CGF (Chlorella Growth Factor)
The nucleotide-peptide complex that makes chlorella a unique immunomodulator
Definition
CGF (Chlorella Growth Factor) is a concentrated aqueous extract obtained from the nucleus of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris. It is a bioactive complex rich in nucleotides, nucleic acids (DNA/RNA), peptides, amino acids, polysaccharides and B-group vitamins, generated during the microalga's phase of ultra-rapid cell division. Its name reflects its ability to accelerate cellular growth and repair. In longevity it is studied for its immunomodulatory and regenerative effects and its support of protein synthesis, and is considered the signature active fraction that distinguishes chlorella from other green microalgae.
Detailed explanation
Chlorella is one of nature's fastest-dividing cells: it quadruples its population every 20-24 hours. CGF is the soluble fraction that accumulates during that accelerated division phase, isolated by hot-water extraction from the cell interior. Analytically it contains free nucleotides, nucleic acids, oligopeptides, essential amino acids, cell-wall polysaccharides and cofactors such as vitamin B12 and folate.
Its immunomodulatory mechanism is attributed to the wall polysaccharides, which activate macrophages via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and to the nucleotides, which are a rate-limiting substrate for lymphocyte proliferation. Randomized controlled trials of chlorella supplementation show increased cytotoxic activity of NK cells, elevated interferon-γ and interleukin-1β, and greater salivary IgA secretion — all markers of innate and mucosal immune reinforcement.
CGF is only bioavailable when the chlorella cell wall is broken, since intact cellulose blocks absorption. For this reason the canonical forms used in longevity protocols use mechanically fractured (DYNO-Mill) chlorella, dosed at 3-5 g/day, to preserve CGF without thermal degradation.
Scientific sources
- Source — Beneficial immunostimulatory effect of short-term Chlorella supplementation: enhancement of NK cell activity (randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial)
- Source — Salivary secretory IgA secretion increases after 4-week ingestion of chlorella-derived multicomponent supplement in humans (randomized crossover)
- PubMed — Immunostimulatory bioactivity of algal polysaccharides from Chlorella pyrenoidosa activates macrophages via Toll-like receptor 4
- PubMed — Dietary Chlorella vulgaris ameliorates altered immunomodulatory functions in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressive mice
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