Pineal peptide comes up often in conversation and rarely with the context attached. Here we lay out the basics in order, then work through the practical considerations.
Updated 2026-03-23. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
In its supplied form epitalon is a white to off-white powder, usually lyophilized and often hygroscopic. It dissolves readily in water and in aqueous buffers, and it is commonly handled as the acetate or trifluoroacetate salt to improve stability during purification and drying. The amide backbone is labile in aqueous media, so solutions are less durable than the dry solid. Handling notes in the chemical literature therefore emphasize keeping the powder dry, cool and shielded from light until it is dissolved.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose sequence is alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, written in single-letter code as AEDG. The four residues are joined by three peptide bonds, giving a linear backbone with no branching and no disulfide bridges. Its calculated molecular mass for the free form is approximately 390.3 daltons, a figure that rises when the compound is supplied as an acetate or trifluoroacetate salt. Because the chain is short, the molecule is defined entirely by its residue order rather than by any folded three-dimensional structure.
The compound is described in the literature as a derivative of epithalamin, a preparation obtained from bovine pineal tissue. Work on this peptide family was carried out mainly by a research group in Saint Petersburg beginning in the 1980s, and the substance was later registered for clinical use in Russia under the name Epitalon. Outside that region it is generally treated as a research chemical rather than an approved medicine. Statements about its biological activity rest on a relatively small number of studies, and independent replication remains limited.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the amino acid sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly or AEDG. It was developed by the Russian researcher Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues during work on peptide bioregulators derived from the pineal gland. The compound is short enough to be produced by standard solid-phase peptide synthesis and is typically handled as a lyophilized white powder. Its small size distinguishes it from larger pineal peptides such as epithalamin, a complex extract from which the tetrapeptide was conceptually derived.
The four residues give epitalon a molecular formula of C14H22N4O9 and a molecular weight near 390.35 daltons. The presence of two acidic residues, glutamate and aspartate, makes the free peptide strongly acidic, while the alanine and glycine ends provide neutral, nonpolar character. This combination produces a molecule with substantial water solubility. Because there are no cysteine, methionine, or tryptophan residues, the peptide lacks the most common oxidation-sensitive side chains, which simplifies handling compared with many longer peptides.
The proposed relationship between epitalon and pineal function is a central part of its background. Khavinson's group reported that short peptides corresponding to regions of larger pineal proteins could influence gene expression in cells. Epitalon was framed as a synthetic analogue of an active fragment rather than a direct isolation product. Whether the tetrapeptide reproduces the effects of the parent extract is an open question, because comparative studies are limited and the parent extract itself is not a single defined substance.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Synthetic tetrapeptide | Four residues, linear chain |
| Residue sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly | Single-letter form AEDG |
| Calculated mass | 390.3 daltons | Value for the free, uncharged form |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Usually supplied lyophilized |
| Solubility | Freely soluble in water | Often handled as a salt form |
The most frequently cited proposed action is induction of telomerase, the enzyme that adds repeat sequences to chromosome ends. Cell-culture work from the originating group reported higher telomerase reverse transcriptase expression and measurable telomere elongation in human somatic cells after exposure. How a four-residue peptide would reach nuclear gene regulation is not established, and no cell-surface receptor or uptake route has been identified. Additional reports describe changes in melatonin secretion, antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in aged animals, but these findings remain mechanistically unconnected to the telomerase observation.
Published evidence comes mainly from Russian-language journals and from a single research group, with small sample sizes and limited independent replication. A few laboratories outside that group have examined related peptides and reported weaker or absent telomerase effects, so the central claim is best described as contested rather than settled. Rodent studies report modest changes in some ageing markers and in survival, but designs vary and control conditions are often sparse. No large randomised trial in humans has been published, and long-term safety data in healthy populations are correspondingly thin.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. It was designed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as a short, chemically defined analogue of epithalamin, a fraction obtained from bovine pineal tissue. Small peptide bioregulators of this type formed a long-running line of work there from the 1980s onward. Because the molecule is produced by solid-phase synthesis rather than extraction, its composition is exact and its purity can be measured directly.
Published work on this compound consists mainly of in vitro experiments, animal studies, and small clinical investigations, a substantial share of which appeared in Russian-language journals. Sample sizes are generally small, control conditions differ between studies, and several endpoints rely on markers whose clinical meaning is itself debated. Reviews of the longevity field treat the peptide as an early example of telomerase-directed research rather than an established intervention. Regulatory treatment varies by country: some jurisdictions place it under prescription controls, others treat it as a laboratory material, and importation may be restricted regardless of local status.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose sequence is alanine–glutamate–aspartate–glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. It was developed in Russia during the 1980s and 1990s by investigators associated with the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, who studied short peptides as regulators of gene expression and tissue function. The alternative spelling epithalon appears interchangeably in the literature, and the two names refer to the same molecule. Outside Russia it is encountered chiefly as a research chemical rather than a licensed medicine, and it holds no approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency.
