Epithalon (Epitalon) Canada: AEDG Tetrapeptide Research Guide
18 Oct 2026Epithalon (Epitalon) Canada: AEDG Tetrapeptide Research Guide
Epithalon — also spelled Epitalon — is a synthetic tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG), CAS 307297-39-8, molecular weight 390.35 Da. Most of its published literature comes from a single research network, and several of the most-quoted human cohorts used epithalamin, a bovine pineal gland extract, not this peptide. That distinction decides how much of the record applies to the powder in the vial.
Key takeaways
- Epithalon is not epithalamin. Epithalamin is a crude multi-peptide extract of bovine pineal gland; Epithalon is one four-residue peptide proposed as its active fragment. Several of the longest human follow-up studies used the extract.
- Concentrated authorship, narrow replication. Most of the literature originates with Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg. The first independent telomere study from outside that network appeared in 2025, in cell culture only, and has since carried a correction replacing three figures.
- Current lot: 99.004% HPLC purity, 11.75 mg measured peptide against a 10 mg label (Janoshik Analytical #230585, 14 September 2026). Manufacturer-commissioned, not ours; our confirmatory test is still running.
What is Epithalon?
Epithalon is a synthetic linear tetrapeptide — alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine — written H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly-OH and abbreviated AEDG. Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues designed it at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as a chemically defined stand-in for the putative active fragment of epithalamin, a bovine pineal gland extract the same group had studied since the 1970s.
It sits inside a framework worth naming, because that framework shapes every claim made about the molecule. Khavinson's group proposed a family of short “peptide bioregulators” — two- to four-residue peptides, each tied to a tissue: AEDG for the pineal gland, Thymalin and Vilon for the thymus, others for vessels, bone and brain. The organising hypothesis is that peptides this small enter the nucleus and interact directly with DNA, tuning a narrow set of genes rather than acting at a surface receptor. That is why it is called a bioregulator rather than an agonist. Treat the framework as a hypothesis under test. A 2025 independent review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences puts it plainly: the mechanism of action remains unclear, and safety data on the peptide are missing. ↑ Back to top
Why is it spelled both Epithalon and Epitalon?
Both spellings refer to the same molecule, AEDG. The variation is transliteration from Russian: the name derives from epithalamin, and the Latin-alphabet form has been written with and without the h since the earliest English-language papers. “Epitalon” is used in most indexing databases and in Health Canada's 9 April 2026 advisory; “Epithalon” appears in the 2003 Khavinson paper's own title. “Epithalone” is a rarer third variant. Neither denotes a different grade or form, so search both. ↑ Back to top
What are Epithalon's molecular and analytical data?
Epithalon is acidic, unmodified and highly water-soluble. Two carboxylic-acid side chains plus a free C-terminus give it a net negative charge at neutral pH. No disulfide bonds, no ring structures, no metal coordination — so it is analytically straightforward: identity by mass spectrometry and purity by reverse-phase HPLC characterise a lot.
| Sequence | H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly-OH (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly / AEDG); free N- and C-termini |
|---|---|
| CAS number | 307297-39-8 |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 |
| Average molecular weight | 390.35 Da |
| PubChem CID | 219042 (ChemSpider 189872; MeSH C421253) |
| FDA UNII | O65P17785G |
| Synonyms | Epitalon; Epithalone; AEDG; Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly |
| Related but distinct | Epithalamin — a bovine pineal polypeptide extract, not sold here and not the same substance |
| Solubility | Highly water-soluble; acidic, net negative charge at neutral pH |
| Current lot purity | 99.004% HPLC (Janoshik Analytical report #230585, analysed 14 September 2026) |
| Current lot content | 11.75 mg measured peptide against a 10 mg label |
| Regulatory status | Investigational. No Health Canada, FDA or EMA approval; no DIN. Named in Health Canada's 9 April 2026 advisory |
Is Epithalon the same thing as epithalamin?
No, and this is the single most useful fact a guide can give you about this compound.
