Anti-AgingTarget: Pineal glandEndocrine

Epitalon

Epithalon · AEDG peptide · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly · Эпиталон

Epitalon is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG). Epithalamin is the injectable pineal extract. Endoluten is the Cytomax complex. Telomerase papers exist. Not a Western longevity RCT and not a telomere-reset drug.

Not FDA-approved - research chemical
Reviewed by CalcMyPeptide Editorial Team
Last updated: September 2026Evidence: Strong preclinical14 peer-reviewed citations
Typical research dose
5-10 mg/day
Frequency
1× daily for 10-20 days, cycle 2-3× per year
Half-life
~30 min estimated (no published human PK)
Common vials
10 mg / 50 mg
CAS
307297-39-8
Molecular weight
390.35 g/mol

Use-case scores

0–10 against the evidence we have, not a gym ranking. Hidden domains do not apply here.

  • Longevity / aging5/10

    Multi-decade rodent geroprotection plus 2003 and 2025 in vitro telomere data. Ceiling 5.5 for consistent animal work; haircut for no Western human RCT and single-lab concentration on the early papers.

  • Recovery & sleep4/10

    Pineal/melatonin pathway is the mechanistic story. No dedicated sleep RCTs. Sits at the single-lab / community ceiling.

  • Immune3.5/10

    Rodent immune and tumor-incidence papers exist. They are not a human oncology indication. Do not launder extract trials onto AEDG.

  • Skin / cosmetic2.5/10

    Chromatin and fibroblast work is in vitro. No dermal RCT. Mechanism only.

Compound card

Sequence
AEDG (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly)
Class
Synthetic pineal tetrapeptide / Khavinson cytogen
Formula
C14H22N4O9
Status
Not FDA-approved · research use
Dose it
10 mg + 2 mL BAC water → 5 mg/mL · 5000 mcg ≈ 100 units (U-100)
Open in calculator

How it works

Epitalon (Epithalon, Эпиталон) is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, a four-residue motif isolated from the pineal extract line that Khavinson developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is not Epithalamin (the injectable pineal extract) and not Endoluten (the Cytomax pineal capsule complex). Those three share an organ. They are different SKUs.

Four pathways show up in the published work. (1) TERT: in telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts, Epithalon induced the catalytic subunit, enzymatic activity, and telomere elongation (Khavinson, Bondarev, Butyugov 2003). (2) Chromatin: AEDG is modeled to bind linker histones H1.3/H1.6 and open heterochromatin around silenced promoters. (3) Pineal/melatonin: the extract and tetrapeptide literature both sit next to circadian melatonin restoration in aging animals. That is not the same as a 3 mg melatonin gummy. (4) Immune and redox modulation in rodent models. The 33% telomere-length and Drosophila lifespan figures you see on vendor pages are model-system numbers, not a human RCT endpoint.

Independent 2025 cell-line work (Al-Dulaimi) added quantitative telomere, hTERT, and ALT readouts the 2003 paper did not give. It is still in vitro. It is not a Western clinical trial.

Source: PMID: 12937225

Three pineal SKUs, one search term

Epitalon = synthetic AEDG. Epithalamin = pharmaceutical pineal extract. Endoluten = pineal Cytomax capsules. US vials labeled “epithalamin” are often AEDG relabeled. Ask what is in the vial. Do not swallow a Cytomax bottle into a reconstitution calculator.

Khavinson map

Canonical 41
Class
Cytogen (synthetic short peptide)
Organ
Pineal gland
Target
Pineal gland
System
Endocrine
Sequence
AEDG · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly
Эпиталон

Used 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

AEDG is the flagship cytogen even though it is not on the 12-SKU NPCRIZ cytogen poster the same way Pinealon is - it lives in the core-eight because the papers and the search volume do. Khavinson synthesized it to mimic epithalamin activity with a defined sequence. The 2003 Bulletin paper on telomerase activity and telomere elongation in somatic cells (PMID 12937225) is the one everyone cites. Rodent geroprotection and pineal/melatonin-adjacent work sit around it.

