Epitalon

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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Epitalon is not FDA-approved as a drug and is not on the 503A Bulks List permitting compounding for human use. It is currently classified as a Category 2 substance under the FDA 503A framework, meaning it cannot be compounded at licensed pharmacies for patient dispensing. It may be sourced and used only for legitimate laboratory and research purposes.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Epitalon

Origin

Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) is a four-amino-acid peptide synthesized by Vladimir Khavinson's group at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. Its sequence was derived from epithalamin, a polypeptide extract of bovine pineal glands used in earlier Soviet gerontology research. Epitalon is the synthetic analog designed to replicate the bioactive core of that extract.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

219042

CAS

307297-39-8

InChIKey

HGHOBRRUMWJWCU-FXQIFTODSA-N

DrugBank

DB17882

Molecular formula

C14H22N4O9

Molar mass

390.35 g/mol

Monoisotopic

390.13867829 Da

InChIKey

HGHOBRRUMWJWCU-FXQIFTODSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilized powder

Solubility

Soluble in water and dilute aqueous buffers; solubility in organic solvents limi…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Moderate stability as a lyophilized tetrapeptide; susceptible to proteolytic degradation once reconstituted. Oxidation of the glutamate and aspartate side chain

Vial sizes

10 mg · 5 mg

Purity grades

≥98% HPLC

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

• Epitalon has been shown in cell culture and animal studies to increase telomerase activity, resulting in telomere elongation — averaging approximately 33% in human lymphocyte cultures in one reported study
• It also directly stimulates melatonin biosynthesis in pinealocytes, normalizes cortisol levels in aged subjects, and modulates circadian gene expression (Clock, Cry2, Csnk1e)
• At a molecular level, it interacts with specific DNA sequences (ATTTC, CAG regions) and forms complexes with histone H1 subunits, suggesting epigenetic regulatory activity
• Additional in vitro evidence points to modulation of interleukin-2 mRNA and thymocyte mitogenic activity, though the relative contribution of each mechanism to observed biological effects remains incompletely characterized

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

Very short; minutes-range plasma half-life inferred from peptide class characteristics; no formal PK study identified

Clearance

Rapid renal/proteolytic clearance expected for a tetrapeptide; no formal clearance data available

PK–PD note: Despite rapid plasma clearance, biological effects on telomerase activity and circadian markers appear to persist beyond the injection period in animal models. Formal human PK/PD studies have not been…

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

• Araj SK, Brzezik J, Mądra-Gackowska K, Szeleszczuk Ł. Overview of Epitalon—Highly Bioactive Pineal Tetrapeptide with Promising Properties. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(6):2691. — Most comprehensive Epitalon-specific review; covers in vitro, in vivo, in silico studies over 25 years; notes a clinical trial in 162 retinitis pigmentosa patients at St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology (not registered on ClinicalTrials.gov)
• Mavrych V, Shypilova I, Bolgova O. Therapeutic peptides in gerontology: mechanisms and applications for healthy aging. Front Aging. 2026;7:1790247. — Narrative review of 9 gerontological peptides; classifies epitalon under telomere biology; states non-approved peptides lack long-term safety data and systematic validation
• Al-dulaimi S, Thomas R, Matta S, Roberts T. Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity. Biogerontology. 2025;26(5):178. — Primary in vitro study (not a review); demonstrated dose-dependent telomere extension in normal human fibroblasts/epithelial cells via hTERT/telomerase; ALT activation in cancer cell lines
• Khavinson VK et al. Peptide Epitalon activates chromatin at the old age. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2003. — Early mechanistic study; Epitalon effect on ribosomal gene activity and heterochromatin in lymphocytes of persons aged 76-80 years (ex vivo)

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

Published literature from Khavinson's group spanning several decades reports no serious adverse events in animal toxicology studies or in small human cohorts (primarily elderly subjects in Soviet and Russian clinical programs). A clinical study in retinitis pigmentosa patients ex…

WADA status

Not specifically listed on the WADA Prohibited List (2025-2026). May fall under the general S2 category (Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances an…

Dominant research route: Subcutaneous (SC) is the most frequently reported route in the Khavinson-group preclinical program (mouse lifespan, rat pinealectomy, rat carcinogenesis studies); intranasal (IN) and intramuscular (IM) appear in rat neuroimmune/CNS studies.

Mice (Swiss-derived SHR, 5 consecutive days/month SC injection, lifespan/tumor study) and rats (pinealectomy model, 42 days SC administration recovering gastric endocrine cells)

Bioavailability: SC injection used as the primary delivery route in the bulk of Khavinson-group animal longevity and carcinogenesis studies; no human PK parameters published in retrieved sources.

Anisimov, Khavinson et al. (Biogerontology 2003) administered Epitalon SC at ~1.0 µg/mouse (~30–40 µg/kg) on 5 consecutive days each month for the natural lifespan of female SHR mice. A separate rat pinealectomy study used 42 days of SC Epitalon to fully recover pinealectomy-induced changes in gastric endocrine cells. SC is the most frequently reported route in the Khavinson preclinical program.

