Cartalax
Ala-Glu-Asp · AED · Cartilage Bioregulator · Kartalax · Карталакс
Cartalax is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp (AED), the cartilage cytogen. Sigumir is the joint Cytomax complex. AED is not BPC-157 and not a hyaluronic-acid shot.
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.
- Injury & tissue3/10
Musculoskeletal aisle. Not BPC-157 and not an arthritis drug.
Compound card
- Sequence
- AED
- Class
- Khavinson cytogen (AED)
- Formula
- C13H21N3O9
- Status
- Not FDA-approved · research use
How it works
Cartalax (Ala-Glu-Asp) is a tripeptide bioregulator targeting cartilage and connective tissue gene expression. It promotes chondrocyte activity, collagen synthesis, and cartilage matrix protein production. Khavinson studies demonstrate improved cartilage regeneration and joint function in animal models and elderly patients with osteoarthritis.
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
Chondrocytes live in a tissue with no blood supply worth mentioning, which is why every healing peptide wants this market. Khavinson’s bet is transcriptional: collagen II, proteoglycans, chondrocyte identity. Cartalax is the tripeptide. Sigumir is the complex.
Gotratix is muscle. Different cells. Intra-articular injection of a research cytogen is a leap the papers do not authorize just because the knee hurts.
Caveats
A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Cartilage 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
- ✓AED identity vs Sigumir
- ✓Not an osteoarthritis treatment page
Dosing
| Phase | Dose | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khavinson Protocol | 1–2 capsules/day or 1–2 mg SC | Daily for 10–30 day courses, 2-3x per year | Joint/cartilage bioregulator. Often paired with Sigumir (bone) for comprehensive musculoskeletal aging support. |
Administration
Cartalax: 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.
- Swallowed AED is the Cytomed presentation. Cartilage has almost no blood supply; that does not turn the capsule into an OA drug.
- 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.
- Cartalax is AED, the cartilage cytogen. Intra-articular injection of a research cytogen is a leap the papers do not authorize just because the knee hurts.
- Gym neighborhood with Gotratix is two tissues (muscle complex + cartilage cytogen), not one stack trial.
- 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 AED (Ala-Glu-Asp).
- Not a Western Phase 3. Russian experimental-gerontology literature is real and concentrated.
- Not a sublingual tablet and not a Cytomax complex.
- Cartalax is AED, the cartilage cytogen. Intra-articular injection of a research cytogen is a leap the papers do not authorize just because the knee hurts.
- Not a labeled viscosupplement. Oral or SubQ research use is already ahead of the evidence; intra-articular is further ahead.
- No structural OA trial versus placebo MRI like a sprifermin study.
Timeline
Who it is for
Cartilage / Joint Aging
LowCartilage-specific bioregulator. Restores chondrocyte gene expression and collagen synthesis in aging joints.
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
Cartalax is the synthetic AED cytogen for Cartilage. 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
School cycling language is not a US OA label.
Synergies & Common Stacks
Cytogen vs Cytomax. Same aisle, two classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cartalax vs Sigumir vs BPC-157?▼
Inject into the joint?▼
Sequence?▼
Pair with Gotratix?▼
Oral capsule or injection?▼
How does Cartalax help cartilage?▼
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. “"Short peptide bioregulators for cartilage aging".” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2009). PMID: 19503960
📚 Related Articles
Get Cartalax from Vita-Stream - a distributor for Khavinson-line oral capsules. No reconstitution math on a Cytomax bottle.
Affiliate link · Full review