English-language educators (Henry’s public PSI article included) use Epitalon as the TERT-promoter example versus Pinealon/Vilon on other genes. That distinction is in the public essay and in the papers it cites. We cite papers. We do not paste Peptide Mastery dose sheets.

N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a later stability analog. Parent literature does not automatically transfer.

Caveats

A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Pineal 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. Telomere therapy as a consumer product is a claim. Hayflick-limit language in ads is theater.

Full 41-map: Khavinson bioregulators index · Bioregulator stacks

Goal context

Longevity and telomeres

This is why people search the page. Telomere shortening is a real aging hallmark. Activating telomerase in somatic cells is the 2003 claim, quantified again in 2025 cell lines. Hayflick-limit language in ads is theater: nobody has an FDA telomere drug, and consumer “telomere kits” are marketing. What you can say honestly is that AEDG is the best-studied short peptide in that lane, and the lane is still preclinical.

Sleep and circadian timing

Reported research-chem cycles often dose in the evening to sit next to the nocturnal melatonin rhythm. That is a scheduling heuristic, not a PK study. If sleep is the only job, a measured melatonin protocol is the simpler tool. Epitalon is a pineal-adjacent tetrapeptide, not a sleep hormone replacement.

Skin as a side conversation

Fibroblast and chromatin papers get stretched into cosmetic claims. There is no topical or injectable skin RCT for AEDG. If skin is the job, GHK-Cu has the actual dermal literature. Keep Epitalon on the pineal/telomere page.

Research Use Cases

  • ✓AEDG identity vs Epithalamin vs Endoluten vs Pinealon
  • ✓Why telomerase headlines are not a US anti-aging indication
  • ✓Not a cancer-protective or retinal-degeneration protocol

Dosing

PhaseDoseFrequencyNotes
Standard short cycle5 mgEvening SubQ, 20 daysAbout 100 mg per cycle. Typical research-chem pattern. Repeat 1–2× per year, 4–6 months apart.
Compressed cycle10 mgEvening SubQ, 10 daysSame ~100 mg per cycle, shorter calendar. Not shown to outperform 5 mg × 20 in a head-to-head trial.

Administration

Route / form
Two real SKUs: Cytomed oral capsules (swallowed) or a lyophilized research vial reconstituted for subcutaneous injection. Nobody manufactures these as sublingual tablets.
Timing
Capsules: morning, about 30 minutes before meals. Research vial (SubQ): food does not change the injection.
Empty stomach?
Capsules: yes - Swallow on an empty stomach, about 30 minutes before meals. Reconstituted vial (SubQ): food does not change the injection. Cytomed boxes sometimes print “with food” because they are labeled as supplements; the manufacturer user-guide preference is before meals.

Preparation

Best injection sites
Abdomen, Thigh, Upper arm
Required supplies
  • Lyophilized vial
  • Bacteriostatic water
  • U-100 insulin syringes
  • Alcohol swabs

Storage

Before reconstitution
Lyophilized powder refrigerated, protected from light. Do not freeze-thaw the dry cake for sport.
After reconstitution
Reconstituted solution refrigerated 2–8 °C; typical bacteriostatic water window is up to 28 days if sterility holds.
Signs of degradation
Cloudiness • Particles • Color change • Loss of cake integrity before mixing

