This is a working overview of tetrapeptide, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
Reviewed 2026-04-12. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
Residue composition is the property that most cleanly separates verified material from mislabelled samples. Alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine appear in that order from the N-terminus, and the two acidic residues sit in the middle of the chain. Because the peptide is short, it can be produced by solid-phase synthesis and characterised by mass spectrometry without ambiguity. Any reported sample whose measured mass departs substantially from 390 daltons is a different compound or a degraded mixture rather than epitalon.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose four residues are alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 and its monoisotopic mass is near 390.35 daltons. The peptide carries two acidic side chains, so it is neutral to negatively charged in most aqueous buffers. Published reference summaries usually list it under both spellings, epitalon and epithalon, and treat the two names as the same material.
No national medicines regulator has approved epitalon as a therapeutic product. It is generally distributed as a research chemical, and in some jurisdictions selling peptides for human consumption without approval is restricted or prohibited. Certificates of analysis accompanying commercial material vary in which tests are performed, and independent verification of identity and purity is uncommon. Statements about anti-ageing or disease-prevention benefits on vendor pages are marketing claims rather than regulatory findings, a distinction that shapes how the compound is discussed in scientific and popular sources alike.
The most frequently cited laboratory finding is that AEDG increased telomerase activity and extended telomere length in cultured human somatic cells. That work used fetal fibroblast strains and reported changes in enzyme activity alongside altered division counts. Replication by unrelated groups has been limited, and the published record is largely a single-laboratory series rather than a multi-centre programme. The result supports a hypothesis about peptide influence on gene expression in cell culture; it does not by itself establish an effect on telomere length in living animals or in people.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Derived from the four constituent residues |
| Molecular mass | About 390.35 Da | Monoisotopic value, confirmed by mass spectrometry |
| Residue sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly | Read from the N-terminus to the C-terminus |
| Common synonyms | Epithalon; AEDG | Both forms appear in reference catalogues |
| Net charge near neutral pH | Negative | Two acidic side chains give a low isoelectric point |
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.
Laboratory work has examined effects on telomerase activity in cultured cells, on melatonin rhythms in animals, and on markers of oxidative stress. Some experiments report measurable changes while others show none, and the reported findings rest largely on small studies. The absence of large independent trials means the generality of these results is unresolved rather than settled. Review articles occasionally apply the label geroprotector, a term that reflects a research hypothesis about ageing rather than an established clinical finding.
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.
Freeze-dried epitalon is normally kept at minus twenty degrees Celsius in a sealed, desiccated container, protected from light. Short excursions at ambient temperature during shipping are generally tolerated, but repeated warming and cooling cycles encourage moisture uptake, which shortens shelf life. Once dissolved, the peptide is far less stable than the solid: aqueous solutions are subject to hydrolysis and to deamidation at the aspartate and glutamate residues. Working solutions are therefore held refrigerated and used within days, and repeated freezing and thawing of the same vial is best avoided.
Identity and purity are checked by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, usually with ultraviolet detection near 214 nanometres, where the peptide bond absorbs. Mass spectrometry confirms the expected mass and reveals whether truncation products or adducts are present. Acid hydrolysis followed by amino acid analysis gives the residue ratio, which should approximate one alanine, one glutamate, one aspartate and one glycine. Counter-ions such as acetate or trifluoroacetate remain in the dried product and lower net peptide content, so a stated purity figure on a label does not by itself describe how much peptide a vial holds.
Epitalon is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9, and its calculated molar mass is approximately 390.35 grams per mole. The compound is a short fragment related to a peptide fraction isolated from bovine pineal gland extracts, and it is normally supplied as a lyophilised powder intended for laboratory research. It is not a registered pharmaceutical product in most countries.
The peptide emerged from research carried out in Saint Petersburg from the late 1980s onward, where investigators searched for shorter active fragments of a pineal preparation known as epithalamin. The name epitalon was chosen to reflect that parent extract. Early reports described effects on neuroendocrine markers and on the lifespan of laboratory animals. Much of that work appeared in Russian-language journals, with English translations following later, which affects how readily the original protocols can be assessed by outside groups.