Epithalamin is a crude polypeptide extract of bovine pineal gland — a mixture of many peptides whose exact composition depends on the preparation. Epithalon is one synthetic molecule of four amino acids, assembled on resin and purified to a single chromatographic peak. The relationship between them is a hypothesis: that AEDG is the extract's active fragment. It was proposed by the group that made both, and the peptide's presence in physiological pineal extract was not reported as confirmed until 2017.
The 2025 Araj review keeps the two apart explicitly, describing Epitalon as similar to epithalamin in properties but differing in the intensity of some actions. Whenever you read a claim about Epithalon, check which substance was actually in the culture medium. ↑ Back to top
What did the original telomerase experiments actually show?
The foundational result is Khavinson, Bondarev and Butyugov, Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 2003;135(6):590–592. Adding Epithalon to telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts was reported to induce expression of telomerase's catalytic subunit, measurable enzymatic activity, and telomere elongation. The authors read this as reactivation of the telomerase gene in somatic cells. A companion 2004 paper (137(5):503–506) reported that treated human somatic cells divided past the classical Hayflick limit. These two short reports are the origin of essentially every popular claim made about this peptide.
Three things about them are worth stating plainly. They are short communications, not full papers. They come from the laboratory that developed the compound. And for two decades they were not independently replicated — the citation trail largely circles back to the same network. None of that makes the results wrong. It does make them a starting point rather than a conclusion. ↑ Back to top
Has anyone outside the Khavinson network replicated it?
Once, recently, in cell culture. In September 2025 Al-dulaimi, Thomas, Matta and Roberts at Brunel University London published “Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity” in Biogerontology (26(5):178). Using qPCR and immunofluorescence on two breast cancer lines (21NT, BT474) alongside normal epithelial cells and fibroblasts, they reported dose-dependent telomere lengthening in the normal cells with increased hTERT mRNA and telomerase activity, and lengthening in the cancer lines through the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres pathway instead.
That is a genuine independent test of the central claim and the strongest evidence this compound has. It is also narrow: cell culture, one laboratory, conclusions confined by the authors to cultured human cells. And in 2026 the paper carried a published correction (Biogerontology 27:1) stating that the wrong figures had appeared in Figures 1, 2 and 3; corrected images were substituted, captions unchanged. A figure substitution is not a retraction and does not invalidate the findings — but a reader weighing the evidence should know it happened rather than find out later.
Other 2025 work from outside that group exists — bovine oocyte maturation, an in-vitro diabetic retinopathy wound model — but those are different systems answering different questions. They do not test the human telomere claim. ↑ Back to top
How strong is the Epithalon evidence base, honestly?
Preliminary and hypothesis-generating. That is the grade we print on the product page, and the grade the published record supports. The table separates what was tested, in what system, and by whom.
| Claim | What was actually tested | Independent of the originating group? |
|---|---|---|
| Induces telomerase, lengthens telomeres | Human fetal fibroblast culture; synthetic AEDG (Khavinson 2003) | No |
| Cells divide past the Hayflick limit | Human somatic cell culture; synthetic AEDG (Khavinson 2004) | No |
| Telomere lengthening in human cell lines | Normal and cancer human cell lines; synthetic AEDG (Al-dulaimi 2025) | Yes — one laboratory, cell culture only, with a 2026 figure correction |
| Slows cardiovascular ageing, lowers mortality | Epithalamin extract, 39 treated vs 40 controls, 3 years of courses, 15-year follow-up (Korkushko 2011) | No — and not the synthetic peptide |
| Normalises melatonin rhythm | Largely extract-based human and primate work; at least one in-vitro study found no effect on melatonin release | No |
| Antitumour / antioxidant effects in rodents | Mixed. Reduced spontaneous tumours reported in some strains; no effect on tumour incidence reported in SHR mice | Largely no |
| Human safety profile | No published Phase I study of synthetic AEDG; no toxicity, genotoxicity or carcinogenicity package | n/a — the data do not exist |
Three structural problems compound the thinness. Authorship is concentrated in one network. Publication is concentrated in a few venues — chiefly Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine and Neuro Endocrinology Letters — with a substantial share of the underlying work available only in Russian and hard to appraise. And the extract-versus-peptide conflation runs through the secondary literature, so citation counts overstate how much evidence bears on the tetrapeptide itself. The independent, open-access 2025 Araj review reaches a similar verdict: structural work on the peptide is very limited, results are mixed across models, and toxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity studies are needed. ↑ Back to top
What does the current lot's certificate say?
