Khavinson BioregulatorTarget: ThymusImmune

Vilon

Lys-Glu · KE dipeptide · Thymus Bioregulator Dipeptide · Вилон

Vilon is synthetic Lys-Glu (KE), among the first Khavinson dipeptides and the chromatin-in-lymphocytes showpiece. It is not Thymalin (extract), not Thymogen (EW), and not thymosin alpha-1.

Not FDA-approved - research chemical
Reviewed by CalcMyPeptide Editorial Team
Last updated: August 2026Evidence: Low5 peer-reviewed citations
Typical research dose
1–2 capsules/day (Cytomed) or 1–2 mg SC (research vial)
Frequency
1× daily for 10-30 day cycles
Half-life
Short (dipeptide)
Common vials
5 mg / 10 mg
CAS
79738-07-1
Molecular weight
275.30 g/mol

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.

  • Immune3.5/10

    Thymus/immune organ map in the school. Not Zadaxin and not a US immune-deficiency drug.

Compound card

Sequence
KE
Class
Khavinson cytogen (KE)
Formula
C11H21N3O5
Status
Not FDA-approved · research use
Dose it
5 mg + 2.5 mL BAC water → 2 mg/mL · 1000 mcg ≈ 50 units (U-100)
Open in calculator

How it works

Vilon (Lys-Glu) is a synthetic thymic dipeptide bioregulator developed by Vladimir Khavinson. It stimulates regulatory T-cells, reduces excess inflammatory cytokines, and modulates autonomic nervous system balance in aging. Khavinson-group immune-cell and chromatin papers exist for KE. They are not a US functional-lifespan indication.

Source: PMID: 12677266

Khavinson map

Canonical 41
Class
Cytogen (synthetic short peptide)
Organ
Thymus
Target
Thymus
System
Immune
Sequence
KE · Lys-Glu
Вилон

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

KE is tiny, which is the point: a two-residue signal the group used to argue that geroprotection did not need a 28-mer. Lymphocyte chromatin decondensation papers (including PMID 12677266) are why Vilon gets named in English reviews more than Crystagen.

Thymalin + Epitalon combination follow-ups that blogs call “the 15-year study” are extract/synthetic combination gerontology - read which product was used. Vilon is the dipeptide on this leaf.

Public PSI writing also uses Vilon as a promoter-binding example (FNDC5 among cited genes). Cite the paper, not the course.

Caveats

A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Thymus / immune 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

  • ✓KE identity vs Thymalin extract vs Thymogen vs Crystagen
  • ✓Understanding the thymus Cytomax pair (Vladonix)
  • ✓Not a US immune-deficiency or infection protocol

Dosing

PhaseDoseFrequencyNotes
Khavinson Protocol1–2 capsules/day or 1–2 mg SCDaily for 10–30 day courses, 1-2x per yearOften used in combination with Thymogen. 10-day course, repeat 2x per year.

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.

