Khavinson BioregulatorTarget: RetinaVisual

Retinalamin

Retinal bioregulator · Ретиналамин

Retinalamin is the pharmaceutical retinal extract - including parabulbar use in CIS ophthalmology. Adjacent to the 41. Visoluten is the Cytomax; Normoftal is the cytogen.

Not FDA-approved - research chemical
Reviewed by CalcMyPeptide Editorial Team
Last updated: August 2026Evidence: Low3 peer-reviewed citations
Typical research dose
5 mg IM or parabulbar injection
Frequency
1× daily for 10 days
Half-life
Mixture (variable)
Common vials
5 mg
CAS
N/A (biological extract)
Molecular weight
Mixture (<10 kDa)

Use-case scores

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

  • Injury & tissue2.5/10

    Bovine retinal extract used in Russian ophthalmology practice. Not AREDS. Not Pinalex. Not a US AMD drug.

Compound card

Class
Bovine retinal polypeptide extract (parabulbar clinic product class)
Formula
Polypeptide extract (Retinal tissue)
Status
Not FDA-approved · research use
Dose it
5 mg + 1 mL BAC water → 5 mg/mL · 5000 mcg ≈ 100 units (U-100)
Open in calculator

How it works

Retinalamin is a highly purified, clinical-grade polypeptide extract derived from the retina tissues of cattle or pigs. It is an approved prescription pharmaceutical in Russia used primarily in ophthalmology.

Retinalamin works by restoring impaired cellular metabolism in the retina. It stimulates photoreceptor division, improves the function of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), reduces vascular permeability, and prevents the death (apoptosis) of retinal cells during ischemic or degenerative states. It is heavily utilized for treating diabetic retinopathy, central retinal vein occlusion, and primary open-angle glaucoma.

Source: PMID: 15677927

Khavinson map

Adjacent (not padded into the 41)
Class
Pharmaceutical extract (Cytamin-era)
Organ
Retina
Target
Retina
System
Visual
Sequence
Mixture / not a single CAS
Ретиналамин

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

This is the eye extract that actually has a hospital technique (parabulbar) in its home market. That does not make gray-market powder safe to put next to a globe. We document the triad so AMD shoppers do not buy Visoluten thinking it is Retinalamin.

Caveats

Do not self-inject near the eye. Not FDA.

Full 41-map: Khavinson bioregulators index · Bioregulator stacks

Research Use Cases

  • ✓Age-related macular degeneration
  • ✓Diabetic retinopathy
  • ✓Retinitis pigmentosa
  • ✓Glaucoma support

Dosing

PhaseDoseFrequencyNotes
Clinical Protocol5 mgDaily IM or Parabulbar injection for 10 daysUsually administered by an ophthalmologist (parabulbar = injected into the tissue adjacent to the eyeball).

Administration

Route / form
Pharmaceutical extract - historically parabulbar / intramuscular in CIS practice. Not a swallowed capsule and not a sublingual tablet.
Timing
Course-based injectable / extract timing per the pharmaceutical presentation - food does not change an IM or parabulbar shot.
Empty stomach?
No - These are clinic-era injectables or suppositories, not capsules. Food timing does not apply.

Retinalamin: Parabulbar / IM extract vs Not Visoluten / not Pinalex

Parabulbar / IM extract
Bioavailability
CIS pharmaceutical retinal extract. Documented clinic routes are parabulbar (next to the globe, specialist) and intramuscular. This is not a SubQ abdomen lifestyle peptide.
Dose note
Ampoule / clinic kit: mix per the pharmaceutical presentation. Do not invent a 5 mg/mL BAC SubQ lifestyle chart for an extract lot. Folklore is 5 mg daily for about 10 days in CIS ophthalmology. Parabulbar is a clinician technique. US research powder is not that product. Do not self-inject near the eye.
Advantages
  • The eye extract that actually has a hospital technique in its home market.
  • Triad stays honest: Retinalamin (extract) / Visoluten (Cytomax) / Normoftal (cytogen).
  • Food does not apply.
Considerations
  • DIY parabulbar is how globes get hurt. No.
  • Not anti-VEGF, not AREDS2, not FDA.
  • Do not run a 5 mg BAC abdomen chart as if this were BPC.
Not Visoluten / not Pinalex
Bioavailability
Retinalamin is not a swallowed capsule. The oral eye cousin is Visoluten (Cytomax). Normoftal is the retina cytogen. Pinalex is a later tablet blend with carotenoids - still not this extract.
Dose note
If the bottle is oral capsules or Pinalex tablets, you do not have Retinalamin. No swallow-chart for this ampoule.
Advantages
  • Visoluten exists for oral ocular Cytomax shoppers.
  • Stops AMD shoppers from buying Visoluten thinking it is Retinalamin.
  • Not a sublingual tablet. Nobody manufactures this SKU that way.
Considerations
  • Pinalex is not a loophole to “oral Retinalamin.”
  • Degenerative retina disease still belongs to an ophthalmologist.
  • Not an eye drop.
Recommendation: Retinalamin is a CIS parabulbar / IM retinal extract, not in the 41. It is not Visoluten, not Normoftal, not Pinalex, and not a SubQ BAC chart. If the plan involves the globe, that is a specialist. If you bought capsules, you are on the Visoluten leaf.

Timeline

Week 2-4
Improvement in visual acuity and visual field parameters in diabetic retinopathy.

Who it is for

Diabetic Retinopathy / Glaucoma

Moderate

Registered medicine in Russia for degenerative eye diseases.

Reconstitution

VialWaterConcentrationExample dose
5 mg lyophilized1 mL BAC5 mg/mLClinic extract. Not a SubQ lifestyle peptide.

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

Safety & Considerations

Registered pharmaceutical in Russia. Clinical supervision required. Parabulbar injection must be performed by a specialist.

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

  • Parabulbar administration is clinic territory.
  • This site will not treat macular degeneration from this page.

Verdict

Retinalamin is an injectable retinal extract used in Russian ophthalmology practice. Not Visoluten capsules, not Normoftal, not Pinalex. Not a US AMD drug.

Interactions & Contraindications

Parabulbar injection requires trained ophthalmologist. No reported drug interactions with standard optic medications.

Synergies & Common Stacks

Parabulbar extract plus oral eye cytogen. Russian clinic pairing, not a macular-degeneration protocol on this site.

Retinalamin + Normoftal target different aspects of ocular tissue health.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the 41?▼
No. Documented as the pharma extract layer for retina.
Vs Visoluten / Normoftal?▼
Extract vs Cytomax vs cytogen.
AMD drug?▼
Not anti-VEGF. See ophthalmology.
DIY parabulbar?▼
No.
Oral version?▼
This extract is parabulbar or IM. Visoluten is the swallowed eye Cytomax. Normoftal is the retina cytogen. Pinalex is a later tablet blend. None of those is a sublingual Retinalamin.
Is Retinalamin the same as Visoluten?▼
Visoluten is the oral dietary supplement (Cytomax) version for preventive eye health. Retinalamin is the sterile, injectable pharmaceutical medicine designed for treating active diagnosed ocular diseases.

References

  1. 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
  2. Khavinson VKh et al. “Tissue-specific effects of peptides.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2005). PMID: 15677927
  3. Astakhov YS et al. “"Retinoprotective effect of Retinalamin in diabetic retinopathy".” Vestnik Oftalmologii (2008). PMID: 19140417
Recommended sourceOral bioregulator

Get Retinalamin from Vita-Stream - a distributor for Khavinson-line oral capsules. No reconstitution math on a Cytomax bottle.

Affiliate link · Full review