Lot epi10-0626-01 was analysed by Janoshik Analytical on 14 September 2026 under report #230585: 99.004% purity by HPLC, 11.75 mg measured peptide content against a 10 mg label. The certificate prints manufacturer batch CS-ep10-0902, which differs from our internal lot code; both refer to the same material and we publish both so the certificate can be matched to the vial. The report's verification key is 6NXMK64ULMK2, checkable at janoshik.com/verify.
Two caveats we would rather state than have you find. The assay was commissioned by the manufacturer, not by us; our confirmatory Testides test on this lot is still running and shows as pending on the lab results page until released. And neither laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 — accreditation is granted by an accreditation body for a named scope of methods and carries a certificate number you can look up.
Measured content matters more than the purity figure, and it is the number most pages omit. A vial labelled 10 mg that assays at 11.75 mg holds 17.5% more peptide than the label says. Purity is what fraction of the material is the intended compound; content is how much of it is there. A certificate reporting only purity is incomplete. Our guide to reading a peptide COA covers the difference. ↑ Back to top
View Epithalon 10mg — $54.99 CAD, COA published →
What is Epithalon used for in a laboratory?
As a reagent, Epithalon appears in telomere and senescence biology: telomerase-activity assays (TRAP), telomere-length measurement by qPCR, Southern blot or terminal restriction fragment analysis, hTERT expression readouts, ALT-pathway markers such as C-circle assays and PML bodies, replicative-senescence and Hayflick-limit fibroblast models, pineal and circadian gene-expression work, antioxidant-enzyme assays (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) and chromosomal-aberration scoring. It also serves as a comparator in short-regulatory-peptide pharmacology alongside MOTS-c and Semax. These are research contexts only — where the molecule appears in published experimental work, not any use in humans or animals. ↑ Back to top
What is Epithalon's regulatory status in Canada?
Epithalon is investigational and approved nowhere as a medicine. There is no Health Canada authorisation and no Drug Identification Number, no FDA approval, no EMA approval.
On 9 April 2026 Health Canada published a public advisory, “Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm you.” It names fourteen peptides as examples, Epitalon among them, alongside BPC-157, CJC-1295, DSIP, GHK-Cu, hCG, Ipamorelin, KPV, Melanotan I and II, MOTS-C, NAD+, SS-31, TB-500 and Retatrutide. The advisory states that peptides are generally regulated as prescription drugs in Canada, that unauthorized drug products are illegal here and have not been assessed for safety, efficacy or quality, and — the sentence a research vendor is obliged to reproduce rather than bury — that labelling a product “For Research Use Only — Not for Human Consumption” does not make it legal or exempt it from regulatory requirements.
Enforcement has moved past advisories: on 11 June 2026 the Québec Superior Court issued an injunction barring a competitor from advertising these compounds to Canadian IP addresses. We note it because it describes the environment this page is published into. We supply this vial as a laboratory reagent, describe the literature as it stands, and do not promote the compound. See also Are peptides legal in Canada? — general information, not legal advice. ↑ Back to top
How is Epithalon stored and handled?
Lyophilised Epithalon is stored sealed and desiccated at −20 °C long-term, or 2–8 °C for short periods, protected from light and moisture. Warm the sealed vial to room temperature before opening so that atmospheric moisture does not condense onto cold powder. Confirm identity and purity against the batch certificate before a lot enters any protocol. This section covers sealed-vial storage only; it contains no reconstitution, dilution, preparation, route or administration information, and none is available on request. For general stability principles see how to store research peptides. ↑ Back to top
Frequently asked questions
Is Epithalon the same as Epitalon?
