Anti-AgingTarget: Pineal glandEndocrine

Epitalon

Epithalon · AEDG peptide · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly · Эпиталон

Epitalon is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG). Epithalamin is the injectable pineal extract. Endoluten is the Cytomax complex. Telomerase papers exist. Not a Western longevity RCT and not a telomere-reset drug.

Not FDA-approved - research chemical

Quick answer

What it is: Epitalon is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG).

Class and target: Cytogen (synthetic short peptide) · Pineal gland · sequence AEDG

Typical research dose: 5-10 mg/day

2026 status: On 24 July 2026 an FDA advisory committee (PCAC) voted to recommend adding epitalon to the 503A bulks list for compounding (use evaluated: insomnia). The vote is non-binding; FDA must still act on it.

Reconstitution calculator ↓What it is & the evidence on The Bioregulator Atlas →The evidence-graded sleep stack →

Research summary, not medical advice.

Reviewed by Kymata Health Editorial Team

·Last updated: September 2026·Evidence: Strong preclinical·11 peer-reviewed citations

Typical research dose

5-10 mg/day

Frequency

1× daily for 10-20 days, cycle 2-3× per year

Half-life

~30 min estimated (no published human PK)

Common vials

10 mg / 50 mg

CAS

307297-39-8

Molecular weight

390.35 g/mol

Use-case scores

0–10 against the evidence we have, not a gym ranking. Hidden domains do not apply here.

Longevity / aging5/10
Multi-decade rodent geroprotection plus 2003 and 2025 in vitro telomere data. Ceiling 5.5 for consistent animal work; haircut for no Western human RCT and single-lab concentration on the early papers.
Recovery & sleep4/10
Pineal/melatonin pathway is the mechanistic story. No dedicated sleep RCTs. Sits at the single-lab / community ceiling.
Immune3.5/10
Rodent immune and tumor-incidence papers exist. They are not a human oncology indication. Do not launder extract trials onto AEDG.
Skin / cosmetic2.5/10
Chromatin and fibroblast work is in vitro. No dermal RCT. Mechanism only.

Compound card

Sequence: AEDG (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly)
Class: Synthetic pineal tetrapeptide / Khavinson cytogen
Formula: C14H22N4O9
Status: Not FDA-approved · research use

Dose it

10 mg + 2 mL BAC water → 5 mg/mL · 5000 mcg ≈ 100 units (U-100)

Open in calculator

How it works

Epitalon (Epithalon, Эпиталон) is synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, a four-residue motif isolated from the pineal extract line that Khavinson developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is not Epithalamin (the injectable pineal extract) and not Endoluten (the Cytomax pineal capsule complex). Those three share an organ. They are different SKUs.

Four pathways show up in the published work. (1) TERT: in telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts, Epithalon induced the catalytic subunit, enzymatic activity, and telomere elongation (Khavinson, Bondarev, Butyugov 2003). (2) Chromatin: AEDG is modeled to bind linker histones H1.3/H1.6 and open heterochromatin around silenced promoters. (3) Pineal/melatonin: the extract and tetrapeptide literature both sit next to circadian melatonin restoration in aging animals. That is not the same as a 3 mg melatonin gummy. (4) Immune and redox modulation in rodent models. The 33% telomere-length and Drosophila lifespan figures you see on vendor pages are model-system numbers, not a human RCT endpoint.

Independent 2025 cell-line work (Al-Dulaimi) added quantitative telomere, hTERT, and ALT readouts the 2003 paper did not give. It is still in vitro. It is not a Western clinical trial.

Source: PMID: 12937682

Three pineal SKUs, one search term

Epitalon = synthetic AEDG. Epithalamin = pharmaceutical pineal extract. Endoluten = pineal Cytomax capsules. US vials labeled “epithalamin” are often AEDG relabeled. Ask what is in the vial. Do not swallow a Cytomax bottle into a reconstitution calculator.

Khavinson map

Canonical 41

Class

Cytogen (synthetic short peptide)

Organ

Pineal gland

Target

Pineal gland

System

Endocrine

Sequence

AEDG · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly

Pair

Endoluten (pineal Cytomax); Epithalamin is the pharma extract

Эпиталон

Used in bioregulator stacks

Manufacturer-style organ combinations - not FDA protocols. Every name is a live leaf.

