Pinealon

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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Pinealon is not FDA-approved as a drug and does not appear on the FDA 503A Category 1 Bulks List permitting human compounding. Unlike some peptides affected by the 2019 FDA Category 2 policy (fda19=false for pinealon), it was not specifically designated as a Category 2 substance. It also does not appear among the 12 peptides removed from Category 2 in April 2026 or among those scheduled for the July 2026 PCAC review. It exists in a general unapproved, non-compoundable status. Sale, purchase, and use are limited to legitimate laboratory and research purposes.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Pinealon

Origin

Pinealon, designated by its single-letter sequence EDR (Glu-Asp-Arg), is a three-amino-acid synthetic peptide developed by Vladimir Khavinson's group at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. The sequence was isolated from the polypeptide composition of the pineal gland and is related structurally to the longer tetrapeptide epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), sharing the Glu-Asp-Arg core characteristic of pineal bioregulators studied by that group. It is commercially available in Russia as a dietary/cytogen preparation (PINEALON capsules) and internationally as a research-grade lyophilized powder.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

10273502

CAS

175175-23-2

InChIKey

QPRZKNOOOBWXSU-CIUDSAMLSA-N

Molecular formula

C15H26N6O8

Molar mass

418.40 g/mol

Monoisotopic

418.18121181 Da

InChIKey

QPRZKNOOOBWXSU-CIUDSAMLSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilized powder

Solubility

Freely soluble in water and dilute aqueous buffers; limited solubility in organi…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Moderate stability as a lyophilized tripeptide. Susceptible to rapid proteolytic degradation once reconstituted. The arginine guanidinium group and carboxylic a

Vial sizes

20 mg · 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

• Pinealon is proposed to act primarily via epigenetic modulation of gene expression
• Fluorescence-labeled EDR peptide studies suggest the tripeptide can penetrate cell and nuclear membranes, interact with chromatin-associated proteins and specific DNA regulatory sequences, and facilitate remodeling from tightly packed heterochromatin to transcriptionally active euchromatin — thereby enabling expression of genes implicated in neuroplasticity and cellular repair
• In neuronal cell culture, EDR treatment modulated expression of PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and p21, suggesting effects on cell-cycle checkpoints relevant to neuroregeneration
• Independent of chromatin effects, pinealon has been shown in oxidative-stress models to reduce reactive oxygen species levels, suppress apoptotic cascades, and preserve mitochondrial membrane potential in cortical neurons exposed to hydrogen peroxide, with studies reporting a 20–40% reduction in cell death at nanomolar concentrations

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

Estimated very short (approximately 30 minutes) based on tripeptide class characteristics; no formal PK study has been published for pinealon

Clearance

Rapid proteolytic and renal clearance expected for an unmodified tripeptide; no published clearance data

PK–PD note: No formal pharmacokinetic or PK/PD study has been identified for pinealon in any species. The short inferred plasma half-life is consistent with rapid proteolysis of unprotected short peptides. Oral b…

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 V, Linkova N, Kozhevnikova E, Trofimova S. EDR Peptide: Possible Mechanism of Gene Expression and Protein Synthesis Regulation Involved in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease. Molecules. 2020;26(1):159. PMID 33396470. — Originating-group (Khavinson) narrative review; proposes EDR modulates MAPK/ERK, SOD2, GPX1, PPARA, PPARG, serotonin, calmodulin. Title hedges as 'possible mechanism.'
• Khavinson V, Popovich I, Linkova N, Mironova E, Ilina A. Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review. Molecules. 2021;26(22):7053. PMID 34834147. — Anchoring systematic review; compiled evidence for short peptide (incl. EDR) interactions with DNA and chromatin-associated proteins. Authored by the originating Khavinson group.
• Superpower clinical guide: Pinealon (EDR) — A Khavinson-Group Tripeptide in Preclinical Research (2026) — Secondary aggregator synthesis; states no completed human RCTs as of April 2026; entire peer-reviewed base is in vitro/rodent from a single research lineage with no independent Western replication.

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

No clinical safety or toxicology studies meeting modern GCP or ICH standards have been published for pinealon. Published reports from Khavinson's group cite no serious adverse events in animal toxicology models or in small human cohort studies conducted under Russian clinical pro…

WADA status

Not specifically listed on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List by name. As a synthetic peptide without established anabolic or erythropoietic properties, it does not …

Dominant research route: Oral (peroral) in the single cited human observational cohort; in vitro cell-culture exposure dominates the mechanistic evidence base.

Human observational cohort (72 patients, ages 30–74, with traumatic brain injury consequences and cerebrasthenia); peroral Pinealon (EDR) added to standard therapy

Bioavailability: Oral administration was the route used in the cited Khavinson-group human cohort; no human pharmacokinetic study has measured Pinealon plasma half-life, volume of distribution, or confirmed CNS penetration after oral dosing. As a short tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg, ~404 Da) it is subject to proteolytic cleavage in the gut and bloodstream, yet the originating group reports oral use in humans.

