Cerluten
Brain Peptide Complex · CNS Cytomax · Церлутен
Cerluten is the Cytomax brain complex. Cortexin is the pharmaceutical cortical extract used in CIS neurology. Pinealon (EDR) and Cortagen (AEDP) are the synthetic CNS cytogens. Cerluten is not Semax and not a nootropic racetam.
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.
- Cognition3.5/10
Nervous/pineal/visual aisle in the school. Not a stroke or dementia label.
Compound card
- Sequence
- Brain peptide complex (mixture, not a single CAS)
- Class
- Khavinson Cytomax capsule complex (Brain)
- Formula
- Polypeptide extract (Brain tissue <10 kDa)
- Status
- Not FDA-approved · research use
How it works
Cerluten (A-5) is a Cytomax natural polypeptide extract from the brain (cerebral cortex) of young calves, delivering a broad library of neurotrophic peptide signals targeting the human central nervous system. Cognitively, aging manifests as declining neuroplasticity, reduced production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), increased neuroinflammation, and accumulating oxidative damage to neurons - collectively causing the "brain fog," memory lapses, and processing speed decline that most adults over 50 experience.
Cerluten's peptide cocktail is conceptually similar to Cerebrolysin (injectable porcine brain hydrolysate used in stroke rehabilitation) and Cortexin (injectable bovine peptide used in Russian neurological medicine), but formulated for oral Cytomax delivery. The <10 kDa peptide fractions cross the gut barrier and reach the bloodstream, where they act on brain tissue gene expression via the Khavinson epigenetic mechanism - relaxing heterochromatin to reactivate genes encoding BDNF, nerve growth factor (NGF), and antioxidant enzymes in neurons and glial cells.
In the Khavinson bundle system, Cerluten is the anchor of the central nervous system stack: paired with Ventfort (A-3, blood vessels) for neurovascular delivery and Svetinorm (A-7, liver) for metabolic cleansing. The combination addresses both neuronal gene expression and the vascular/metabolic environment that neurons depend on. Athletes and high-performance professionals use Cerluten for cognitive resilience; gerontologists use it to slow age-related cognitive decline.
Source: PMID: 18402693
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
CIS neurology had Cortexin as a hospital peptide extract for brain injury and encephalopathy long before “Cerluten” was a US warehouse label. Cerluten is the oral Cytomax complex for brain tissue. Cortagen is cortex tetrapeptide. Pinealon is the EDR tripeptide sitting on the pineal/CNS border.
Semax and Selank are Institute of Molecular Genetics / Russian nootropic peptides - related country, different program. Do not file Cerluten under “Russian nootropics” next to Semax as if they were one family.
Stroke, MCI, and epilepsy are not capsule indications in the US.
Caveats
Brain Cytomax is not a US dietary-supplement monograph and not a drug. The tissue-extract model means lot-to-lot composition is a fingerprint, not a single CAS number. English-language “V2” bottles that claim more peptide diversity are a later commercial layer (mass-spec marketing from specific brands) - they are not Khavinson’s 1990s papers. Animal-source capsules are inappropriate if the reader has a religious or allergy constraint on the source species. None of this replaces care for the actual organ disease.
Full 41-map: Khavinson bioregulators index · Bioregulator stacks
Research Use Cases
- ✓Brain Cytomax vs Cortagen vs Pinealon
- ✓Not neuroprotection or cognitive-decline treatment
Dosing
| Phase | Dose | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-Course / General Preventive (1 box) | 2 capsules (20 mg) | Once daily for 10 days, 30 min before breakfast | Standard Khavinson mini-course (20 caps). Repeat every 6 months for cognitive maintenance. Always take in the morning - neurotrophic signaling aligns with daytime neural activity cycles. |
| Full Monthly Course (ages 40–55) | 2 capsules (20 mg) | Twice daily for 30 days (120 caps = 2× 60-cap boxes) | Bi-annual 30-day courses from age 40+. Core CNS stack: Cerluten (A-5) + Ventfort (A-3) + Svetinorm (A-7) per official Khavinson bundle protocol for central nervous system support. |
| Intensive / Cognitive Recovery Protocol | 2 capsules (20 mg) | Twice daily, repeated monthly as needed | For significant cognitive decline, post-stroke recovery support, traumatic brain injury rehabilitation, or advanced neurodegeneration prevention. Physician supervision recommended for clinical use cases. Max: 4 caps/day (40 mg). |
Administration
Cerluten: Not a research vial vs Oral capsule
- The defined-sequence vial in this aisle is the cytogen pair (Pinealon (EDR) and Cortagen (AEDP)), a different SKU.