The Khavinson school

Epitalon is filed here as cytogen (synthetic short peptide), targeting the pineal gland. Khavinson's St. Petersburg group moved from organ extracts (Cytamins) to capsule complexes (Cytomaxes) to synthetic short peptides (Cytogens); most of the evidence comes from that one group, with little independent Western replication.

Read the full background, the proposed epigenetic mechanism, the literature limits, and how we count the canonical 41 on the Khavinson bioregulators index.

History of this molecule

AEDG is the flagship cytogen even though it is not on the 12-SKU NPCRIZ cytogen poster the same way Pinealon is - it lives in the core-eight because the papers and the search volume do. Khavinson synthesized it to mimic epithalamin activity with a defined sequence. The 2003 Bulletin paper on telomerase activity and telomere elongation in somatic cells (PMID 12937682) is the one everyone cites. Rodent geroprotection and pineal/melatonin-adjacent work sit around it.

English-language educators (Henry’s public PSI article included) use Epitalon as the TERT-promoter example versus Pinealon/Vilon on other genes. That distinction is in the public essay and in the papers it cites. We cite papers. We do not paste Peptide Mastery dose sheets.

N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a later stability analog. Parent literature does not automatically transfer.

Caveats

A defined sequence is not an FDA indication. Pineal 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. Telomere therapy as a consumer product is a claim. Hayflick-limit language in ads is theater.

Full 41-map: Khavinson bioregulators index · Bioregulator stacks

Goal context

Longevity and telomeres

This is why people search the page. Telomere shortening is a real aging hallmark. Activating telomerase in somatic cells is the 2003 claim, quantified again in 2025 cell lines. Hayflick-limit language in ads is theater: nobody has an FDA telomere drug, and consumer “telomere kits” are marketing. What you can say honestly is that AEDG is the best-studied short peptide in that lane, and the lane is still preclinical.

Sleep and circadian timing

Reported research-chem cycles often dose in the evening to sit next to the nocturnal melatonin rhythm. That is a scheduling heuristic, not a PK study. If sleep is the only job, a measured melatonin protocol is the simpler tool. Epitalon is a pineal-adjacent tetrapeptide, not a sleep hormone replacement.

Skin as a side conversation

Fibroblast and chromatin papers get stretched into cosmetic claims. There is no topical or injectable skin RCT for AEDG. If skin is the job, GHK-Cu has the actual dermal literature. Keep Epitalon on the pineal/telomere page.

Research Use Cases

✓AEDG identity vs Epithalamin vs Endoluten vs Pinealon
✓Why telomerase headlines are not a US anti-aging indication
✓Not a cancer-protective or retinal-degeneration protocol

Dosing

Phase	Dose	Frequency	Notes
Standard short cycle	5 mg	Evening SubQ, 20 days	About 100 mg per cycle. Typical research-chem pattern. Repeat 1–2× per year, 4–6 months apart.
Compressed cycle	10 mg	Evening SubQ, 10 days	Same ~100 mg per cycle, shorter calendar. Not shown to outperform 5 mg × 20 in a head-to-head trial.

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.

Preparation

Best injection sites

Abdomen, Thigh, Upper arm

Required supplies

Lyophilized vial
Bacteriostatic water
U-100 insulin syringes
Alcohol swabs

Storage

Before reconstitution

Lyophilized powder refrigerated, protected from light. Do not freeze-thaw the dry cake for sport.

After reconstitution

Reconstituted solution refrigerated 2–8 °C; typical bacteriostatic water window is up to 28 days if sterility holds.

Signs of degradation

Cloudiness • Particles • Color change • Loss of cake integrity before mixing

Epitalon: oral vs SubQ

Cytomed AEDG capsule

Bioavailability

Cytomed/cytogen oral capsules of AEDG, swallowed with water. Tetrapeptide oral uptake is a weaker PEPT1 story than Vilon/Thymogen. Endoluten is the pineal Cytomax mixture - swallowing that box is not an Epitalon dose.