Published studies on epitalon are dominated by a small number of research groups, and independent replication in other laboratories remains limited. Proposed mechanisms include activation of telomerase and modulation of melatonin rhythms, but the evidence for either rests mainly on cell cultures and animal models. Whether the peptide produces comparable effects in humans is an open question, and the absence of large controlled trials means the literature is best read as exploratory rather than settled.
Epitalon emerged from research conducted in Saint Petersburg by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues, who studied short peptides as potential regulators of aging. The work built on epithalamin, a pineal gland extract reported to influence neuroendocrine function. Epitalon was designed as a synthetic counterpart with a defined sequence, allowing reproducible experiments that extracts could not support. Early publications described effects on melatonin rhythms and lifespan in animal models. These findings circulated mainly in Russian-language journals during the 1990s, which limited their visibility among English-speaking researchers.
The most widely cited claim is that epitalon activates telomerase and thereby extends telomere length. Supporting evidence comes largely from cultured human cells, where treatment was associated with increased telomerase activity and delayed replicative senescence. Telomerase activation is a biologically consequential effect, since the enzyme is largely silenced in most somatic cells. However, the route by which a short peptide would reach and act on the enzyme's regulatory machinery has not been established. Independent replication in human trials is scarce, so the link between cell-culture observations and whole-body aging remains an open question.
=== No development reported === AF-130 – purinergic P2X3 receptor antagonist – migraine [40] B-244 (AOB-101; AOB-102; AOB-103; AOB-201; AOB-202; AOB-203; B244; nitrosomonas eutropha D23) – bacteria replacement – migraine [41] Carabersat (SB-204269) – undefined mechanism of action (anticonvulsant) – migraine [42] CLE-500 – undefined mechanism of action – cluster headache [43] CT-044 analogues - CERSCI Therapeutics – reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibitor – migraine [44] Cyclobenzaprine extended release (Amrix; Bonelax; EUR-1002) – tricyclic antidepressant (non-selective monoamine reuptake inhibitor and receptor modulator and other actions) – migraine [45] Donepezil (Allydone; Aricept; E-2020; E-2022; Eranz) – acetylcholinesterase inhibitor – migraine [46] Donitriptan mesilate (F-12640) – serotonin 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptor agonist and triptan – migraine [47] Estetrol (E4; Donesta) – estrogen (estrogen receptor agonist) – migraine [48] Filorexant (MK-6096) – orexin OX1 and OX2 receptor antagonist – migraine [49] Flunarizine (XEN-007) – calcium channel blocker, non-selective monoamine receptor modulator, other actions – migraine [50] Ibudilast (AV-411; Eyevinal; Ibinal; KC-404; Ketas; MN-166; Pinatos) – phosphodiesterase PDE4 inhibitor – headache [51] IPX-232 – undefined mechanism of action – migraine [52] Ketamine hydrochloride intranasal – ionotropic glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist and dissociative hallucinogen – cluster headache [53] Ondansetron/rizatriptan – oral transmucosal film (rizatriptan/ondansetron; MSRX-202) – combination of ondansetron (serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist and antiemetic) and rizatriptan (triptan) [54] Oxytocin (TI-001; TI-114; TNX-1900; TNX-2900) – oxytocin receptor agonist – headache [55] Piroxicam betadex (β-cyclodextrin piroxicam; Brexecam; Brexidol; Brexin; Brexine; Brexinil; CHF 1194; Cicladol; Cycladol; Flogene; piroxicam β-cyclodextrin) – COX inhibitor/NSAID – migraine, tension-type headache [56] Psilocybin (low-dose psilocybin; BPL-PSILO) – non-selective serotonin receptor agonist and psychedelic hallucinogen – headache [57] Psilocybin (MYCO-001; MYCO-003) – non-selective serotonin receptor agonist and psychedelic hallucinogen – headache [58] Psilocybin (SYNP-101; synthetic psilocybin) – non-selective serotonin receptor agonist and psychedelic hallucinogen – cluster headache, migraine [59] Relutrigine (PRAX-562) – sodium channel blocker – headache [60] Research programme: calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists - Merck (CGRP receptor