Epithalon 10mg

What is Epithalon ?

Epithalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, from research into peptide bioregulators. Studies have examined its reported effects on telomerase activity and telomere length, and on melatonin and cortisol rhythms in animal models.

It is also written Epitalon or Epithalone, and abbreviated AEDG. Its formula is C₁₄H₂₂N₄O₉, its molecular weight 390.35 g/mol and its CAS number 307297-39-8. Vladimir Khavinson's group at the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology designed it from Epithalamin, a polypeptide extract of bovine pineal gland studied since the early 1980s.

The group proposes that very short peptides act directly on gene expression, and that four residues are small enough to enter cells unaided. That is a hypothesis of the programme, not an established mechanism. Each Epithalon 10mg vial holds white lyophilised powder.

Epithalon Research Applications

• Telomerase : in telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts, Khavinson, Bondarev and Butyugov (Bull Exp Biol Med, 2003) reported expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit, telomerase activity and telomere elongation.
• Independent replication : a 2025 Brunel University London study reported telomere lengthening in normal human fibroblasts and epithelial cells through telomerase, after 3 weeks of culture. The alternative lengthening pathway (ALT) was switched on only in breast cancer lines (Al-Dulaimi et al., Biogerontology, 2025).
• Lifespan in mice : in female SHR mice, mean lifespan did not change (Anisimov et al., Biogerontology, 2003). The last 10% of survivors lived 13.3% longer, and maximum lifespan rose 12.3%.
• Tumour models : the same group reported fewer tumours per rat, 2.7 against 4.1, in dimethylhydrazine-induced colon carcinogenesis (Cancer Lett, 2002).

Typical in-vitro work measures telomerase activity and telomere length in cultured human cells. Animal work covers lifespan, survival curves, ageing biomarkers and tumour incidence in rodents. Most primary data come from one research cluster, much of it published in Russian, and independent replication is only beginning. Epithalon is not a licensed medicine in the UK, the EU or the United States.

Epithalon vs Pinealon

Both are short synthetic bioregulator peptides from the same St Petersburg programme. Epithalon is the tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, designed from the pineal extract Epithalamin, and its literature centres on telomerase and ageing in mice. Pinealon is the tripeptide Glu-Asp-Arg, and its literature leans towards neuroprotection and antioxidant endpoints. Both literatures come mostly from one research cluster, with little outside replication. They are not interchangeable. A design built on the telomere work needs Epithalon; one built on the neuroprotection work needs Pinealon.

Research Overview

Epithalon, also written Epitalon, is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG), molecular formula C₁₄H₂₂N₄O₉, molecular weight 390.35 g/mol and CAS number 307297-39-8. It was developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology by the group of Vladimir Khavinson as a synthetic tetrapeptide modelled on the active component of Epithalamin, a polypeptide preparation extracted from bovine pineal glands. The design is deliberately minimal, a four-residue peptide small enough to enter cells without a transporter, which sits at the centre of the research programme's proposal that short peptide bioregulators interact with DNA regulatory regions and influence gene expression.

The best-characterised strand of research is the telomere work. Khavinson, Bondarev and Butyugov (Bull Exp Biol Med, 2003) reported that addition of the peptide to cultures of telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts induced expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit, restored measurable telomerase activity, and increased mean telomere length by roughly one third. Companion work from the same group reported increased proliferative activity in retinal and pigmented epithelial cells. Recent independent in-vitro studies in additional human cell lines have reported telomere elongation through both telomerase upregulation and the alternative lengthening of telomeres pathway, with longer incubations required in normal cells than in telomerase-positive lines, a slow, early replication effort rather than a settled finding.

A second strand covers ageing and lifespan. Anisimov and colleagues (Biogerontology, 2003) treated female Swiss-derived SHR mice and reported no change in mean lifespan alongside a 13.3% extension of the lifespan of the last 10% of survivors and a 12.3% extension of maximum lifespan, and the same group reported inhibition of dimethylhydrazine-induced colon carcinogenesis in rats (Cancer Lett, 2002). The pineal and circadian strand runs mostly through the parent preparation Epithalamin, from which Epithalon was designed: Korkushko and colleagues (Bull Exp Biol Med, 2004) reported that epithalamin raised nocturnal plasma melatonin and partially restored its circadian rhythm in elderly subjects.

The honest position, stated plainly: the evidence base is predominantly Russian-language, originates largely from one affiliated research cluster, rests on small sample sizes, and has sparse independent Western replication. Epithalon holds no marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction and is not an approved medicine. Peptaro supplies it as lyophilised powder, supplier-tested, batch UKPL-9501 at 98.5% purity by HPLC with the certificate published on the product page. Supplied for in-vitro laboratory research use only, not for human consumption.

Storage and Reconstitution

Move vials to the freezer on arrival and keep them dark and dry. The sequence has no labile residues, so sterility sets the in-use limit more than chemistry. Split reconstituted stock into single-use aliquots instead of puncturing one vial again and again.

Vials are sold on their own, without bacteriostatic water for mixing or other supplies.

How to reconstitute and handle

• The tetrapeptide contains no methionine, cysteine or tryptophan, so it carries no strongly oxidation-prone residues, aseptic technique is the limiting factor in solution life. Minimise stopper-open time and re-seal promptly.

For the full method, see the peptide reconstitution guide and the reconstitution calculator.

Research References

• Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells (Khavinson et al., Bull Exp Biol Med, 2003)
• Effect of Epitalon on biomarkers of aging, life span and spontaneous tumor incidence in female Swiss-derived SHR mice (Anisimov et al., Biogerontology, 2003)

Published research on Epithalon is indexed on PubMed. See our full UK buyer's guide for Epithalon.