Epitalon: oral vs SubQ

Cytomed AEDG capsule
Bioavailability
Cytomed/cytogen oral capsules of AEDG, swallowed with water. Tetrapeptide oral uptake is a weaker PEPT1 story than Vilon/Thymogen. Endoluten is the pineal Cytomax mixture - swallowing that box is not an Epitalon dose.
Dose note
Cytomed folklore: 1–2 capsules daily, 10–30 day courses, morning, about 30 minutes before meals. Manufacturer protocol, not an FDA label. Do not run the 5–10 mg vial chart on a capsule blister.
Advantages
  • No reconstitution. Official cytogen capsule SKU exists.
  • Same sequence claim as the vial if the manufacturer listing is AEDG.
  • Not a sublingual tablet. Nobody manufactures this SKU that way.
Considerations
  • Capsule ≠ vial ≠ Epithalamin ampoule ≠ Endoluten complex. Pick the bottle you bought.
  • Oral BA is not a telomerase trial. PMID 12937225 is somatic-cell work, not a swallowed-capsule PK study.
  • Food timing is a manufacturer preference (empty stomach), not a PK paper.
Research AEDG vial
Bioavailability
Research SubQ from a reconstituted lyophilized AEDG vial. Parent papers used defined tetrapeptide in models, not a pineal extract ampoule. No published human PK curve; plasma figures on vendor pages are estimates.
Dose note
US research-chem folklore is 5 mg evening SubQ × 20 days or 10 mg × 10 days (about 100 mg per cycle), a few times a year. That is not an Epithalamin IM hospital label and not Endoluten capsule math. 10 mg vial + 2.0 mL BAC → 5 mg/mL only if the bottle is actually AEDG powder.
Advantages
  • Defined sequence (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly). Reconstitution math you can check.
  • Bypasses GI. The reconstitution table on this leaf is for vials, not capsules.
  • Separable from Epithalamin (extract) and Endoluten (Cytomax) if the COA is real.
Considerations
  • Gray-market identity: US “epithalamin” vials are often AEDG relabeled. HPLC beats the label.
  • N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a different SKU. Do not copy 5–10 mg/day onto NAEA as if PK matched.
  • Sterile technique still applies. Cloudiness means discard.
Recommendation: Epitalon is capsule-or-vial: swallow Cytomed AEDG capsules, or reconstitute a research vial for SubQ. It is not Epithalamin (IM pineal extract), not Endoluten (pineal Cytomax), and not NAEA. If the bottle is capsules, skip the calculator. If it is powder, do vial math on that fill, not on a 5 mg chart copied from a different SKU.

Timeline

During a 10–20 day course
Sleep timing is the anecdote people report. It is not a validated sleep endpoint.
Weeks after the course
No established human biomarker schedule. Do not expect a telomere lab to move on one cycle.
Between cycles (4–6 months)
The literature and vendor folklore both treat this as a pulsed peptide, not a daily staple.

Who it is for

Telomere / geroprotection research

High

Best-documented short peptide in this lane. Still preclinical. Not a telomere drug.

Circadian / pineal-adjacent work

Moderate

Mechanistic story is real. Sleep RCTs are not.

Immune / tumor models

Low

Rodent papers exist. This is not an oncology protocol.

Reconstitution

VialWaterConcentrationExample dose
10 mg2.0 mL BAC5 mg/mL5 mg = 1.0 mL = 100 units on a U-100 syringe
50 mg5.0 mL BAC10 mg/mL5 mg = 0.5 mL = 50 units on a U-100 syringe

Change vial size or water volume? Open the reconstitution calculator.

Safety & Considerations

Research-use tetrapeptide. Decades of Khavinson-group publications report low toxicity in the models they ran. That is not a Western Phase 3 safety database. Sterile reconstitution still matters. Do not treat rodent tumor-incidence papers as a human anti-cancer claim. PMID 15677927 is a tissue-peptide class review, not an Epitalon RCT.

Regulatory & Legal Status

FDA Status (US)
Research Only
WADA Status (2026)
Not Listed

Not currently on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Policies may change - verify before competition.

Classification

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

  • No Western randomized, placebo-controlled human trial of synthetic AEDG for aging, sleep, or telomere length in vivo.
  • Early papers concentrate in the Khavinson / Anisimov network. Independent 2025 cell-line work exists; independent human trials do not.
  • Epithalamin extract mortality follow-ups are not “the Epitalon trial.” Read which molecule was in the syringe.
  • Plasma half-life is estimated. There is no published human PK curve to justify the 2–4 hour figure some databases print.
  • N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a different SKU. Parent papers do not transfer automatically.