Dose note

Cytomed folklore: 1–2 capsules daily, 10–30 day courses, morning, about 30 minutes before meals. Manufacturer protocol, not an FDA label. Do not run the 5–10 mg vial chart on a capsule blister.

Advantages

No reconstitution. Official cytogen capsule SKU exists.
Same sequence claim as the vial if the manufacturer listing is AEDG.
Not a sublingual tablet. Nobody manufactures this SKU that way.

Considerations

Capsule ≠ vial ≠ Epithalamin ampoule ≠ Endoluten complex. Pick the bottle you bought.
Oral BA is not a telomerase trial. PMID 12937682 is somatic-cell work, not a swallowed-capsule PK study.
Food timing is a manufacturer preference (empty stomach), not a PK paper.

Research AEDG vial

Bioavailability

Research SubQ from a reconstituted lyophilized AEDG vial. Parent papers used defined tetrapeptide in models, not a pineal extract ampoule. No published human PK curve; plasma figures on vendor pages are estimates.

Dose note

US research-chem folklore is 5 mg evening SubQ × 20 days or 10 mg × 10 days (about 100 mg per cycle), a few times a year. That is not an Epithalamin IM hospital label and not Endoluten capsule math. 10 mg vial + 2.0 mL BAC → 5 mg/mL only if the bottle is actually AEDG powder.

Advantages

Defined sequence (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly). Reconstitution math you can check.
Bypasses GI. The reconstitution table on this leaf is for vials, not capsules.
Separable from Epithalamin (extract) and Endoluten (Cytomax) if the COA is real.

Considerations

Gray-market identity: US “epithalamin” vials are often AEDG relabeled. HPLC beats the label.
N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a different SKU. Do not copy 5–10 mg/day onto NAEA as if PK matched.
Sterile technique still applies. Cloudiness means discard.

Recommendation: Epitalon is capsule-or-vial: swallow Cytomed AEDG capsules, or reconstitute a research vial for SubQ. It is not Epithalamin (IM pineal extract), not Endoluten (pineal Cytomax), and not NAEA. If the bottle is capsules, skip the calculator. If it is powder, do vial math on that fill, not on a 5 mg chart copied from a different SKU.

Timeline

During a 10–20 day course

Sleep timing is the anecdote people report. It is not a validated sleep endpoint.

Weeks after the course

No established human biomarker schedule. Do not expect a telomere lab to move on one cycle.

Between cycles (4–6 months)

The literature and vendor folklore both treat this as a pulsed peptide, not a daily staple.

Who it is for

Telomere / geroprotection research

High

Best-documented short peptide in this lane. Still preclinical. Not a telomere drug.

Circadian / pineal-adjacent work

Moderate

Mechanistic story is real. Sleep RCTs are not.

Immune / tumor models

Low

Rodent papers exist. This is not an oncology protocol.

Reconstitution

Vial	Water	Concentration	Example dose
10 mg	2.0 mL BAC	5 mg/mL	5 mg = 1.0 mL = 100 units on a U-100 syringe
50 mg	5.0 mL BAC	10 mg/mL	5 mg = 0.5 mL = 50 units on a U-100 syringe

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

Safety & Considerations

Research-use tetrapeptide. Decades of Khavinson-group publications report low toxicity in the models they ran. That is not a Western Phase 3 safety database. Sterile reconstitution still matters. Do not treat rodent tumor-incidence papers as a human anti-cancer claim. PMID 11713572 is a tissue-peptide class review, not an Epitalon RCT.

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

No Western randomized, placebo-controlled human trial of synthetic AEDG for aging, sleep, or telomere length in vivo.
Early papers concentrate in the Khavinson / Anisimov network. Independent 2025 cell-line work exists; independent human trials do not.
Epithalamin extract mortality follow-ups are not “the Epitalon trial.” Read which molecule was in the syringe.
Plasma half-life is estimated. There is no published human PK curve to justify the 2–4 hour figure some databases print.
N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a different SKU. Parent papers do not transfer automatically.