antagonists; Imidazoazepanes; MK-2918; MK-8825) – calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor (CGRPR) antagonists [61] Research programme: GPCR modulators - Nxera Pharma – various actions [62] Research programme: migraine and pain therapeutics - NeurAxon – various actions – migraine [63] Research programme: pain and migraine therapy - OptiNose (OPT-1005) – undefined mechanism of action – migraine [64] Rizatriptan intranasal – serotonin 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptor agonist and triptan – migraine [65] Rizatriptan oral film – serotonin 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptor agonist and triptan – migraine [66] Salubrin (PH80; PH-80; ORG-39479) – vomeropherine – migraine [67] [68] Sumatriptan (Imigran Nasal Spray; Imitrex Nasal Spray) – serotonin 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptor agonist and triptan – menstrual migraine [69] Sumatriptan transmucosal (Omexa) – serotonin 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptor agonist and triptan – migraine [70] Zucapsaicin (cis-capsaicin; Civamide; Civanex; Dolorac; Neuroderm; Zuacta) – transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) agonist – cluster headache, migraine [71]
Shortly after the liberation of Czechoslovakia in May 1945, the use of the term Sudety (Sudetenland) in official communications was banned and replaced by the term pohraniční území (border territory). The Berlin Declaration of 5 June 1945 disabled German annexation of Sudetenland legally. In the summer of 1945, the Potsdam Conference decided that Sudeten Germans would have to leave Czechoslovakia. As a consequence of the immense hostility against all Germans that had grown within Czechoslovakia because many of them had helped the Nazis, the overwhelming majority of Germans were expelled though the relevant Czechoslovak legislation had provided for Germans to remain if they could prove their anti-Nazi affiliation. The number of expelled Germans in the early phase (spring-summer 1945) is estimated to be around 500,000 people. After the Beneš decrees, nearly all Germans were expelled starting in 1946 and in 1950 only 159,938 (from 3,149,820 in 1930) still lived in the Czech Republic. The remaining Germans, who were proven antifascists and skilled laborers, were allowed to stay in Czechoslovakia but were later forcefully dispersed within the country. Some German refugees from Czechoslovakia are represented by the Sudetendeutsche Landsmannschaft.
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zone melting Any of several methods of purifying crystalline solids which involve applying heat to a small region of a larger solid (particularly a metal ingot) until localized melting occurs, creating a molten zone which is then slowly moved along the surface to other parts of the solid by moving the target of the heating element. As it moves, the forward edge of the molten zone continuously melts new areas of impure solid, while leaving a path of purer solid behind it as previously melted areas are cooled and resolidified; because the molten liquid phase can hold a higher concentration of impurities than the solid phase, the impurities of melted areas tend to concentrate in the molten zone and be carried along as it moves, leaving behind regions with fewer impurities. The process is commonly used in the refinement of high-purity metalloids for use in semiconductors.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is a four-amino-acid peptide built from alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine in that order. Its formula is C14H22N4O9, and it is made by chemical synthesis rather than extracted from tissue. The synthetic peptide is a single defined molecule, unlike the pineal extracts it is often compared with.
No. The two spellings refer to the same tetrapeptide, and the difference reflects transliteration from Russian. Laboratories and catalogues use both forms interchangeably. The material is also indexed as AEDG, taken from the one-letter codes of its residues.
Epithalamin is a mixed preparation derived from animal pineal tissue and contains many peptides. Epitalon is one synthetic sequence chosen for study from that broader mixture. Statements about one do not transfer directly to the other.
Small studies with human participants have been reported, chiefly in Russian-language journals, but they are limited in size and design. No large randomised controlled trial with published results is available.