Single research group (St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology); non-randomized, no independent replication. Describes what was studied, not a protocol.

In vitro: cerebellar granule cells, neutrophils, PC12 (pheochromocytoma) cells, and neuronal cultures from rat/mouse; fluorescently-labeled EDR peptide tracked into nucleus

Bioavailability: Not a route of administration; cell-culture exposure demonstrating dose-dependent ROS suppression, reduced necrotic cell death, ERK 1/2 modulation, and direct DNA/histone interaction. No absorption/PK applicable.

Dominant mechanistic evidence base for Pinealon; abbrev field set to IP as a placeholder since no in vivo route applies.

Animal models: rat offspring in prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia; mouse Alzheimer's/Huntington's disease models (dendritic spine density, neuroplasticity markers)

Bioavailability: Source abstracts do not consistently specify injection route (IP/SC/IM) for the in vivo animal work; no PK parameters reported.

Preclinical only; route details not extractable from retrieved abstracts. Abbrev set to IP as a non-asserting placeholder.

No primary peer-reviewed human or animal PK study retrieved for Pinealon via SC; appears in community/protocol literature only

Bioavailability: Community sources assert SC provides 'consistent bioavailability' and systemic circulation access, but no cited primary PK data supports this for Pinealon specifically.

Aggregate community route; de-identified. Not supported by retrieved primary literature.

No primary peer-reviewed Pinealon intranasal PK or efficacy study retrieved; discussed in community/protocol literature

Bioavailability: Community sources claim intranasal delivery reaches CNS via olfactory pathway with faster onset; no human PK study confirms CNS penetration for Pinealon.

Aggregate community route; de-identified. Pharmacological rationale only, unconfirmed for Pinealon.

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 $3.29 · median $3.50 · p75 $4.98 · 8 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $3.25–$3.75/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)

$31

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)

Vendor marketing materials (e.g., American Peptides, Nationwide Peptides, True Lab Peptides, Verified Peptides) advertise Pinealon at ≥99% purity with third-party Certificates of Analysis; these are vendor self-reports, not independently verified by this extraction.

Independent labs cited for this compound

No FDA enforcement action, recall, or seizure specifically naming Pinealon was found in FDA recall/enforcement databases or the retrieved primary literature. Pinealon is not FDA-approved for any use, so it falls under the general FDA Import Alert 66-41 (Detention Without Physical Examination of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted in the U.S.) by category rather than by compound-specific listing.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Pinealon is not FDA-approved for any human use and has no regulatory classification as a bulk drug substance for U.S. compounding (per Superpower clinical review, April 2026).
• No completed randomized controlled trial in humans exists as of April 2026; the entire peer-reviewed evidence base is in vitro and rodent preclinical, originating almost entirely from a single Khavinson-group research lineage with no independent Western replication.
• Sold through gray-market online vendors outside pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing standards; Belgian OMCL seizure studies document identity, purity, and content-variation problems in illegal/counterfeit injectable peptide products generally.
• Vendor-advertised ≥99% purity claims rely on vendor-supplied or single-batch COAs; no independent multi-lab cross-validation of Pinealon purity was located.
• WADA Prohibited List S0 (Non-Approved Substances) status means any competitive-athlete use constitutes an anti-doping violation.
• Reconstituted Pinealon should remain clear; cloudiness may indicate degradation, contamination, or undissolved powder (vendor protocol guidance).

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

Underdosing / mislabeling: No Pinealon-specific independent lab underdosing prevalence figure was located. Category-level evidence from Belgian OMCL seizure studies (Vanhee 2015; Janvier 2018) documents significant inter-sample variation in vial content and peptide impurities among falsified/illegal peptide products, but Pinealon was not individually quantified in the retrieved abstracts.

• Detention Without Physical Examination of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted In The U.S. Pinealon is not FDA-approved for any indication and is not classified as a bulk drug substance for U.S. compounding, so imported Pinealon marketed with disease/structure-function claims is subject to DWPE under this alert by category (not a Pinealon-specific Red List entry).FDA Import Alert 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

Prohibited at all times under S0 (Non-Approved Substances) per the 2026 WADA Prohibited List. Pinealon is not explicitly named but falls under the S0 catch-all, which covers any pharmacological substance not addressed by other sections and with no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use. S0 substances are Specified Substances.

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

• small self-selected sample of anecdotal reports
• vendor-affiliated content present in aggregator pages
• no controlled human trials to corroborate self-reports
• Russian-origin research base, limited Western replication discussion
• dose/protocol heterogeneity across reports

Manually researched from reddit, youtube— 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 tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg; EDR) from pineal gland sequence; studied for neuroprotection and cognitive aging in preclinical models. Approximately 22 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Research Use Only; not FDA-approved, not on 503A Bulks List. Research use only.

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