12-31-2007, 10:56 AM
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#1
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Status: Hot ass shakin
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,731
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PA's take on IGF
Well, I've never seen this so maybe its old to some. No source are cited unfortunately:
Quote:
A copy for the Sept 07 MD article written by PA:
Well I don’t have any one particular subject to talk about this week so I thought I would go back to my old format of a little short topic stuff, a little question and answer, and a little small talk. Anyway, I am going to the Olympia in a couple of weeks and I am pretty excited about it as I have hardly gotten away from the boring central Illinois area much at all since I got back from prison last February (probation confines me to central Illinois for the most part). Yeah, I got to go to the Arnold in Columbus but they made me go to my room at night because I was on house arrest. Then I also got to go to Orlando for a Vitamin Shoppe expo in July but it was held in some boring Walt Disney World hotel so its not like I got to whoop it up. So Vegas will be my first chance to party a little outside of Champaign Illinois, which is not exactly the party capital of the world. My attorneys actually invited me to go to the playboy mansion in LA on the Saturday of that weekend but I thought that would be too much of a culture shock for me right now. So I will make the most of Vegas, which from what I hear has a lot to offer. I won’t have a booth but I will be walking around the expo and hopefully someone will set me up with some tickets to see the contest (hint). Anyway, if I run into you introduce yourself and say hi.
IGF-1 / LongR3-IGF-1 confusion
I have been reading message boards and articles for quite some time now where people discuss the science and practical usage of LongR3-IGF-1. A lot of misinformation has been propagated about its properties, its utility, and its safety. I am going to try to briefly address some of this. I will discuss myths and realities
Myth: LongR3-IGF-1 was developed for use as an anabolic agent
Truth: LongR3-IGF-1 was originally developed for use in in-vitro research. In other words it was developed to be used in the lab for biochemical experiments with cell cultures. You see, the problem with regular IGF-1 was that it binds to serum proteins, and these can interfere with its direct activity on cells. So they altered the chemical structure of regular IGF-1 in such a way that retained its binding affinity to IGF-1 receptors while losing its ability to bind to the IGF-1 binding proteins (IGF-1BPs). The result was an IGF-1 analog with potent and reproducible activity in the culture systems.
Myth: LongR3-IGF-1 is a long acting form of IGF-1
Truth: Quite the opposite is true in fact. Since LongR3-IGF-1 does not bind to serum IGF1-BPs it is more prone to deactivation by serum proteases. As a result, its half-life in the body is compromised. On the other hand, 80% of normal IGF-1 is bound to IGF-1BP3 and this binding protein protects IGF-1 and greatly extends its half-life in the body. In fact, the overall half-life of IGF-1 in the body is anywhere from 8 to 18 hours. LongR3-IGF-1 according to research degrades approximately 2.5 times faster in plasma than regular IGF-1 (Journal of Endocrinology, Vol 164, Issue 1, 77-86).
On the other hand, LongR3-IGF-1 appears to be a more potent binder and activator of the IGF-1 receptor, so when it comes to actual in-vivo anabolic effects the short half-life may balance out with greater receptor dynamics to put LongR3-IGF-1 and IGF-1 on the same playing field. The downside though is that unlike the protein bound IGF-1, the free LongR3-IGF-1 will exert its hypoglycemic effects unabated, so large dosages can be problematic.
Myth: Your body only produces microgram amounts of IGF-1 per day
Truth: The daily production of IGF-1 in an adult human is actually 10-15 milligrams. Also, clinical research on IGF-1 for anabolic therapy uses doses from 5 to 25 milligrams a day. However don’t go trying to take that much LongR3-IGF-1 per day, as IGF-1 has strong insulinomimetic activity and you may put yourself in a hypoglycemic coma. Like I pointed out, LongR3-IGF-1 does not bind to IGF-1BPs so that dose will be active all at once - unlike standard IGF-1 (the vast majority of which will immediately hook up with IGF-1BPs). Bodybuilders know that you can’t go too much over 200mcg of LongR3-IGF-1 per shot or you will be heading for some troublesome side effects.
Myth: LongR3IGF-1 is a suitable replacement for GH
Truth: LongR3-IGF-1in the short term might have benefits (healing of connective tissue in particular) but for long term use you are really rolling the dice. This is a potent growth factor that can do as much bad as good if things don't go right
It is very important to remember that IGF-1 binding proteins serve important functions. IGF-1BP3 as mentioned protects IGF-1 from degradation and greatly extends its half-life. The bound complex of IGF-1 and IGF-1BP3 circulates throughout the bloodstream, and when it finds the appropriate target tissues it will encounter localized proteases that will free up the IGF-1 for receptor interaction – at that particular tissue. There are also other binding proteins that serve to sequester and permanently deactivate IGF-1 - speeding up its elimination. These apparently serve as protectors and are secreted by certain cells under certain conditions.
Of course tissue growth and regeneration is a vital part of survival and of course growth factors such as IGF-1 are integral to this process. However there can be abnormal cell systems popping up and these do pop up all the time, especially as you age. The body has mechanisms to recognize these anomalies and to suppress them so they do not grow into something like a malignant cancer. The elimination and sequestration functions of IGF-1 binding proteins are essential for proper control of the power of IGF-1. When you use a form of IGF-1 that is engineered to avoid binding to IGF1-BPs (such as longR3) you circumvent these checks and balances and invite all kinds of unforeseen problems
A better alternative to GH would be a GHRP or GHRH analog such as CJC-1295. These GH secretagogues are much farther upstream in the whole GH/IGF-1 cascade from IGF-1, and a good rule of thumb is the farther upstream you provide the exogenous hormonal influence the more naturally balanced the end outcome will be.
Anyway, am I anti LongR3? No, not really. My take on the stuff is that it might be a minimal risk to try for short cycles at times when you are at high catabolic risk. Such use would optimally utilize multiple daily administrations of small doses to overcome the high plasma clearance rate. Alternatively, longR3 could be a useful tool for connective tissue regeneration when used in a localized fashion, perhaps in conjunction with occlusive bands to maximize tissue exposure.
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