The short version of AEDG peptide fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
Reviewed 2026-04-19. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
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.
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.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Computed for the free acid of Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly |
| Molecular mass | About 390.35 g/mol | Free peptide; salt forms shift the value |
| Appearance | White to off-white solid | Typical of short peptides after freeze-drying |
| Solubility class | Freely soluble in water | Aqueous buffers are also commonly used |
| Common synonyms | Epitalon, epithalone, AEDG | AEDG is the single-letter sequence |
== Research interests == Jorgenson's research group is focused on utilizing analytical separation techniques to solve research problems in complex mixture analysis. The group currently focuses on ultra-high pressure capillary liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (MS). Jorgenson's research group is best known for their breakthrough in the field of separation sciences, the invention of capillary electrophoresis (CE). He began his research at UNC Chapel Hill studying electro-osmotically driven chromatography. The development of CE has aided in the advancement of many fields of science, including DNA sequencing, forensic DNA analysis and analysis of intact proteins. CE technology enabled completion of the sequencing of the human genome far ahead of the expected schedule and far below anticipated cost. Jorgenson's research group is also notable for some of the earliest demonstrations of the analysis of the contents of single cells, comprehensive two-dimensional separations, and the invention of ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography. His publications in separation methods have been extensively cited. Jorgenson retired in 2019 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was awarded the American Chemical Society Award in Separations Science and Technology.
=== Zinc world === Armen Mulkidjanian's zinc world (Zn-world) hypothesis extends Wächtershäuser's pyrite hypothesis. The Zn-world theory proposes that hydrothermal fluids rich in H2S interacting with cold primordial ocean (or Darwin's "warm little pond") water precipitated metal sulfide particles. Oceanic hydrothermal systems have a zonal structure reflected in ancient volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits. They reach many kilometers in diameter and date back to the Archean. Most abundant are pyrite (FeS2), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), and sphalerite (ZnS), with additions of galena (PbS) and alabandite (MnS). ZnS and MnS have a unique ability to store radiation energy, e.g. from ultraviolet light. When replicating molecules were originating, the primordial atmospheric pressure was high enough (>100 bar) to precipitate near the Earth's surface, and ultraviolet irradiation was 10 to 100 times more intense than now; hence the photosynthetic properties mediated by ZnS provided the right energy conditions for the synthesis of informational and metabolic molecules and the selection of photostable nucleobases. The Zn-world theory has been filled out with evidence for the ionic constitution of the interior of the first protocells.
Bush responded to mounting criticism by claiming to accept full responsibility for the federal government's failures in its handling of the emergency. It has been argued that with Katrina, Bush passed a political tipping point from which he would not recover.
A milestone in that process was the work of Linus Pauling in 1949, which for the first time linked the specific genetic mutation in patients with sickle cell disease to a demonstrated change in an individual protein, the hemoglobin in the erythrocytes of heterozygous or homozygous individuals.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Potentiometric and/or spectrophotometric data: PSEQUAD Potentiometric data: HYPERQUAD, BEST, ReactLab pH PRO Spectrophotometric data: HypSpec, SQUAD, SPECFIT, ReactLab EQUILIBRIA., suprafit NMR data HypNMR, WINEQNMR2 Archived 2019-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, suprafit In biochemistry, formation constants of adducts may be obtained from Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements. This technique yields both the stability constant and the standard enthalpy change for the equilibrium. It is mostly limited, by availability of software, to complexes of 1:1 stoichiometry.
==== Photografting ==== The modification of inert surfaces of polyolefins, polyesters, and polyamides by grafting functional vinyl monomers has been used to increase hydrophobicity, dye absorption, and polymer adhesion. This photografting method is generally used during continuous filament or thin film processing. On a bulk commercial scale, the grafting technique is referred to as photoinitiated lamination, where desired surfaces are joined by grafting a polymeric adhesion network between the two films. The low adhesion and absorption of polyolefins, polyesters, and polyamides is improved by UV-irradiation of an initiator and monomer transferred through the vapor phase to the substrate. Functionalization of porous surfaces have seen great success with high temperature photografting techniques. In microfluidic chips, functionalizing channels allows directed flow to preserve lamellar behavior between and within junctions. The adverse turbulent flow in microfluidic applications can compound component failure modes due to the increased level of channel interdependency and network complexity. In addition, the imprinted design of microfluidic channels can be reproduced for photografting the corresponding channels with a high degree of accuracy.
On a milligram consumed per kilogram of body weight basis, simian non-synthesizer species consume the vitamin in amounts 10 to 20 times higher than what is recommended by governments for humans. This discrepancy constituted some of the basis of the controversy on human recommended dietary allowances being set too low. However, simian consumption does not indicate simian requirements. Merck's veterinary manual states that daily intake of vitamin C at 3–6 mg/kg prevents scurvy in non-human primates. By way of comparison, across several countries, the recommended dietary intake for adult humans is in the range of 1–2 mg/kg.
=== Pregnancy and lactation === Its use in pregnant and lactating women is advised against, although the available evidence suggests it is unlikely to cause negative effects on fetal development. The lack of evidence from human studies, however, means it is currently impossible to rule out any risk to the fetus and it is known to cross the placenta. Doxepin is secreted in breast milk and neonatal cases of respiratory depression in association with maternal doxepin use have been reported.
Of the 66 cases of measles reported in the US in 2005, slightly over half were attributable to one unvaccinated individual who acquired measles during a visit to Romania. This individual returned to a community with many unvaccinated children. The resulting outbreak infected 34 people, mostly children and virtually all unvaccinated; 9% were hospitalized, and the cost of containing the outbreak was estimated at $167,685. A major epidemic was averted due to high rates of vaccination in the surrounding communities. In 2017, an outbreak of measles occurred among the Somali-American community in Minnesota, where MMR vaccination rates had declined due to the misconception that the vaccine could cause autism. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 65 affected children in the outbreak by April 2017.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is a four-amino-acid peptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine. The chain is unmodified and contains only standard proteinogenic residues, which makes it straightforward to produce by solid-phase synthesis and to characterise by standard peptide methods.
Epitalon and epithalon both circulate, and the difference reflects transliteration of a name coined in Russian-language publications. Reference to the extract it derives from, epithalamin, explains the shared stem. Databases and suppliers are inconsistent, so a search for one spelling alone may miss relevant entries.
No. Epithalamin is a multi-component preparation obtained from pineal tissue, and its exact composition is not fully characterised. Epitalon is a single defined tetrapeptide described as a short synthetic counterpart of that extract, so the two are related in origin but not interchangeable in identity.
No. Epithalamin is a peptide-containing extract of bovine pineal glands, while epitalon is a single synthetic tetrapeptide. The extract contains many peptides and other tissue components, so its composition varies between batches in ways that a synthesised sequence does not.