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Epitalon Peptide Background And Structure — Explained

By Editorial Desk · published 2025-08-12 · last reviewed 2025-09-14 · Topic

Epitalon raises a handful of sensible questions. This page answers them in order, starting with the fundamentals and moving to applications.

This page was last updated on 2025-09-14 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.

Epitalon Peptide Background and Structure

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.

Structure, Naming and Discovery

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.

The compound is generally described as a synthetic analogue of a fragment isolated from a pineal gland extract. Researchers associated with the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology introduced it during the 1980s and 1990s while studying short peptides from animal tissue. The original extract, called epithalamin, is a heterogeneous mixture, whereas epitalon is a single defined sequence. That distinction matters because findings reported for the extract are not automatically findings about the pure tetrapeptide, and claims about broader biological effects remain a separate question from the chemical identity described here.

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 at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Amino acid sequenceAla-Glu-Asp-GlyTetrapeptide, often abbreviated AEDG
Molecular formulaC14H22N4O9Free peptide, unmodified termini
Molecular weight~390.35 DaCalculated for the free acid form
AppearanceWhite to off-white powderTypical lyophilized product form
Solubility classFreely soluble in waterTwo acidic residues dominate ionic character

Background and Proposed Mechanism

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.

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.

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Epitalon Background and Discovery

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.

Notes from published material

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== References == Hodgson, David. Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar. Prima Games, 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4364-3. Hodgson, David. Half-Life 2: Prima Official Game Guide. Prima Games, 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4362-7. Commentaries for Half-Life 2: Episode One. Valve. 2006. Commentaries for Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Valve. 2007. Commentaries for Portal. Valve. 2007.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Further detail

=== Wound healing macrophages === Interleukin 4, secreted by granulocytes after tissue damage or by adaptive immune cells within a Th2 response, causes macrophages to secrete minimal amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and to have lower activity against intracellular pathogens. They also promote extracellular matrix synthesis via production of ornithine, via arginase; this is used as a precursor for extracellular matrix components. The overall result is a macrophage population that promotes wound healing. The specific roles macrophages play in the Th2 response are still under investigation.

Artocarpus lacucha, also known as monkey jack or monkey fruit, is a tropical evergreen tree species of the family Moraceae. It is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The tree is valued for its wood; its fruit is edible and is believed to have medicinal value. In Northeastern Thailand, the wood is used to make pong lang, a local traditional instrument. This tree is mentioned in the Arthashastra.

=== Hygroscopy and fermentation === Honey has the ability to absorb moisture directly from the air, a phenomenon called hygroscopy. The amount of water the honey absorbs is dependent on the relative humidity of the air. Because honey contains yeast, this hygroscopic nature requires that honey be stored in sealed containers to prevent fermentation, which usually begins if the honey's water content rises much above 25%. Honey tends to absorb more water in this manner than the individual sugars allow on their own, which may be due to other ingredients it contains. Fermentation of honey usually occurs after crystallization, because without the glucose, the liquid portion of the honey primarily consists of a concentrated mixture of fructose, acids, and water, providing the yeast with enough of an increase in the water percentage for growth. Honey that is to be stored at room temperature for long periods of time is often pasteurized, to kill any yeast, by heating it above 70 °C (158 °F).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Supporting material

The author of a 1994 study concluded that it was only in the second half of the 20th century that medical advances have extended the life expectancy of those who live into adulthood. though this is flatly contradicted by 19th- and early 20th-century census and registration data and by estimates for medieval and ancient populations: US and English expectation of remaining years at age 15 for example rose from about 44 in the mid-19th century to 56 by 1950, and has since increased to 65–67; for English landholders (a relatively privileged group) it was 33 years c.1300, while Ulpian's life table for ancient Rome indicates only 30 years. Reliable references to individuals in antiquity who lived past 100 years are quite rare, but they do exist. For instance, Cicero's wife Terentia was reported by Pliny the Elder to have lived from 98 BC to 6 AD, 103 years. Regnal dates of Bronze Age monarchs are notoriously unreliable; the sixth dynasty Egyptian ruler Pepi II is sometimes listed as having lived c. 2278 – c. 2184 BC, as he is said to have reigned for 94 years, but alternative readings cite a reign of just 64 years. Adad-guppi, mother of the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire Nabonidus apparently lived from c. 648-544 BC (c. 104 years) according to inscriptions on funeral steles. Zhao Tuo, a Qin Dynasty general, reportedly lived to age 103. Tuoba Liwei also reportedly lived to 103. Marcus Valerius Corvus reportedly lived to 100. Diogenes Laërtius (c.

== Further reading == Touraine, P. (2005). "Breast Inflammatory Gigantomastia in a Context of Immune-Mediated Diseases". Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 90 (9): 5287–5294. doi:10.1210/jc.2005-0642. PMID 15972574. Oladele, AO; Olabanji, JK; Alabi, GH (2007). "Reduction mammoplasty: The experience in Ile-Ife, Nigeria". Nigerian Journal of Medicine. 16 (3): 261–267. PMID 17937167. Netscher, David T.; Mosharrafa, ALI M.; Laucirica, Rodolfo (1996). "Massive Asymmetric Virginal Breast Hypertrophy". Southern Medical Journal. 89 (4): 434–7. doi:10.1097/00007611-199604000-00019. PMID 8614890. U.S.A. Library of Congress - Healthy Breasts: A Primer John Blair Deaver (1917). The Breast: Its Anomalies, Its Diseases, and Their Treatment. P. Blakiston's Son & Co. p. 102. Joseph, Jacques (1987). Rhinoplasty and facial plastic surgery with a supplement on mammaplasty and other operations in the field of plastic surgery of the body: an atlas and textbook. Phoenix: Columella Press. p. 755. ISBN 0-9605972-1-2. Plummer, Samuel C.; Bump, Warner S. (1927). "Massive Hypertrophy of the Breasts". Annals of Surgery. 85 (1): 61–6. doi:10.1097/00000658-192701000-00008. PMC 1399262. PMID 17865606. Warren, John Collins (1900). The International text-book of surgery. Vol. II. Saunders. p. 234. Erichsen, John Eric (1885). The Science and art of surgery. Vol. II. H. C. Lea's Son & Company. pp. 693–694. Ochsner, Albert John (1921). Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment: By American Authors. Lea & Febiger. p. 147.

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Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

What is epitalon made of?

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.

Is epitalon extracted from the pineal gland?

No. Epitalon is chemically synthesized, not extracted. It was designed as a short synthetic fragment conceptually related to larger pineal peptides studied in the same research tradition, particularly the extract known as epithalamin. The two are distinct materials with different compositions.

Why is epitalon described as a bioregulator?

The term bioregulator is used in this research tradition for short peptides proposed to influence gene expression or cell function. Epitalon is grouped with other synthetic short peptides under this label. The term reflects a proposed mechanism rather than an established drug classification.

What is epitalon made of?

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.

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