Cortagen
Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro · AEDP · Brain Cortex Bioregulator · Кортаген
Cortagen is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro (AEDP) for cerebral cortex. It is not Glandokort (adrenal Cytomax), not Cardiogen (AEDR, heart), and not Cortexin (extract).
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
- AEDP
- Class
- Khavinson cytogen (AEDP)
- Formula
- C18H27N5O10
- Status
- Not FDA-approved · research use
How it works
Cortagen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) is a tetrapeptide bioregulator targeting cerebral cortex and neuronal gene expression. It promotes neuronal transcription restoration, improves cognitive function, and provides neuroprotection via gene regulatory mechanisms in cerebral cortex tissue. Khavinson studies show improvements in cognitive function, memory, and neurological recovery.
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
AEDP is the cortex tetrapeptide with a gene-expression paper trail (PMID 19503960). The name collision with “cortisol/adrenal” and with Cortexin is the buyer trap. Cortex of the brain. Full stop.
Pinealon is EDR. Semax is a different Russian nootropic. Stroke remains tPA/thrombectomy territory, not a 10-day capsule.
Caveats
A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Cortex 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
- ✓AEDP identity vs Pinealon vs Cerluten
- ✓Not a stroke, dementia, or neurodegeneration 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 | Neurological bioregulator course. Repeat 2-3x per year for cognitive aging prevention. |
Administration
Cortagen: oral vs SubQ
- Official cytogen capsule SKU. No reconstitution.
- Same sequence claim as the vial if the box is Cortagen.
- Not a sublingual tablet. Nobody manufactures this SKU that way.
- Name collision with cortisol/adrenal and with Cortexin is how the wrong bottle ships.
- Oral BA is not PMID 19503960 as a swallowed-capsule trial.
- Pinealon is EDR. Different cytogen, different leaf.
- Defined sequence. One residue off Cardiogen (AEDR, heart) - the letter is the job.
- Vial math is for this tetrapeptide, not for Cerluten capsules.
- PMID 19503960 is cortex gene-expression work on this motif family, not a Cortexin ward protocol.
- Not a stroke drug. Acute stroke is emergency care.
- Not Semax (ACTH analog, different institute).
- Not Glandokort (adrenal Cytomax) and not Cortexin (extract).
Timeline
Who it is for
Cognitive Aging / Neuroprotection
LowCerebral cortex bioregulator. Restores neuronal gene expression suppressed by aging.
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
Cortagen is the synthetic AEDP cytogen for Cerebral cortex. 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 stroke from a peptide page.
Synergies & Common Stacks
Different sequences, neighboring organs in the school map. Not a combo RCT.
Cytogen vs brain Cytomax. Mixture vs sequence. Not interchangeable SKUs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cortagen vs Cortexin vs Cerluten vs Glandokort vs Cardiogen?▼
Stroke drug?▼
Sequence?▼
Capsule or vial?▼
Semax?▼
What does Cortagen target in the brain?▼
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
📚 Related Articles
Get Cortagen from Vita-Stream - a distributor for Khavinson-line oral capsules. No reconstitution math on a Cytomax bottle.
Affiliate link · Full review