Cartalax

Areas of active research — not promised effects

Each tag links to other compounds with research into that goal. Research use only: these are areas of study, not human-use claims.

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Cartalax holds no FDA approval, new drug application, or IND. It does not appear by name on the FDA 503A Category 1 (permissible compounding) or Category 2 (restricted) lists. It may be procured and handled strictly for non-clinical laboratory research purposes; it cannot be legally dispensed to or used in humans outside an FDA-authorized clinical investigation.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Cartalax

Origin

Synthetic tripeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp; AED) derived from the bioregulatory peptide research program of Professor Vladimir Khavinson at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. The sequence was identified from peptide fractions of cartilage and connective tissue extracts and subsequently reproduced by solid-phase synthesis.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

87815447

InChIKey

KXEVYGKATAMXJJ-ACZMJKKPSA-N

Molecular formula

C12H19N3O8

Molar mass

333.29 g/mol

Monoisotopic

333.11721457 Da

InChIKey

KXEVYGKATAMXJJ-ACZMJKKPSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilized powder (vendor-typical for synthetic tripeptides)

Solubility

Soluble in water; the tripeptide's three acidic/polar residues favor aqueous sol…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Short peptides are susceptible to proteolytic degradation in biological matrices. Lyophilized form expected to be stable under recommended cold-chain conditions

Vial sizes

20 mg

Purity grades

≥99% / ≥98%

Salt forms

Free base (primary)

• GHS hazard class on file
• PPE & spill response
• Disposal guidance
• Not-for-human-consumption posture

How much research exists, and of what maturity — never a verdict on whether it works.

Mechanism of action

• Cartalax belongs to a class of short peptides proposed to act as tissue-specific epigenetic modulators
• The working hypothesis is that the three-residue chain (Ala-Glu-Asp) interacts with regulatory DNA sequences in the minor groove of chromatin within chondrocytes and fibroblasts, upregulating transcription of genes encoding extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen type II and aggrecan while attenuating expression of matrix metalloproteinases and pro-inflammatory mediators
• Because of its small size and lack of charge asymmetry, the peptide is thought to be capable of crossing cell membranes and reaching nuclear chromatin
• Evidence to date comes primarily from in vitro chondrocyte and renal cell culture studies published by the Khavinson group in Russian-language journals; independent replication in Western peer-reviewed literature is not established

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

Estimated <10 minutes (IV); limited data

Clearance

Rapid proteolytic degradation by serum peptidases; exact clearance values not established in peer-reviewed literature

PK–PD note: Vendor-cited preclinical data suggest intact peptide may be detectable in synovial fluid up to ~90 min after subcutaneous injection in rabbits; no validated human PK data available.…

Reading the evidence

• Evidence quality and gaps vary by application — see the cited grades above.
• Indexed-article counts span all evidence tiers, not only completed human trials.
• No first-party human-dosing, efficacy, or benefit claims are made here.

Key reviews & evidence-gap sources

• Khavinson VKh, Popovich IG, Linkova NS, Mironova ES, Ilina AR. Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review. Molecules. 2021;26(22):7053. doi:10.3390/molecules26227053. PMID:34834147 — Anchoring systematic review of short-peptide gene-expression regulation; covers the Khavinson bioregulator class including cartilage-targeted cytomedins; not Cartalax-isolated
• Cartalax legal/regulatory status analysis (cartalaxpeptide.com, 2025) — Aggregator/community legal-status analysis; claims no IND filed, no NDA, not FDA/EMA approved, RUO-only commerce; unverified primary sourcing
• PubMed 'Cartalax' term search result set (6 records, 2011-2020) — Primary literature screen; all 6 records are in-vitro/animal-tissue-culture short-peptide studies, none are human RCTs

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

No human clinical safety data are available for cartalax. As a tripeptide composed of natural L-amino acids, its constituent amino acids (alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid) are endogenous and generally regarded as low-risk in isolation; however, this does not establish safety…

WADA status

Not specifically listed on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Short bioregulatory tripeptides of the Khavinson series are not named individually in WADA documentati…

Dominant research route: The published research on Cartalax (AED) is in vitro — cell-culture and gene-expression studies (e.g., Ashapkin et al. 2020, human mesenchymal stem cells) — and is not route-specific. Among community/administration sources, subcutaneous injection is the most frequently described route.

No published human trial defines an SC route for Cartalax specifically; community protocols describe SC injection at ~0.2–2 mg/day in 10–20 day courses, extrapolated from general Khavinson bioregulator conventions

Bioavailability: Community sources assert high bioavailability for SC administration (gradual systemic entry vs IV), but no route-specific pharmacokinetic data exists for Cartalax

SC is the community-dominant route described in vendor and aggregator protocols; it is convention extrapolated from lab work and general peptide-handling habits, not a validated regimen. The published evidence is preclinical (cell-culture and gene-expression studies).

Khavinson bioregulator family includes oral capsule formulations; Cartalax (AED) listed at oral 20 mg/day in bioregulator guides vs injectable 2–5 mg/day, with higher oral doses compensating for lower bioavailability. The AED tripeptide is described as absorbed by intestinal peptide transporters (PepT1/PepT2).

Bioavailability: Ultra-short peptides (2–4 aa) are proposed to have potential oral bioavailability via PepT1/PepT2 intestinal peptide transporters; oral doses are higher than injectable to compensate for lower bioavailability. No route-specific PK data for Cartalax exists.

