Epitalon

Epithalon, Epithalone, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG), Epithalamin (the original pineal extract from which it was derived)

Immune & bioregulators

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Summary

Class: Synthetic tetrapeptide (4 amino acids: Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), designed by the Khavinson group to mimic the active principle of Epithalamin, a bovine pineal gland extract
Mechanism: Proposed to activate telomerase, normalise melatonin rhythm and act as a "pineal bioregulator" that resets age-related changes in gene expression; the telomerase claim rests on cell-culture data
Routes studied: Intramuscular and subcutaneous injection (Russian studies; community); intranasal; oral (bioregulator capsules, usually of the extract)
Dose range reported: Russian studies: Epithalamin 10 mg intramuscular daily for 10 days; Epitalon 10 µg/kg or ~5–10 mg per course in some animal and human reports. Community: 5–10 mg/day subcutaneous for 10–20 days, once or twice a year; also 1–3 mg/day protocols. No validated dose
Half-life: Not characterised; as an unprotected tetrapeptide, plasma breakdown is expected within minutes
Storage: Lyophilised: refrigerate, protect from light. Reconstituted: refrigerate; community practice is use within ~4 weeks
Regulatory status: Not approved as a medicine anywhere. Epithalamin (the extract) was registered in Russia. See region table

Doses are as reported in studies or by the community — never recommendations.

1What it is

Epitalon is a four-amino-acid synthetic peptide created in the 1990s by Vladimir Khavinson's group in St Petersburg. It was designed after analysing Epithalamin, a peptide extract of cattle pineal glands that the same group had studied since the 1970s and that was registered as a medicine in Russia. The pineal gland produces melatonin and governs circadian rhythm, and its function declines with age; the bioregulator idea is that pineal peptides can restore it.

Epitalon became well known outside Russia for one headline claim: that it activates telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens the protective caps (telomeres) on chromosomes, in human cells (Khavinson 2003). Telomere shortening is one hallmark of cellular ageing, so "a peptide that lengthens telomeres" is an attractive story. The finding is from cell culture, has not been independently replicated in a prominent journal, and has never been tested in human telomere outcomes.

Nearly all research on Epitalon and Epithalamin comes from the Khavinson group and its collaborators, much of it in Russian-language journals or in Neuroendocrinology Letters and Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. Independent replication is essentially absent. That caveat applies to every section below.

2How it's thought to work

Telomerase activation. in cultured human fetal fibroblasts, Epitalon reportedly induced telomerase activity and telomere elongation and extended the number of divisions before senescence (Khavinson 2003, Bull Exp Biol Med). No in-vivo confirmation.

Pineal and melatonin effects. in aged monkeys and rats, Epitalon and Epithalamin restored the night-time melatonin peak and normalised cortisol rhythm (Khavinson 2001; Goncharova 2005).

Gene expression. reported to alter expression of genes in the pineal, retina and brain in rodents, and in the bioregulator model to bind DNA directly at specific sequences. Molecular-modelling support only.

Antioxidant and anti-tumour effects. reported to raise antioxidant enzyme activity and to reduce spontaneous and induced tumour incidence in some rodent strains.

Neuroprotection and retinal effects. reported to slow retinal degeneration in rats with inherited retinitis pigmentosa, and in a small human series.

Proposed: acts on the pineal gland and its night-time melatonin rhythm; cell-culture work suggests it lengthens telomeres, the caps on chromosome ends.Schematic — not to scale

3What the research shows

Graded C (mixed)

Lifespan extension in animals

In female mice and rats, Epitalon or Epithalamin treatment increased mean lifespan in some strains and reduced tumour incidence; in other strains effects were absent or confined to the maximum lifespan of a subgroup. Fruit-fly studies also report modest extension (Anisimov 2003, Biogerontology; Anisimov & Khavinson 2010 review). All from the originating group. [2][5]

Telomerase and cell senescence

Human fetal fibroblast cultures: telomerase activation, telomere elongation, ~10 extra divisions before senescence (Khavinson 2003, Bull Exp Biol Med). Not replicated independently. [1][3]

Graded C/B

Melatonin and circadian rhythm

Restoration of melatonin rhythm in aged rhesus monkeys (Goncharova 2005) and in elderly humans given Epithalamin (small uncontrolled series, Russian). [4]

Elderly mortality and "geroprotection"

The St Petersburg long-term study (described under Thymalin) gave elderly participants Epithalamin, thymalin or both every 6 months for 6–12 years and reported fewer illnesses, improved melatonin and metabolic markers and reduced mortality versus controls (Khavinson & Morozov 2003). Design reporting is inadequate to grade higher than B. A separate long-term Ukrainian study of Epithalamin in elderly coronary heart disease patients also reported lower mortality (Korkushko and colleagues, Kyiv Institute of Gerontology) †. [1][3]

Graded B/C

Retinitis pigmentosa

Rat model of inherited retinal degeneration showed preserved retinal structure; a small human series reported improved visual function (Khavinson 2002). No controlled human trial. [6]

Any Western-standard RCT

None registered or published.