Rats (IL-2 mRNA expression in hypothalamic nuclei measured 24 h after IM administration)

Bioavailability: IM administration produced measurable central IL-2 mRNA changes in rat hypothalamus at 24 h; no human PK data retrieved.

Araj et al. (Int J Mol Sci 2025) review reports that Epitalon enhanced IL-2 mRNA synthesis rates in lateral hypothalamus area, anterior hypothalamic fields, dorsomedial, ventromedial, and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei after 24 h for intramuscular administration. This was demonstrated using intramuscular and intranasal injections of Epitalon.

Rats (Wistar males, intranasal infusion 2 ng, motor cortex spontaneous activity; IL-2 mRNA at 1.5 h after nasal application)

Bioavailability: Intranasal infusion described as a noninvasive way to deliver peptide to CNS bypassing the blood-brain barrier; IL-2 mRNA changes observed at 1.5 h (faster than IM 24 h). No human PK data retrieved.

Sibarov et al. (Ross Fiziol Zh Im I M Sechenova 2006; PMID 17217245) used intranasal Epitalon infusion (2 ng) in anesthetized Wistar rats and observed significant activation (2–2.5-fold higher spike frequency) of motor cortex neurons within minutes. The Araj et al. 2025 review notes IL-2 mRNA enhancement at 1.5 h after nasal application. IN is studied as a CNS-targeting route.

No primary oral-dosing animal or human study retrieved; stability/bioavailability discussed mechanistically and in secondary sources

Bioavailability: Short peptides such as Epitalon are typically unstable and degrade rapidly in vivo; oral administration largely ineffective due to enzymatic degradation in the gut. Some sources report Epitalon may exhibit resistance to hydrolysis, suggesting potential for oral uptake under specific conditions, but unmodified peptide oral bioavailability may be <1%.

Araj et al. (2025) state short peptides like Epitalon are typically unstable and degrade rapidly in vivo, and that chemical modifications (acetylation, amidation) can enhance stability. A secondary review (gethealthspan) notes Epitalon has been reported in some sources to exhibit resistance to hydrolysis, suggesting potential for oral uptake under specific conditions, yet concludes oral administration is largely ineffective due to enzymatic degradation. No controlled oral PK study was retrieved.

Single human case report (n=1) — SC Epitalon 5 mg for 10 consecutive days across three cycles

Bioavailability: Case report describes SC administration; no PK/bioavailability values reported.

A published case report (Restorative Medicine journal) describes SC Epitalon 5 mg for ten consecutive days in December 2022, January 2023, and June 2023 in one individual receiving combination therapy with UCT-MSC-EXs. This is an anecdotal single-subject report, not a controlled trial.

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 $2.70 · median $3.30 · p75 $4.13 · 10 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $1.75–$4.75/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)

$17

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)

≥98% (research-grade HPLC target cited by aggregator; no independent measured range located)

Independent labs cited for this compound

No FDA recalls, market withdrawals, or enforcement reports specific to Epitalon were found in FDA's Recalls/Enforcement Reports databases as of search date. None found.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Epitalon is not FDA-approved for any indication in the United States.
• Documented counterfeit/isomer risk: EADG (Glu-Ala-Asp-Gly) vs. authentic AEDG (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) Epitalon.
• N-terminal glutamic acid can cyclize to pyroglutamate, potentially altering measured identity.
• Predominantly sold through gray-market 'research chemical' channels; CBP has seized illicit peptide imports under 21 USC 331 / 19 USC 1595a.
• No published independent lab testing aggregate (purity/underdosing prevalence) specific to Epitalon was located.

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

Underdosing / mislabeling: No Epitalon-specific underdosing prevalence from independent labs (Janoshik/MZ Biolabs/Finnrick) was located. General peptide gray-market guidance notes 20–40% dosing errors can arise when peptide content vs. purity is not accounted for, but no Epitalon-specific aggregate was retrieved.

• FDA Import Alert 66-41 authorizes Detention Without Physical Examination (DWPE) of unapproved new drugs marketed in the U.S., including peptides sold as 'research chemicals' without FDA approval for human use. Not Epitalon-specific but applicable to unapproved peptide imports.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

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

• Self-selection: positive sleep anecdotes over-represented vs null results
• Self-experimentation anecdotes without controls or blinding
• Vendor-affiliated content and affiliate-linked peptide blogs
• Telomere-length claims extrapolated from in-vitro/animal data
• Dose/route variability makes cross-comparison unreliable

Manually researched from reddit, youtube, x, bluesky— 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 tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) derived from the pineal gland extract epithalamin; studied for telomerase activation and geroprotective effects in animal and in vitro models. Approximately 61 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Research Use Only; Category 2 (503A restricted) — PCAC review pending July 2026. Research use only.

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