Cardiogen
Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg · AEDR · Heart Bioregulator · Кардиоген
Cardiogen is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg (AEDR), the myocardial cytogen. Chelohart is the heart Cytomax. AEDR is not SS-31 (elamipretide) and not a beta-blocker.
Use-case scores
0–10 against the evidence we have, not a gym ranking. Hidden domains do not apply here.
- Longevity / aging3.5/10
Khavinson-school tissue peptide. Single-lab concentration after haircut. Not a Western Phase 3 geroprotector.
Compound card
- Sequence
- AEDR
- Class
- Khavinson cytogen (AEDR)
- Formula
- C18H31N9O9
- Status
- Not FDA-approved · research use
How it works
Cardiogen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg) is a tetrapeptide bioregulator targeting myocardium (heart muscle). It stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of myocardial cells and restores expression of cardiac-specific proteins. Khavinson research demonstrates improvements in cellular metabolism of cardiomyocytes, reduced hypertrophy, and enhanced recovery following ischemia or myocardial infarction.
Source: PMID: 15677927
Khavinson map
Canonical 41Used in bioregulator stacks
Manufacturer-style organ combinations - not FDA protocols. Every name is a live leaf.
The Khavinson school
Vladimir Khatskelevich Khavinson (1946–2024) spent five decades at what became the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology arguing a simple, stubborn idea: aging is, in part, a failure of tissue-specific peptide signals, and those signals can be restored. The first products were not “peptides” in the Instagram sense. They were Cytamins - polypeptide fractions isolated from a named organ of young animals. Later commercial refinements of those fractions are sold as Cytomaxes (Cytomed / NPCRIZ): still mixtures, still oral capsules, still defined by the source organ rather than a single sequence. When the group identified short active motifs inside those mixtures, they synthesized them as Cytogens - di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides with a one-letter code (KE, AEDG, KED, EDR, KEDP, and so on).
That three-layer stack is the whole map. Cytamin / pharmaceutical extracts (Thymalin, Epithalamin, Cortexin, Retinalamin, Prostatilen) are the clinic-era injectables registered in the former Soviet pharmacopeia. Cytomaxes are the capsule complexes Cytomed still lists as a 21-SKU organ line. Cytogens are the defined synthetics. English-language educators, including Brenden Henry’s public writing at Peptide Science Institute, add a further commercial distinction - later analog SKUs (N-acetyl, amidate, “V2” complexes) sold as more stable or more diverse than the original Cytomed lots. That last layer is a product taxonomy, not a Khavinson paper. We describe it so readers are not gaslit by three bottles with the same organ name. We do not reproduce paid Peptide Mastery protocols, Precision Cell Method language, or anyone else’s course IP.
Full Cytamin → Cytomax → Cytogen map, literature limits, and how we counted 41
The mechanism Khavinson published is epigenetic, not receptor-agonist in the GLP-1 sense. Short peptides are claimed to enter nuclei, interact with DNA/histones, and reopen tissue-specific transcription that condensed with age (heterochromatin → euchromatin). Reviews in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine and Neuroendocrinology Letters (PMID 14523363, 15677927, 23888677) are the citable core. Complementary GI pharmacology is not mystical: di- and tripeptides are PEPT1/LAT substrates, which is why oral capsules are even a conversation. What is not established in Western Phase 3 programs is organ-by-organ disease treatment, telomere reversal as a clinical endpoint, or the manufacturer claim that Cytomax is “a third stronger” than Cytogen. Those are NPCRIZ marketing sentences.
Khavinson’s group published hundreds of papers, many in Russian, many in the same journal family. That is a real literature. It is also a literature with limited independent Western replication, small n, and a habit of using one review PMID as a stamp on every organ. On this site a leaf earns its organ story, its Cytomax↔Cytogen pair, its sequence if it has one, and an honest sentence about what has not been shown. Reconstitution math belongs on cytogens sold as vials. Cytomax capsules do not get a fake 5 mg vial.
The 41 we treat as canonical are the 21 Cytomaxes on the public e-peptide/Cytomed list, the 12 Cytogens on that same commercial line (including Vesilut, which Western catalogs often drop), plus eight historically load-bearing molecules that sit beside the capsule SKUs: Epitalon, Vilon, Thymogen, Livagen, Cortagen, Prostamax, Thymalin, and Epithalamin. Honluten, Cortexin, Retinalamin, Prostatilen, Thymulin, N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate, Pinalex, and the GPL Man / GPL Femme kits are covered as adjacent - same school or same storefront, not padded into a fake 41.
Public English-language teaching (including Brenden Henry at peptidescienceinstitute.com) is cited as context, not copied. Paid Peptide Mastery / Peptide Salvation text stays theirs.