Discussions in the literature often conflate three distinct entities: the pineal extract epithalamin, the isolated tetrapeptide AEDG, and commercial preparations sold under similar names. Reviews citing older Russian-language studies sometimes omit detail on purity, route of administration and control groups, which makes cross-study comparison difficult. Researchers working with the compound generally note the need for independent replication, standardized enzyme assays, and clearer reporting of peptide identity. These caveats are relevant when weighing claims that appear in secondary sources rather than in primary reports.
（TG:@pojiaai）Epitalon is a synthetic linear tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated AEDG. It emerged from work on epithalamin, a peptide fraction prepared from bovine pineal tissue, and was designed as a short, chemically defined analogue of that extract. Early publications came mainly from Russian laboratories studying pineal peptides and aging-related endpoints. The compound appears in the literature under several spellings, including epithalon and epithalone, which complicates systematic searching. Its small size makes solid-phase assembly and routine analytical characterization straightforward.
Epitalon is the common name for a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, usually abbreviated AEDG. All four residues are proteinogenic amino acids, and the free peptide has a calculated mass near 390 grams per mole. Because the chain is short and carries no modifications, it is assembled readily by solid-phase synthesis and is distributed mainly as a freeze-dried solid for laboratory work. Catalogue listings use the spellings epitalon, epithalone, and simply AEDG, and the three refer to the same sequence.
The compound is generally presented as a synthetic fragment of epithalamin, a pineal gland extract investigated in the former Soviet Union from the 1970s onward. Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues in Saint Petersburg developed short peptides modelled on such extracts, and epitalon became the most widely cited of those sequences. Most primary reports appeared in Russian-language journals or in proceedings with limited international circulation. Independent replication in laboratories outside that network remains sparse, and much repeated secondary material traces back to a small number of originating groups.
== References == Hansard Indexes for 1993–2000, "Legislature of Western Australia" "No.32 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 16 February 1993. p. 1993:1287–1289. "No.116 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 25 August 1993. p. 1993:4599. "No.8 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 25 January 1994. p. 1994:278–279. "No.18 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 10 February 1995. p. 1995:477–478. "No.176 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 21 December 1995. p. 1995:6163–6164. "No.5 (Special)". Western Australia Government Gazette. 9 January 1997. p. 1997:99–100. Phillips, Harry; Black, David (June 1996). "Australian Political Chronicle: July–December 1995". Australian Journal of Politics and History. 42 (2): 271. ISSN 0004-9522.
=== Gómez, France 1998 and the end of the cycle (1995–1999) === Hernán Darío Gómez, known as El Bolillo, replaced Maturana in 1995. Colombia lost 2–0 to the hosts Uruguay in the semi-finals of the 1995 Copa América before beating the United States 4–1 in Maldonado to take third place, Wilmer Cabrera, Valderrama, Asprilla and Rincón all scoring. Two years later they were eliminated 2–1 by the hosts Bolivia in the quarter-finals of the 1997 Copa América. Colombia reached the 1998 FIFA World Cup by finishing third in the first CONMEBOL qualifying tournament contested as a single home-and-away league, taking 28 points from sixteen matches — two behind Argentina and one behind Paraguay — with Asprilla their leading scorer on seven goals, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Chile in Barranquilla. Drawn in Group G with Tunisia, England and Romania, they lost 1–0 to Romania, beat Tunisia 1–0, and were eliminated on 26 June by England at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens. Darren Anderton volleyed England ahead in the 20th minute and David Beckham curled in a free kick from some 30 yards nine minutes later for his first international goal, Faryd Mondragón keeping the margin to 2–0 thereafter.
A loss of immune tolerance is indicated by the presence of AMAs and autoreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells targeting cholangiocytes that line the bile ducts. Cholangiocytes are normally responsible for 40% of bile flow, mostly through secretion of bicarbonate into bile via anion exchanger 2 (AE2) on their apical membrane. The resulting bicarbonate "umbrella" that forms over cholangiocytes provides protection from toxic bile salts. However, in PBC there is repression of AE2 activity due to upregulation of miR-506. This results in decreased biliary bicarbonate secretion and consequently, cholestasis and injury to cholangiocytes by bile salts. Injury may induce cholangiocytes to undergo apoptosis, and during this process, the unique way in which cholangiocytes handle the degradation of PDC-E2 (the E2 subunit of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex) may be a trigger for PSC. Specifically, PDC-E2 in apoptotic cholangiocytes undergo a covalent modification that may render them recognizable to antibodies and thereby trigger a break in self-tolerance. The problem is compounded by cholangiocytes' peculiarly abundant expression of HLA-II and HLA-I, as well as adhesion and chemoattractant molecules, which recruit aid in recruitment of mononuclear immune cells. Both genetic and environmental factors probably contribute to PBC pathogenesis. Genetic predisposition is suggested by high concordance between identical twins, higher incidence among relatives, and a strong association of disease with certain HLA variants.
