Epitalon

Name: Epitalon
Brand: Peptific
SKU: EPITALON-STANDARD

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) studied in preclinical aging models for telomerase activation, telomere elongation, neoplasm suppression, and lifespan extension by Khavinson's group.

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✓HPLC purity tested
✓COA per lot, on request
✓Lyophilized, sealed
✓US shipping, tracked

Telomerase activation documented in somatic cell culture — unique property among short synthetic peptides
Rodent lifespan extension data (mean and maximum lifespan) from Khavinson group's controlled studies
Neoplasm suppression studied in cancer-prone mouse strains across multiple published experiments
Pineal-derived mechanism — melatonin rhythm normalization in aged animals studied in parallel with longevity endpoints
40+ year continuous publication record from the originating research group — longest single-compound aging peptide literature

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In your order

What ships when you order Epitalon

Lyophilized vial
Sterile-filtered, freeze-dried peptide in glass vial, sealed under inert gas.
Lot ID on every vial
Printed lot ID ties this exact vial to its analytical record.
COA on request
Independent third-party HPLC certificate, matched to your lot, sent on request.
Carrier-tracked shipping
Shipped from a US facility with full carrier tracking and protective packaging.

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Why researchers buy from Peptific instead of grey-market vendors

Peptide quality is invisible until it isn’t. Lot identity, purity, fill integrity, and chain of custody are the difference between usable research material and wasted budget.

Third-party HPLC tested
Every lot is tested for identity and purity by an independent analytical lab. Certificate of Analysis available on request, tied to the exact lot you receive.
Lyophilized and lot-tracked
Sterile-filtered, freeze-dried, sealed under inert gas. Each vial carries its own lot ID — full chain of custody from fill to delivery.
US-based fulfillment
Orders ship from a temperature-controlled US facility with carrier tracking. No drop-shipping, no opaque overseas relay.
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A real person responds to research questions, lot questions, and order questions — usually same business day. No bot triage.

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How it works

The Epitalon mechanism

Epitalon activates telomerase in somatic cell culture models, promoting telomere elongation in cells that would otherwise exhibit age-associated telomere attrition. In rodent aging studies, it has been associated with lifespan extension, melatonin rhythm normalization, cancer suppression, and antioxidant activity. Derived from pineal epithalamin — the natural peptide whose aging-biology role Epitalon is designed to study.

Compound profile

Class: Synthetic tetrapeptide / peptide bioregulator
Sequence: Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG)
Molecular weight: ~390 Da
CAS: 307297-39-8
Origin: Synthetic analog of pineal epithalamin
Primary mechanism: Telomerase activation in somatic cells
Research category: Aging biology, telomere science, longevity, pineal biology
Storage: Lyophilized: −20°C. Reconstituted: 2–8°C, use within 30 days

Product definition

What is Epitalon?

Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly; CAS 307297-39-8) is a tetrapeptide synthesized by Vladimir Khavinson's group at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as a functional analog of epithalamin, the natural polypeptide extract of the pineal gland with reported aging properties in Soviet-era research. The compound's primary mechanistic interest is telomerase activation. In published cell culture studies, Epitalon treatment produced telomerase enzyme activation in human somatic cells and increased telomere length compared to untreated controls — an unusual property for a non-stem cell pharmacological agent, since somatic cells normally lack significant telomerase activity. This finding has made Epitalon a reference compound for telomerase pharmacology research. Khavinson's group has published over 100 papers on Epitalon and related peptides across 40+ years, covering mechanisms (telomere biology, gene expression, antioxidant activity), animal models (rodent lifespan, neoplasm suppression), and limited human observations (longevity registries, immune parameters in elderly subjects). The depth of this single-group publication record is unique in the research peptide landscape.

Research audience

Who studies Epitalon?

Epitalon is used by researchers in aging biology, telomere science, longevity pharmacology, pineal gland biology, and aging mechanism investigation. It is the foundational compound for any research examining synthetic peptide intervention in the telomerase/telomere aging axis.

Research context

What does the preclinical literature say about Epitalon?

The St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, under Khavinson's leadership, developed the 'peptide bioregulator' concept — the hypothesis that short oligopeptides derived from organ-specific proteins can restore age-altered gene expression in the tissue of origin. Epitalon is the most studied of these peptide bioregulators, derived from the pineal gland on the basis of earlier work demonstrating that pineal peptide extracts (epithalamin) extended lifespan in aged rodents. The telomere/telomerase mechanism emerged from investigations into how Epitalon produces its biological effects. The finding that it activates telomerase in human fetal and adult somatic cells — normally telomerase-silent — provided a mechanistic anchor for the lifespan effects seen in animal models. For Western researchers, the Khavinson literature requires careful interpretation: most published studies originate from a single research group, the Soviet/Russian research environment had different peer review conventions than Western journals, and some endpoints (longevity registry observations in human subjects) are not controlled clinical trials. That said, the cell culture telomerase data and rodent model data constitute a substantial and mechanistically grounded research base that drives ongoing interest in the compound.

Common questions

Is Epitalon's telomerase activation evidence robust?

The telomerase activation data is from cell culture studies published by Khavinson's group in peer-reviewed journals. The findings document telomerase enzyme activation in human fetal retinal cells and other somatic cell lines following Epitalon treatment. These are reproducible in vitro endpoints. Translating cell culture telomerase activation to organismal longevity effects requires additional assumptions, and independent replication of these specific findings by other research groups is limited — a consideration for researchers interpreting the literature.

What is the evidence for lifespan extension?

The lifespan data comes from Khavinson group rodent studies using both normal aging mice and cancer-prone strains. The controlled experiments document statistically significant increases in mean and maximum lifespan in Epitalon-treated versus control groups, alongside reduced neoplasm incidence. These findings have not been independently replicated by other research groups at the published scale — which is a limitation in the overall evidence assessment that researchers should be aware of.

Is Epitalon the same as Epithalon?

Yes — Epitalon and Epithalon are two transliterations of the same Russian compound name (Эпиталон). Both refer to the same Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly tetrapeptide with CAS 307297-39-8. The variation appears across different English-language publications and commercial sources depending on the transliteration convention used.