Vilon: oral vs SubQ

Cytomed KE capsule
Bioavailability
Cytomed oral KE capsules, swallowed with water. Dipeptides are PEPT1/LAT substrates, which is why a swallowed capsule is even a conversation. That is transporter biology, not a US indication and not proof the organ disease is treated.
Dose note
Cytomed folklore: 1–2 capsules daily, 10–30 day courses, morning, about 30 minutes before meals. Manufacturer protocol, not an FDA label.
Advantages
  • Oral is first-class for Vilon, not a consolation prize. Cytomed ships capsules.
  • No reconstitution. Empty stomach about 30 minutes before meals is the user-guide preference.
  • Not a sublingual tablet. Nobody manufactures this SKU that way.
Considerations
  • Vladonix is the thymus Cytomax complex - a mixture, not KE milligrams.
  • Capsule course ≠ 1–2 mg SC math. Dose the SKU in the bottle.
  • Not a sublingual melt and not Thymogen drops.
Research KE vial
Bioavailability
Research SubQ from a reconstituted KE (Lys-Glu) vial. Dipeptide, minutes-class. This is not Thymalin IM extract and not a 10 mg thymus-ampoule chart.
Dose note
Research-vial pattern: short course on the order of 10 days at 1–2 mg subcutaneous. Not a 12-week GLP-1 titration. Capsules skip BAC math.
Advantages
  • Defined dipeptide. Two residues, reconstitution math that actually belongs on a vial.
  • Oral AND SubQ are both real for KE - same as other cytogens. SubQ skips GI.
  • Not Crystagen (EDP), not Thymogen (EW), not Vladonix (Cytomax).
Considerations
  • US “Thymalin 10 mg” powder is often mislabeled KE. Identity first.
  • Chromatin papers (including PMID 12677266) are not a sterile-technique waiver.
  • Thymalin+Epitalon gerontology follow-ups often used the extract, not this dipeptide. Read the methods.
Recommendation: Vilon (KE) is oral AND SubQ like other cytogens. Swallow the Cytomed capsules or inject the research vial. It is not Thymalin (pharma extract, historically IM), not Thymogen (EW), not Crystagen (EDP), not Vladonix (thymus Cytomax), and not thymosin alpha-1. Capsules skip BAC water.

Timeline

Day 1-10 (course)
Neuroendocrine-immune balance restoration begins.
Month 3-6
Reduced inflammatory markers, improved T-reg function with repeat courses.

Who it is for

Neuroendocrine-Immune Axis

Low

Thymic dipeptide targeting T-regulatory cells and autonomic balance. Khavinson longevity protocol.

Reconstitution

VialWaterConcentrationExample dose
Lyophilized cytogen (if the SKU is a vial)Follow the COA fillDo the mathCapsules skip this step. Cytomax complexes are not this molecule.

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

Safety & Considerations

Research peptide in Western markets. Extensively used in Russian clinical protocols. Russian clinic history is not a US safety NDA.

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

  • 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

Vilon is the synthetic KE cytogen for Thymus. 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

Autoimmune disease is a caution, not a target. Not Zadaxin.

Synergies & Common Stacks

Different organs (thymus vs pineal). School combination follow-ups are extract/synthetic gerontology, not a 2× death-rate label on this dipeptide.

Both immune-aisle cytogens (KE vs EDP). Two sequences, not a layered drug regimen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Vilon vs Thymalin vs Thymogen vs Crystagen?▼
Vilon = KE. Thymalin = thymus extract (pharma). Thymogen = EW. Crystagen = EDP. Vladonix = thymus Cytomax.
TA-1?▼
No.
Sequence?▼
Lys-Glu (KE).
Oral or SubQ?▼
Both are real. Cytomed capsules (swallowed) and research lyophilized vials (SubQ). Same KE sequence, different SKUs. Not Thymalin IM extract, not Vladonix capsules, not a sublingual tablet.
Stack with Epitalon?▼
That pairing is the famous gerontology combo in Khavinson-group follow-ups - usually discussed as Thymalin+Epitalon or immune+pineal. Still not an FDA longevity kit.
What is Vilon used for?▼
Vilon is a thymic dipeptide that restores neuroendocrine-immune axis balance. It reduces excess inflammation, promotes T-regulatory cell function, and improves autonomic balance. Used in Khavinson anti-aging immune protocols.

References

  1. Khavinson VKh et al. “Effects of peptide bioregulators on chromatin in lymphocytes.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2003). PMID: 12677266
  2. Khavinson VKh et al. “Tissue-specific effects of peptides.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2005). PMID: 15677927
  3. Khavinson VKh, Lin’kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI “Short peptides regulate gene expression.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2013). PMID: 23888677
  4. Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG “Peptide regulation of aging: from experimental studies to clinical practice.” Advances in Gerontology (2003). PMID: 14523363
  5. Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG “"Vilon (Lys-Glu) modulates immune and neuroendocrine function in aging".” Neuroendocrinology Letters (1999). PMID: 10521641

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Recommended sourceOral bioregulator

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

Affiliate link · Full review