== Activation == Although TGF-β is important in regulating crucial cellular activities, only a few TGF-β activating pathways are currently known, and the full mechanism behind the suggested activation pathways is not yet well understood. Some of the known activating pathways are cell or tissue specific, while some are seen in multiple cell types and tissues. Proteases, integrins, pH, and reactive oxygen species are just few of the currently known factors that can activate TGF-β, as discussed below. It is well known that perturbations of these activating factors can lead to unregulated TGF-β signaling levels that may cause several complications including inflammation, autoimmune disorders, fibrosis, cancer and cataracts. In most cases, an activated TGF-β ligand will initiate the TGF-β signaling cascade as long as TGF-β receptors I and II are available for binding. This is due to a high affinity between TGF-β and its receptors, suggesting why the TGF-β signaling recruits a latency system to mediate its signaling.
Some important work IUPAC has done in these fields includes standardizing nucleotide base sequence code names; publishing books for environmental scientists, chemists, and physicists; and improving education in science. IUPAC is also known for standardizing the atomic weights of the elements through one of its oldest standing committees, the Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (CIAAW).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== External links == International Chemical Safety Card 0104 National Pollutant Inventory – Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Fact Sheet "Lung cancer as consequence by Benzopyrene in smokers". Lung Cancer. Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. Retrieved March 5, 2005. "Levels of Benzopyrene in Burnt toasts". Guardian Unlimited, Special reports: Close encounters. Retrieved March 5, 2005. Karle, I. L. (2004). "Crystal and molecular structure of a benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide N2-deoxyguanosine adduct: Absolute configuration and conformation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 101 (6): 1433–1438. Bibcode:2004PNAS..101.1433K. doi:10.1073/pnas.0307305101. PMC 341736. PMID 14757823.
gene Any segment or set of segments of a nucleic acid molecule that contains the information necessary to produce a functional RNA transcript in a controlled manner. In living organisms, genes are often considered the fundamental units of heredity and are typically encoded in DNA. A particular gene can have multiple different versions, or alleles, and a single gene can result in a gene product that influences many different phenotypes.
Due to the lipid solubility of diacetylmorphine, it can cross the blood–brain barrier faster than morphine, subsequently increasing the reinforcing component of addiction. Using a variety of subjective and objective measures, one study estimated the relative potency of heroin to morphine administered intravenously to post-addicts to be 1.80–2.66 mg of morphine sulfate to 1 mg of diamorphine hydrochloride (heroin).
== Names == Alternative terms for low level light therapy are: LLLT, laser biostimulation, laser phototherapy, low-level laser therapy, low-power laser irradiation, low-power laser therapy, and photobiomodulation therapy. The term photobiomodulation therapy is considered the preferred term by industry professionals. However LLLT has been marketed and researched under a number of other terms, including red light therapy, low-power laser therapy (LPLT), soft laser therapy, low-intensity laser therapy, low-energy laser therapy, cold laser therapy, bio-stimulation laser therapy, photo-biotherapy, therapeutic laser, and monochromatic infrared light energy (MIRE) therapy. More specific applications sometimes have their own terms, for example when administered to acupuncture points, the procedure is called laser acupuncture. When applied to the head, LLLT may be known as transcranial photobiomodulation, transcranial near-infrared laser therapy (NILT), or transcranial low level light therapy.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The peptide contains four residues in the order alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine, abbreviated AEDG. The chain is linear and held together by three peptide bonds. Its calculated mass for the uncharged free form is about 390.3 daltons.
Epithalamin refers to a crude preparation derived from bovine pineal tissue, which contains many components. Epitalon is a single synthetic tetrapeptide identified from that material and produced by chemical synthesis. The two names are sometimes confused because early reports treated the synthetic peptide as an active fragment of the extract.
It has been registered for clinical use in Russia, where it is associated with a small family of short peptides. In most other jurisdictions it is not an approved medicine and is traded as a research chemical. Regulatory status varies by country and changes over time.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide composed of four amino acids: alanine, glutamate, aspartate, and glycine. It is written as Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. The free peptide has a molecular weight of about 390 daltons and is normally supplied as a lyophilized powder.