Oral route is described in Khavinson bioregulator family guides and community sources; the PepT1/PepT2 absorption rationale is mechanistic, not validated by Cartalax-specific human PK studies. Community sources also note that peptides may be broken down in the digestive tract, creating conflicting claims about oral viability.

Some Khavinson bioregulator products are sold in sublingual drop/tablet formats; no Cartalax-specific sublingual study identified

Bioavailability: Sublingual route proposed to bypass hepatic metabolism and allow more rapid/bioavailable activity of bioregulators; no Cartalax-specific data

Sublingual formulations exist for the broader Khavinson bioregulator family but have not been specifically studied or validated for Cartalax (AED).

Animal & human figures are kept visibly separate so studied animal doses are never misread as human guidance.

Sorted A–Z by vendor — never by price

Weekly median $/mg from the live vendor crawl.

Researched storefront prices, bucketed

p25 $3.00 · median $3.25 · p75 $3.50 · 15 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $2.75–$3.95/mg.

Value rule: don't just buy the cheapest — a price under $3/mg is a red flag. Pair price with COA and independent-test grade.

Estimated cost of research (10 mg)

Vial (best researched price)

$20

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

What each test proves — general guidance, plus this compound's researched purity data

Purity on the current market (researched)

Research-grade Cartalax is specified at ≥98% purity by HPLC and mass spectrometry; lower-grade nutraceutical preparations reported at 85–92% purity with analogue contamination. Vendor batch claims cluster at ≥99% (e.g., BioLongevity Labs, VerifiedPeptides, Made-in-China suppliers citing Janoshik HPLC).

Independent labs cited for this compound

No Cartalax-specific FDA recalls, enforcement actions, or seizure events were identified in FDA enforcement databases or vendor/regulatory notices reviewed. Import Alert 66-41 is a general unapproved-new-drug detention framework, not a Cartalax-specific recall.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Cartalax is not FDA-approved and has no U.S. drug labeling; any vendor marketing it to treat joint/cartilage conditions risks classification as an unapproved new drug under Import Alert 66-41.
• Human evidence base is sparse, predominantly single-institution Russian observational studies with small samples and no placebo control; not replicated in Western double-blind placebo-controlled trials.
• Counterfeit indicators cited: generic vials without lot numbers, CoAs with formatting inconsistencies, loose powder (no lyophilization), discoloration, missing chromatogram data, refusal to provide lot-specific CoAs.
• Lower-grade commercial preparations reported at 85–92% purity with analogue/deletion-sequence contamination that reduces effective dose and compromises reproducibility.
• Vendor purity claims (≥99%) are largely self-reported or vendor-published; independent Cartalax-specific public lab reports could not be directly confirmed from Janoshik's public portal (HTTP 403).

GMP vs research-grade: the chemistry (SPPS + HPLC + MS) is identical — the difference is the quality system.

Underdosing / mislabeling: No Cartalax-specific independent underdosing prevalence was located. General peptide-category findings cited by aggregator sources: a 2022 Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences analysis reportedly found 68% of independently purchased peptide vials contained contamination, underdosing, or incorrect amino-acid sequences; University of Mississippi National Center for Natural Products Research reportedly found up to 35% of peptides sold through unregulated online channels contained incorrect sequences or significant impurities. These figures are peptide-category-wide, not Cartalax-specific.

• Detention Without Physical Examination of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted In The U.S. General alert covering unapproved new drugs marketed with disease/structure-function claims; Cartalax is not named on the Red List but is in scope if promoted for human use. Published/revision date 06/24/2026 (revision 05/19/2026).66-41
• An RUO label is not an import exemption — CBP judges actual intended use.
• Lyophilized powder is ambient-stable in transit; temperature control needed for > 7-day transit.
• US-warehouse vendors dodge import scrutiny — they cost more but ship more reliably.

Every item dated & sourced

Not individually named on the WADA Prohibited List. As a substance not approved by any major governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use (outside Russia), it plausibly falls under S0 (Non-Approved Substances) for athletes subject to testing. Athletes should assume it is off-limits.

No granted patents identified in current seed. Composition-of-matter coverage is limited given the peptide's synthetic origin.

• IACUC / IRB research context
• RUO buyer responsibilities & documentation
• Veterinary / alternative-use where lawful
• Jurisdiction-aware "who may lawfully obtain"

What people discuss

Reported concerns — discussion, not established effects

Reading caveats

• Multiple threads posted from vendor-affiliated/promotional subreddits (r/ParamountPeptide, r/IonPeptideGuide, r/PeptideSelect)
• Self-experimentation anecdotes dominate; no controlled human trial data in Western literature
• Evidence base largely Russian-origin (Khavinson bioregulator studies)
• Vendor blogs repackaging Reddit/Reddit-adjacent discourse as 'guides'

Manually researched from reddit— theme weights are research estimates, not live counts; aggregated & de-identified. No individual posts, quotes, or usernames are ever shown.

Relative research / market volume — populated once the activity stream is wired

Inline tooltips for lyophilized, RUO, EU/mg, SPPS, 503A and more.

Toggle plain-language ↔ scientific in the header.

• How to read a COA
• Free base vs acetate
• Understanding evidence grades

Synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp tripeptide bioregulator investigated for chondrocyte gene expression and cartilage extracellular matrix support in preclinical models. Approximately 0 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Research Use Only — not FDA-approved, not on 503A/503B compounding lists. Research use only.

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