GDF-11_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as growth differentiation factor 11, BMP-11, GDF11
The young blood rejuvenation protein, and the field that spent a decade arguing about it.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is GDF-11?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
The protein behind the young blood headlines. Later studies disagreed about whether it even goes up or down with age, partly because the tests for it also pick up myostatin.
GDF-11 (BMP-11), a TGF-beta superfamily ligand sharing approximately 90 percent identity with myostatin across the mature growth factor domain. Subject of contested parabiosis literature on age-related decline and tissue rejuvenation, with published disagreement on the direction of the age association and on regenerative effect. Antibody cross-reactivity with myostatin is a documented confound across the measurement literature. No human administration trial.
What it's used for
Sold for anti-aging and tissue rejuvenation on the strength of a contested set of mouse studies.
How does GDF-11 work?
What it does in the body, and where.The story of GDF-11 is the clearest example in this library of an assay problem producing a decade of confusion.
- 01It is myostatin's nearest relativeThe mature growth factor domains of human myostatin and GDF-11 are about 90 percent identical. Myostatin, which this library carries as GDF-8, is the brake on muscle growth.
- 02The measuring tools cannot reliably tell them apartAntibodies raised against one bind the other. Commercial reagents are sold labeled for GDF11 and GDF8 together, and pharmaceutical programs have had to run dedicated selectivity assays to prove an antibody hits only one. A result about GDF-11 measured with a cross-reactive tool may be a result about myostatin.
- 03The high-profile claim was that it falls with age and restores tissueParabiosis studies joining old and young mice reported that GDF-11 declined with age and that restoring it improved muscle, heart and brain. Later work from other groups reported the opposite direction for the age trend and found that supplementing it impaired muscle regeneration.
- 04Its relationship with cancer is unsettled tooReviews describe GDF-11 as promoting growth in some tumor types and inhibiting proliferation in others. That is not a profile anyone can act on.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Rejuvenation of aged muscle, heart and brain, the original claimEarly research
- Anti-aging generallynone
- Cardiac hypertrophy reversal, from the parabiosis workEarly research
The published record
Papers and trials about GDF-11
216 papers tagged human · 142 not reviews or lab · 5 clinical trial publications
2 registered trials · none with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Published trials only, 5 clinical trial publications, no phased trial registered
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count. 468 papers and 2 trials indexed in detail.
At a glance
Four things to know about GDF-11
Evidence
Category
Longevity and energy
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
Nothing published
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.Research only, not established. Not established No range
No schedule has been studied for this compound in people.
Nothing publishedNo figure
No half-life has been published for administered GDF-11 in people.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized GDF-11 keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Active cancer, or any history of cancer, given the unsettled tumor literature
- Any condition affecting muscle, since published work disagrees on whether it helps or harms regeneration
- Anyone who wants established safety data, because none exists for this compound in humans
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction, including spreading hives, facial or throat swelling, or trouble breathing
- Redness, heat, or pus at the injection site, which can signal infection
- Anything unusual, since there is no known safety profile to compare it against
Common effects
- Unknown. No study has recorded what this commonly causes in people
- Redness, soreness, or a small bump at the injection site
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is GDF-11 approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. GDF-11 is not approved for any use, anywhere. It is sold labeled for laboratory research only, and there is no legal route to buy it for human use.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
- Checked24 August 2026
- DoseNo dose has been established in people.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesNone traced yet.
What has happened recently
We have not yet written a full regulatory note for this compound. The status above is current as of the date shown.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like GDF-11?
Others in Longevity and energy, side by side.If you're weighing GDF-11, it's worth reading Nicotinamide Riboside (NR), P110, and SHLP2 in the same class.
The young blood rejuvenation protein, and the field that spent a decade arguing about it.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
The NAD+ precursor that kept its paperwork in order.
- Dose
- 300 up to 1,000 mg per day
- How often
- Daily
A research peptide that blocks one route to mitochondrial fragmentation, tested only in cells and animals.
- Dose
- No human dose; 1.5 to 3 mg/kg/day by continuous pump in mice
- How often
- Continuous infusion in animals
A mitochondrial peptide with real published biology and no human dosing behind it.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Sources
No primary source has been traced for this compound yet. Treat everything on this page as unverified until one is. How we grade evidence
Beyond these, 470 records are indexed. Browse the records