History of this molecule
Myocardium versus endothelium again. Cardiogen is muscle cells. Vesugen is KED vessels. Cortagen is AEDP cortex - one letter from AEDR and a different organ. That letter is the whole job.
Szeto’s SS-31 binds cardiolipin. Khavinson’s AEDR is an organ-identity tetrapeptide. Stealing BENEFIT-HF language is theft.
Caveats
A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Myocardium cytogens sit in a Russian experimental-gerontology literature with limited Western replication. “Oral bioavailability because PEPT1” is real peptide-transport biology; it is not proof this SKU treats the organ disease. Gray-market identity is a live problem - HPLC is the only way to know the vial is the sequence on the label.
Full 41-map: Khavinson bioregulators index · Bioregulator stacks
Research Use Cases
- ✓AEDR identity vs Chelohart vs Vesugen
- ✓Not a post-infarction recovery protocol
Dosing
| Phase | Dose | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khavinson Protocol | 1–2 capsules/day or 1–2 mg SC | Daily for 10–30 day courses, 1-2x per year | Cardiac bioregulator course. Often paired with Vesugen (vascular). |
Administration
Cardiogen: oral vs SubQ
- Official Cytomed cytogen SKU is a swallowed capsule. No BAC water, no syringe.
- Matches how Cytomed ships the poster line.
- Nobody manufactures this as a sublingual tablet.
- Capsule milligrams are not 1–2 mg SC. Do not convert a research-vial protocol into capsule counts by arithmetic theater.
- Empty-stomach timing is user-guide folklore plus PEPT1 logic, not a cited human PK study for this SKU.
- Cardiogen is AEDR myocardium. It is not Vesugen (KED endothelium), not Cortagen (AEDP brain), and not SS-31 (elamipretide). Some tables print AEDK; prefer COA.
- A tetrapeptide capsule is still a swallow, still not a sublingual tablet, still not a heart-failure drug.
- Vial math is checkable if the COA matches the sequence on the label.
- Food timing is irrelevant for SubQ.
- Short pulsed courses match how the school used defined synthetics.
- Gray-market identity: HPLC is the only way to know the cake is AEDR (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg).
- Not a Western Phase 3. Russian experimental-gerontology literature is real and concentrated.
- Not a sublingual tablet and not a Cytomax complex.
- Cardiogen is AEDR myocardium. It is not Vesugen (KED endothelium), not Cortagen (AEDP brain), and not SS-31 (elamipretide). Some tables print AEDK; prefer COA.
- Not a beta-blocker. Not PARADIGM-HF. GDMT stays. Stealing BENEFIT-HF language is theft.
Timeline
Who it is for
Cardiac / Heart Aging
LowMyocardial bioregulator. Targets age-suppressed cardiac gene expression.
Reconstitution
| Vial | Water | Concentration | Example dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyophilized cytogen (if the SKU is a vial) | Follow the COA fill | Do the math | Capsules skip this step. Cytomax complexes are not this molecule. |
Change vial size or water volume? Open the reconstitution calculator.
Safety & Considerations
Research peptide. Extensively used in Russian clinical protocols. Russian clinic history is not a US safety NDA.
Regulatory & Legal Status
Not currently on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Policies may change - verify before competition.
Research Chemical
US Compounding: Not eligible / not available
⚠️ This information is for educational purposes only and may not reflect the most current regulatory updates. Always verify with official FDA, WADA, and jurisdiction-specific sources before use.
Limits of current evidence
- A defined sequence is not an FDA indication.
- Gray-market identity is a live problem. HPLC beats a blog table.
- Do not paste a sibling cytogen’s papers onto this SKU.
- This site will not treat the named organ disease from a peptide page.
Verdict
Cardiogen is the synthetic AEDR cytogen for Heart muscle. Khavinson’s group published in this family. That is a concentrated literature, not a Western Phase 3. Capsules and vials are different SKUs.
Interactions & Contraindications
This site will not treat heart disease from a peptide page.
Synergies & Common Stacks
Cytogen vs Cytomax. Same organ, two classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cardiogen vs Chelohart vs Vesugen vs SS-31?▼
Vs Cortagen?▼
Heart-failure drug?▼
Sequence?▼
Oral capsule or injection?▼
How does Cardiogen differ from Chelohart?▼
References
- Khavinson VKh et al. “Tissue-specific effects of peptides.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2005). PMID: 15677927
- Khavinson VKh, Lin’kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI “Short peptides regulate gene expression.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2013). PMID: 23888677
- Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG “Peptide regulation of aging: from experimental studies to clinical practice.” Advances in Gerontology (2003). PMID: 14523363
- Khavinson VKh et al. “"Cardiogen stimulates proliferation of myocardial cells".” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2009). PMID: 19702220
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Get Cardiogen from Vita-Stream - a distributor for Khavinson-line oral capsules. No reconstitution math on a Cytomax bottle.
Affiliate link · Full review