- Cortexin is the pharmaceutical extract in this organ family (clinic-era injectable or other non-capsule form), not this Cytomax.
- Reconstitute Pinealon or Cortagen if you bought those cytogens. Cortexin is the IM cortical extract, not this capsule. A Cerluten cake is a mis-ID.
- Cerluten is an oral capsule complex. It is not a 5 mg lyophilized research vial.
- Inventing recon math for a zero-mg Cytomax vial is how people inject the wrong product.
- Not an official Cytomed sublingual tablet, IM ampoule, or eye drop either.
- Official form for Cerluten: swallow the capsule with water. No reconstitution step and no 5 mg cake.
- Brain Cytomax: the oral complex. Not Semax, not a racetam, not Pinealon/Cortagen powder. CIS neurology’s extract is Cortexin.
- Course-based (10–30 days, a few times a year in manufacturer folklore), not a daily forever drug.
- Brain Cytomax is a peptide mixture / lot fingerprint, not a single CAS. English “V2” bottles are a later commercial layer, not a Khavinson RCT.
- Russian school literature is not an FDA organ-disease label.
- Third-party lingual SKUs exist in the wild. We do not claim sublingual as the official Cytomed Cytomax form.
Timeline
Who it is for
Cognitive Aging / Brain Health
LowBroad-spectrum CNS bioregulator. Supports neuroplasticity, BDNF production, and neuronal antioxidant defense at the gene-expression level.
High-Performance Cognitive Support
LowUsed by executives, athletes, and academics for sustained cognitive resilience under high load. Not a stimulant - works through gene restoration, not receptor activation.
Post-Neurological Event Recovery
LowConceptually related to Cerebrolysin and Cortexin. Used in Russian protocols for stroke rehabilitation and TBI recovery support (adjunct, not primary therapy).
Safety & Considerations
Natural glandular extract (Cytomax) from bovine cerebral cortex, <10 kDa. No drug interactions identified. Meets European/Russian veterinary standards. Generally recognized as safe.
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
- Cytomax SKUs are oral capsules. Do not run SubQ reconstitution math on a zero-mg vial.
- Lot-to-lot composition is a fingerprint, not one sequence.
- This site will not treat the named organ disease from a peptide page.
- English-language V2 / analog bottles are a later commercial layer, not a Khavinson RCT.
Verdict
Cerluten is a Cytomax capsule complex from Brain. It is not the paired cytogen, not a 5 mg research cake, and not a US supplement monograph. The organ story is in the dossier on this page.
Interactions & Contraindications
This site will not treat dementia from a peptide page.
Synergies & Common Stacks
Complex vs cytogen. Not a stroke stack.
Appears in goal guides
Goal guides are maps, not clinic protocols. A mention here is not a treatment plan.
Cognitive Enhancement Protocol
Neuro 3 Plus bioregulator triad (brain, vessels, liver) plus Semax/Selank, with Dihexa reserved for advanced users.
Dopamine Resensitization & Neuro-Drive
Cerluten + Glandokort for cortex and adrenal tone after burnout. Experimental dopaminergic chemicals are named, not stocked as library peptides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oral capsule or injection?▼
Cerluten vs Cortexin vs Cortagen vs Pinealon?▼
Is this Semax?▼
Stroke treatment?▼
Reconstitution?▼
Is Cerluten comparable to Cerebrolysin?▼
What is the best stack with Cerluten?▼
References
- Khavinson VKh et al. “Short peptides stimulate gene expression in aging cerebral cortex.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2009). PMID: 19503960
- 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 “"Peptide bioregulators - a new class of geroprotectors".” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2002). PMID: 12677266
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Get Cerluten from Vita-Stream - a distributor for Khavinson-line oral capsules. No reconstitution math on a Cytomax bottle.
Affiliate link · Full review