+
Yes. Cortagen is in Dose Track's research library, so when you add it as a custom compound its details are filled in for you to check. You can then log each shot next to your other compounds, save your vial and how much water you added so every amount shows in syringe units, see how much is left in the vial, and get reminders. Your log is stored on your phone and no account is needed. Data only leaves it for features you choose, like AI answers and lab reading.

Sources

  1. Turchaninova LN, et al. Effect of tetrapeptide cortagen on regeneration of sciatic nerve. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2000;130(12):1172-1174.
  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 (in Russian).
  3. Anisimov SV, et al. 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.
  4. Khavinson VKh, Lezhava TA, Malinin VV. Effects of short peptides on lymphocyte chromatin in senile subjects. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004;137(1):78-81.

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