Human evidence

Strong preclinical · no Western human RCT

No Western randomized, placebo-controlled human trial of synthetic AEDG for aging, sleep, or telomere length in vivo.
2003 Bulletin paper: telomerase reactivation and telomere elongation in human fetal fibroblasts (in vitro).
Al-Dulaimi 2025 quantified hTERT, telomere length, and ALT in cell lines — still not a human aging trial.
Epithalamin extract mortality follow-ups are not “the Epitalon trial.” Read which molecule was in the syringe.

User reports

What cycles report

Sleep timing is the anecdote people report during a 10–20 day course. It is not a validated sleep endpoint. Do not expect a telomere lab to move on one cycle.

Verdict

Epitalon is the flagship Khavinson tetrapeptide and the one Western readers actually have a paper trail for. Use it as a short, periodic research-chem cycle with reconstitution math you can check, not as a daily longevity vitamin and not as a synonym for Epithalamin or Endoluten. The evidence is strong for a preclinical geroprotector and weak for any disease or telomere-reversal claim you can take to a clinic.

Interactions & Contraindications

Russian clinic history is not a US safety NDA. Cycle language is the school’s, not an FDA duration. This site will not treat cancer from a peptide page.

Synergies & Common Stacks

+ Pinealon →

AEDG vs EDR. Neighboring pineal/CNS aisle. Not a sequenced longevity drug regimen.

+ Thymalin →

Pineal tetrapeptide vs thymic extract. School combination follow-ups are not a 50% mortality label on this SKU.

Epitalon vs. Thymalin

Canonical comparison: Epitalon vs Thymalin

Attribute	Epitalon	Thymalin
Class	Pineal bioregulator (tetrapeptide)	Thymic bioregulator
Mechanism	Telomere elongation + pineal regulation	T-cell maturation + immune rejuvenation
Primary Use	Anti-aging, longevity, sleep, telomeres	Immune restoration, longevity
Research Base	Khavinson Institute trials (human)	Khavinson Institute trials (human)
Dose	5–10 mg per course (1–2× yearly)	5–20 mg per course (1–2× yearly)

Verdict: Epitalon and Thymalin are both Khavinson Institute bioregulators used together in anti-aging longevity protocols. Epitalon targets telomere/pineal health; Thymalin targets immune system restoration. They're complementary, not competing.

Appears in goal guides

Goal guides are maps, not clinic protocols. A mention here is not a treatment plan.

Anti-Aging & Cellular Longevity

Educational map of GH secretagogues, pineal cytogens, and dermal peptides used in longevity folklore. Telomerase and “youthful gene expression” are not a US anti-aging indication.

View Protocol →

Deep Sleep Architecture

DSIP and related sleep-adjacent peptides. Delta-wave marketing is not a licensed insomnia indication.

View Protocol →

Perimenopause & Menopause Optimization

Kisspeptin, Epitalon, MOTS-c, and PT-141 as they show up next to menopause folklore. Not HRT and not a vasomotor-symptom indication.

View Protocol →

Anti-Aging Longevity Stack

Golden Triangle (Endoluten, Vladonix, Bonomarlot) plus Epitalon and GHK-Cu, with FOXO4-DRI and MOTS-c as experimental add-ons.

View Protocol →

Cellular Redox & DNA Integrity

Khavinson-style 10-day intensive: Epitalon, Thymalin (injectable), and Pinealon, then a long off. Autophagy supplements named, not stocked as peptides.

View Protocol →

Frequently Asked Questions

Epitalon vs Epithalamin vs Endoluten vs Pinealon?▼

Epitalon = AEDG synthetic. Epithalamin = pineal pharmaceutical extract. Endoluten = pineal Cytomax complex. Pinealon = EDR CNS cytogen.

Does it lengthen telomeres in people I can bill?▼

The famous paper is somatic cells in vitro / Khavinson-group work. It is not an FDA telomere drug. Treat consumer “telomere kits” as marketing.

NAEA?▼

N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate is a stability analog. Different SKU, almost no analog-specific human PK. Do not copy 5–10 mg/day onto NAEA as if PK matched.

Capsule or vial?▼

Both exist. Swallow Cytomed AEDG capsules, or reconstitute a research vial for SubQ. Endoluten is the pineal Cytomax (mixture). Epithalamin is the IM extract. Not a sublingual tablet.