Human evidence

Strong preclinical · no Western human RCT

  • No Western randomized, placebo-controlled human trial of synthetic AEDG for aging, sleep, or telomere length in vivo.
  • 2003 Bulletin paper: telomerase reactivation and telomere elongation in human fetal fibroblasts (in vitro).
  • Al-Dulaimi 2025 quantified hTERT, telomere length, and ALT in cell lines — still not a human aging trial.
  • Epithalamin extract mortality follow-ups are not “the Epitalon trial.” Read which molecule was in the syringe.

User reports

What cycles report

Sleep timing is the anecdote people report during a 10–20 day course. It is not a validated sleep endpoint. Do not expect a telomere lab to move on one cycle.

Verdict

Epitalon is the flagship Khavinson tetrapeptide and the one Western readers actually have a paper trail for. Use it as a short, periodic research-chem cycle with reconstitution math you can check, not as a daily longevity vitamin and not as a synonym for Epithalamin or Endoluten. The evidence is strong for a preclinical geroprotector and weak for any disease or telomere-reversal claim you can take to a clinic.

Interactions & Contraindications

Russian clinic history is not a US safety NDA. Cycle language is the school’s, not an FDA duration. This site will not treat cancer from a peptide page.

Synergies & Common Stacks

AEDG vs EDR. Neighboring pineal/CNS aisle. Not a sequenced longevity drug regimen.

Pineal tetrapeptide vs thymic extract. School combination follow-ups are not a 50% mortality label on this SKU.

Epitalon vs. Thymalin

Canonical comparison: Epitalon vs Thymalin

AttributeEpitalonThymalin
ClassPineal bioregulator (tetrapeptide)Thymic bioregulator
MechanismTelomere elongation + pineal regulationT-cell maturation + immune rejuvenation
Primary UseAnti-aging, longevity, sleep, telomeresImmune restoration, longevity
Research BaseKhavinson Institute trials (human)Khavinson Institute trials (human)
Dose5–10 mg per course (1–2× yearly)5–20 mg per course (1–2× yearly)

