Livagen
Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala · KEDA · Liver & DNA Bioregulator · Ливаген
Livagen is synthetic Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (KEDA), the liver tetrapeptide used in chromatin-decondensation demonstrations. Svetinorm is the liver Cytomax. Ovagen is the other liver cytogen (not ovary).
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.
- Metabolic / weight3/10
GI/metabolic organ map. Not a GLP-1 and not a diabetes drug.
Compound card
- Sequence
- KEDA
- Class
- Khavinson cytogen (KEDA)
- Formula
- C18H32N6O9
- Status
- Not FDA-approved · research use
How it works
Livagen (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala) is a tetrapeptide bioregulator targeting hepatocyte (liver cell) gene expression and chromatin structure. It restores liver metabolic enzyme production, detoxification gene expression, and hepatocellular regeneration capacity in aged cells. Khavinson demonstrated chromatin relaxation in hepatocytes treated with Livagen, restoring transcription of liver-specific proteins suppressed by aging.
Source: PMID: 14564402
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
If you only remember one “epigenetic peptide” story besides Epitalon, it is Livagen unwinding heterochromatin in old hepatocytes and lymphocytes so ribosomal genes can be read again. That is the Khavinson demo. It is also why English teachers love this molecule.
It is not a hepatitis C cure. It is not a NASH outcomes drug. Svetinorm is the complex. Ovagen is EDL on the official poster.
Caveats
A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Liver 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
- ✓KEDA identity vs Svetinorm vs Ovagen
- ✓Not a liver-regeneration or detox 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 | Liver bioregulator course. Particularly valuable after hepatotoxic exposure or age-related liver decline. Repeat 1-2x per year. |
Administration
Livagen: oral vs SubQ
- Official cytogen capsule SKU. No reconstitution.
- Same sequence claim as the vial if the box is Livagen.
- Not a sublingual tablet. Nobody manufactures this SKU that way.
- Svetinorm is the liver Cytomax mixture. Different class, different dose sheet.
- Ovagen is the other liver cytogen (EDL, not ovary). Do not swap bottles by name vibe.
- Empty-stomach timing is a user-guide preference, not a PK study.
- Defined tetrapeptide. Vial math belongs on powder, not on Svetinorm.
- Separable from Ovagen (EDL, also liver) and from the liver Cytomax complex.
- SubQ skips GI for a tetrapeptide whose oral PEPT1 story is already thin.
- Not a NASH outcomes drug. Chromatin demos are not a billed epigenetic procedure.
- Two liver cytogens exist (KEDA vs EDL). Confirm the COA.
- Sterile technique. Cloudy vial: discard.
Timeline
Who it is for
Hepatic Aging / Liver Health
LowLiver-specific bioregulator. Restores hepatocyte 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
Livagen is the synthetic KEDA cytogen for Liver. 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
Not a hepatitis or cirrhosis treatment page.
Synergies & Common Stacks
Cytogen vs liver Cytomax. Sequence vs mixture. Not interchangeable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Livagen vs Ovagen vs Svetinorm?▼
Heterochromatin - is that proven in clinic?▼
Sequence?▼
Capsule or vial?▼
Detox?▼
What liver functions does Livagen restore?▼
References
- Khavinson VKh et al. “Peptide effects on chromatin structure in aging cells (Livagen neighborhood).” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine / related (2003). PMID: 14564402
- 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 peptides restore chromatin structure and gene function in aging hepatocytes".” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2017). PMID: 28695688
📚 Related Articles
Get Livagen from Vita-Stream - a distributor for Khavinson-line oral capsules. No reconstitution math on a Cytomax bottle.
Affiliate link · Full review