Melatonin replacement?▼

Pineal-adjacent claims exist. It is not a 3 mg melatonin gummy with a fancier name.

How does Epitalon relate to telomeres?▼

The 2003 Bulletin paper showed telomerase reactivation and telomere elongation in human fetal fibroblasts. Al-Dulaimi 2025 quantified hTERT, telomere length, and ALT activity in cell lines. Neither paper is a human aging trial.

What are the two common research-chem cycles?▼

5 mg SubQ daily for 20 days, or 10 mg daily for 10 days. Both land near 100 mg per cycle. Courses are usually spaced 4–6 months apart. That pattern is literature-plus-community practice, not an FDA label.

How do I reconstitute a 10 mg vial?▼

Add 2.0 mL bacteriostatic water for 5 mg/mL. A 5 mg dose is 1.0 mL, which is 100 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. Use the reconstitution calculator if you change vial size or water volume.

Morning or evening?▼

Evening is the common reported schedule because of the melatonin story. It is not a PK requirement. Pick a time you can repeat for 10–20 days.

Is Epitalon the same as Epithalamin or Endoluten?▼

No. Epitalon is AEDG. Epithalamin is the pineal extract. Endoluten is the Cytomax capsule complex. See the Khavinson map on this page.

Has it been shown to extend human lifespan?▼

No. Rodent and cell data exist. There is no Western RCT with lifespan or validated telomere endpoints in people.

Is it FDA-approved?▼

No. Sold as a research chemical in the US. Not a dietary-supplement monograph and not a WADA-cleared sport peptide. Check the regulatory panel on this page for the current FDA/WADA rows.

Can I take it as a capsule instead of injecting?▼

Endoluten is the oral pineal Cytomax SKU. That is a mixture, not AEDG math. Cytogens sold as capsules are swallowed. This leaf’s reconstitution table is for lyophilized AEDG vials only.

What about N-acetyl-epitalon-amidate?▼

NAEA is a stability analog (Ac-AEDG-NH2). Different bottle, almost no analog-specific human PK. Parent telomerase papers do not automatically apply.

Does it cause cancer because telomerase is involved?▼

Vendor pages sometimes claim selective activation in healthy cells. Al-Dulaimi 2025 reported ALT activity in some cancer cell lines. That is a reason for caution, not a license for disease claims either way. There is no human oncology trial.

How should I store it?▼

Keep lyophilized vials refrigerated and dark. After mixing with bacteriostatic water, refrigerate 2–8 °C and discard if cloudy or particulate. Typical BAC-water practice is up to 28 days if sterility holds.

References

Khavinson VKh “Peptides and ageing.” Neuroendocrinology Letters (2002). PMID: 12374906
Khavinson VKh, Kuznik BI, Ryzhak GA “Peptide bioregulators: the new class of geroprotectors. Communication 1. Results of experimental studies.” Advances in Gerontology (2012). PMID: 23734519
Khavinson VKh et al. “Tissue-specific effects of peptides.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2001). PMID: 11713572
Khavinson VKh, Lin’kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI “Short peptides regulate gene expression.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2016). PMID: 27909961
Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG “Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life.” Neuroendocrinology Letters (2003). PMID: 14523363
Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA “Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2003). PMID: 12937682
Anisimov VN, Khavinson VK, Popovich IG, et al. “Effect of Epitalon on biomarkers of aging, life span and spontaneous tumor incidence in female SHR mice.” Biogerontology (2003). PMID: 14501183
Al-Dulaimi S, Thomas R, Matta S, et al. “Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity.” Biogerontology (2025). PMID: 40908429
Araj SK, Brzezik J, Mądra-Gackowska K, Szeleszczuk Ł “Overview of Epitalon: highly bioactive pineal tetrapeptide with promising properties.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.3390/ijms26062691
Anisimov VN, Khavinson VK “Peptide bioregulation of aging: results and prospects.” Biogerontology (2010). PMID: 19830585
Khavinson VK. “Peptide regulation of aging: 35-year research experience.” Bull Exp Biol Med (2009). PMID: 19902107

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Where to get itOral bioregulator

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