4Reported side effects and interactions

Literature-reported

Russian clinical reports describe Epithalamin and Epitalon as well tolerated with no serious adverse events; formal pharmacovigilance is limited. Animal studies at high multiples of the human dose report no toxicity.

Community-reported

generally few — injection-site irritation, vivid dreams or altered sleep (consistent with a melatonin effect), mild drowsiness or, less often, insomnia, occasional headache. Some members report "better sleep"; a minority report nothing at all.

Theoretical. anything that genuinely activated telomerase would raise a cancer concern, since most cancers rely on telomerase; the rodent data point the other way (fewer tumours), but this has never been examined in humans. Because the peptide is unlikely to survive long in blood, the practical question may be whether it does anything systemically at all.

Interactions. none documented. Additive sedation with melatonin or sleep medicines is plausible if the melatonin-rhythm effect is real.

Markers researchers commonly monitor

Marker	Why it's watched
Melatonin (overnight urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin or evening salivary melatonin)	the one physiological effect reported in humans and primates.
Cortisol rhythm (morning and evening)	reported to normalise alongside melatonin in aged animals.
Leukocyte telomere length	the headline mechanistic claim; measurable commercially but noisy, and no human change has ever been demonstrated.
Sleep quality (diary or wearable)	the most common community-reported effect.
Baseline CBC and CMP	general safety monitoring; no compound-specific safety marker is established.

Free for everyone. Safety information is never behind a paywall.

5Reconstitution and handling

Commonly supplied in 10 mg, 20 mg or 50 mg vials, reflecting the milligram-scale community "courses". with ; swirl gently; protect from light. Intranasal preparations also circulate in the community.

Open in calculator, pre-loaded →

6Commonly studied alongside

Thymalin (the paired "pineal + thymus" course in Khavinson's longevity studies), pinealon, other organ-specific bioregulators (e.g. Cortexin, Vilon), melatonin (community sleep context; no combined trial).

Informational cross-links. Not stack recommendations.

7Regulatory status by region

Region	Status (checked —)
United States	Not FDA-approved. Placed in Category 2 of the FDA's 2023 compounding bulk-substances list, restricting compounding
European Union	Not authorised; oral "bioregulator" products sold as supplements in some member states are extracts, not the synthetic peptide, and are not approved medicines
United Kingdom	Not licensed
Australia	Not approved
South Africa	Not registered
Russia / CIS	Epithalamin (extract) was a registered medicine; Epitalon itself is not a registered medicine †
Sport	Not specifically named by WADA; as a non-approved substance it falls under S0 †

8Open questions

Has the telomerase result ever been independently reproduced? Not in a prominent journal.
Does a tetrapeptide given by injection reach the pineal gland or any tissue before being broken down?
Would the elderly-mortality findings hold in a randomised, blinded trial with pre-registered endpoints?

9References

1Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA (2003). Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells. Bull Exp Biol Med. PubMed · DOI
2Anisimov VN et al. (2003). Effect of Epitalon on biomarkers of aging, life span and spontaneous tumor incidence in female Swiss-derived SHR mice. Biogerontology. PubMed · DOI
3Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG (2003). Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life. Neuroendocrinol Lett. PubMed
4Goncharova ND et al. (2005). Pineal peptides restore the age-related disturbances in hormonal functions of the pineal gland and the pancreas. Exp Gerontol. PubMed · DOI
5Anisimov VN, Khavinson VKh (2010). Peptide bioregulation of aging: results and prospects. Biogerontology. PubMed · DOI
6Khavinson VKh et al. (2002). Effect of epithalon on the lifespan increase in Drosophila melanogaster. Mech Ageing Dev. PubMed

References are being resolved to PubMed/DOI identifiers; links search PubMed for the citation until then.

† Being confirmed by our reviewers against current sources.

10Community

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Self-reported side effects Phase 2

Not enough data yet. 0 of the 50 members needed have logged this compound for 4+ weeks. We don't show anything below 50, so no one can be identified.

11Page history

25 Oct 2026Profile published — awaiting medical review

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