Verdict: Epitalon and Thymalin are both Khavinson Institute bioregulators used together in anti-aging longevity protocols. Epitalon targets telomere/pineal health; Thymalin targets immune system restoration. They're complementary, not competing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Epitalon vs Epithalamin vs Endoluten vs Pinealon?▼
Epitalon = AEDG synthetic. Epithalamin = pineal pharmaceutical extract. Endoluten = pineal Cytomax complex. Pinealon = EDR CNS cytogen.
Does it lengthen telomeres in people I can bill?▼
The famous paper is somatic cells in vitro / Khavinson-group work. It is not an FDA telomere drug. Treat consumer “telomere kits” as marketing.
NAEA?▼
N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a stability analog. Different SKU, almost no analog-specific human PK. Do not copy 5–10 mg/day onto NAEA as if PK matched.
Capsule or vial?▼
Both exist. Swallow Cytomed AEDG capsules, or reconstitute a research vial for SubQ. Endoluten is the pineal Cytomax (mixture). Epithalamin is the IM extract. Not a sublingual tablet.
Melatonin replacement?▼
Pineal-adjacent claims exist. It is not a 3 mg melatonin gummy with a fancier name.
How does Epitalon relate to telomeres?▼
The 2003 Bulletin paper showed telomerase reactivation and telomere elongation in human fetal fibroblasts. Al-Dulaimi 2025 quantified hTERT, telomere length, and ALT activity in cell lines. Neither paper is a human aging trial.
What are the two common research-chem cycles?▼
5 mg SubQ daily for 20 days, or 10 mg daily for 10 days. Both land near 100 mg per cycle. Courses are usually spaced 4–6 months apart. That pattern is literature-plus-community practice, not an FDA label.
How do I reconstitute a 10 mg vial?▼
Add 2.0 mL bacteriostatic water for 5 mg/mL. A 5 mg dose is 1.0 mL, which is 100 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. Use the reconstitution calculator if you change vial size or water volume.
Morning or evening?▼
Evening is the common reported schedule because of the melatonin story. It is not a PK requirement. Pick a time you can repeat for 10–20 days.
Is Epitalon the same as Epithalamin or Endoluten?▼
No. Epitalon is AEDG. Epithalamin is the pineal extract. Endoluten is the Cytomax capsule complex. See the Khavinson map on this page.
Has it been shown to extend human lifespan?▼
No. Rodent and cell data exist. There is no Western RCT with lifespan or validated telomere endpoints in people.
Is it FDA-approved?▼
No. Sold as a research chemical in the US. Not a dietary-supplement monograph and not a WADA-cleared sport peptide. Check the regulatory panel on this page for the current FDA/WADA rows.
Can I take it as a capsule instead of injecting?▼
Endoluten is the oral pineal Cytomax SKU. That is a mixture, not AEDG math. Cytogens sold as capsules are swallowed. This leaf’s reconstitution table is for lyophilized AEDG vials only.
What about N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate?▼
NAEA is a stability analog (Ac-AEDG-NH2). Different bottle, almost no analog-specific human PK. Parent telomerase papers do not automatically apply.
Does it cause cancer because telomerase is involved?▼
Vendor pages sometimes claim selective activation in healthy cells. Al-Dulaimi 2025 reported ALT activity in some cancer cell lines. That is a reason for caution, not a license for disease claims either way. There is no human oncology trial.
How should I store it?▼
Keep lyophilized vials refrigerated and dark. After mixing with bacteriostatic water, refrigerate 2–8 °C and discard if cloudy or particulate. Typical BAC-water practice is up to 28 days if sterility holds.

References

  1. Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA “Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2003). PMID: 12937225
  2. Khavinson VKh “Peptides and ageing.” Neuroendocrinology Letters (2002). PMID: 12374906
  3. Khavinson VKh, Anisimov VN “Peptide bioregulators: a new class of geroprotectors. Message 1: results of experimental studies.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2000). PMID: 11182816
  4. Khavinson VKh et al. “Tissue-specific effects of peptides.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2005). PMID: 15677927
  5. Khavinson VKh, Lin’kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI “Short peptides regulate gene expression.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2013). PMID: 23888677
  6. Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG “Peptide regulation of aging: from experimental studies to clinical practice.” Advances in Gerontology (2003). PMID: 14523363
  7. Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA “Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2003). PMID: 12937682
  8. Anisimov VN, Khavinson VK, Popovich IG, et al. “Effect of Epitalon on biomarkers of aging, life span and spontaneous tumor incidence in female SHR mice.” Biogerontology (2003). PMID: 14501183
  9. Al-Dulaimi S, Thomas R, Matta S, et al. “Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity.” Biogerontology (2025). PMID: 40908429
  10. Araj SK, Brzezik J, Mądra-Gackowska K, Szeleszczuk Ł “Overview of Epitalon: highly bioactive pineal tetrapeptide with promising properties.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.3390/ijms26062691
  11. Anisimov VN, Khavinson VK “Peptide bioregulation of aging: results and prospects.” Biogerontology (2010). PMID: 19943114
  12. Khavinson V, Diomede F, Mironova E, et al. “AEDG peptide (Epitalon) stimulates gene expression and protein synthesis during neurogenesis: possible epigenetic mechanism.” Molecules (2020). PMID: 32092993
  13. Khavinson VK. “Peptide regulation of aging: 35-year research experience.” Bull Exp Biol Med (2010). PMID: 21516878
  14. Khavinson VK, et al. “Epitalon activates telomerase in human somatic cells.” Bull Exp Biol Med (2003). PMID: 14631600

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