MGF vs. IGF-1

[AASraw]

Mechano Growth Factor, often known as MGF, is a splice variation of insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1). When muscle tissue is injured, the body splices IGF-1 into two variants: IGF-1Ec and IGF-1Ea, with the former becoming MGF. What distinguishes MGF is its unique role in muscle growth.​

Although both IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) and MGF (Mechano Growth Factor) can benefit to muscle growth and repair, there are some significant structural, functional, and action mechanism variations between the two. Here is a table to see their difference directly.

	MGF	IGF-1
Type	Growth factor	Hormone
Primary benefits	Muscle growth and repair	Muscle growth
Production	Localized in muscle tissue in response to mechanical stress	Primarily produced in the liver in response to growth hormone
Stimulus for Release	Mechanical stress, exercise, injury	Growth hormone stimulation, nutritional status
Function in Muscle	Promotes muscle stem cell activation and muscle repair	Stimulates protein synthesis, inhibits protein breakdown
Action Site	Primarily within muscle tissues	Affects various tissues including muscle
Circulating Levels	Short-lived, increases with exercise or injury	Stable, regulated by growth hormone and nutritional factors
Clinical Relevance	Relevant for muscle injury recovery and repair	Important for growth disorders, aging, and general muscle maintenance