Yes. Both spellings refer to the same synthetic tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG), CAS 307297-39-8. The variation is transliteration from Russian. "Epitalon" is used in most indexing databases and in Health Canada's April 2026 advisory; "Epithalon" appears in the title of the 2003 telomerase paper. Neither denotes a different grade or form.
What is the difference between Epithalon and epithalamin?
Epithalamin is a crude polypeptide extract of bovine pineal gland — a mixture of many peptides. Epithalon is one synthetic four-residue peptide proposed as the extract's active fragment. They are not interchangeable. Several of the most-cited long-term human follow-up studies, including the 15-year Korkushko cohort, used the extract. Treating that as evidence for the tetrapeptide is the most common error in writing about this compound.
Has Epithalon's telomerase effect been independently replicated?
Once, in 2025, in cell culture. Al-dulaimi and colleagues at Brunel University London reported dose-dependent telomere lengthening in human cell lines in Biogerontology (26:178) — via hTERT and telomerase in normal cells, via the ALT pathway in cancer lines. It is the first replication attempt from outside the originating network, and it carried a 2026 correction replacing Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Are there any human clinical trials of synthetic Epithalon?
No. There is no independent, blinded, placebo-controlled human trial of synthetic Epithalon and no published Phase I safety study. A 2025 independent review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences states that safety information is missing and calls for toxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenicity studies. Human cohort data circulated as evidence for Epithalon generally used epithalamin, the extract.
What is Epithalon's CAS number and molecular formula?
CAS 307297-39-8. Molecular formula C14H22N4O9, average molecular weight 390.35 Da. The sequence is H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly-OH, free at both termini, with no amidation, acylation or non-proteinogenic residues. PubChem CID 219042; FDA UNII O65P17785G.
Is Epithalon legal to buy in Canada?
Health Canada names Epitalon in its 9 April 2026 public advisory, states that unauthorized drug products are illegal in Canada, and states explicitly that "Research Use Only" labelling does not make a product legal or exempt it from regulatory requirements. Epithalon has no Health Canada authorisation and no DIN. ThePeptide.ca supplies it strictly as a laboratory reagent. General information, not legal advice.
What purity is ThePeptide.ca Epithalon?
Lot epi10-0626-01 assayed at 99.004% purity by HPLC with 11.75 mg measured peptide content against a 10 mg label, under Janoshik Analytical report #230585, analysed 14 September 2026. The certificate prints manufacturer batch CS-ep10-0902; the verification key is 6NXMK64ULMK2. That assay was commissioned by the manufacturer, not by us, and our confirmatory Testides test on this lot is still in progress.
How should lyophilised Epithalon be stored?
Sealed and desiccated at −20 °C long-term, or 2–8 °C for short periods, protected from light and moisture. Warm the sealed vial to room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense onto cold powder. Sealed-vial storage only; no reconstitution or preparation guidance is provided.
Related research resources
- Epithalon 10mg (product page & published COA)
- MOTS-c Canada guide · Semax Canada guide · GHK-Cu Canada guide
- How to store research peptides · How to read a peptide COA · Peptides ranked by evidence · Are peptides legal in Canada?
References
- Khavinson VK, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA. Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2003;135(6):590–592. DOI 10.1023/A:1025493705728. PMID 12937682. Springer
- Khavinson VK, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA, Smirnova TD. Peptide promotes overcoming of the division limit in human somatic cell. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004;137(5):503–506. PMID 15455129. PubMed
- Al-dulaimi S, Thomas R, Matta S, Roberts T. Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity. Biogerontology. 2025;26(5):178. DOI 10.1007/s10522-025-10315-x. Open access (Brunel)
- Correction: Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity. Biogerontology. 2026;27:1. DOI 10.1007/s10522-025-10326-8. Springer
- Araj SK, Brzezik J, Mądra-Gackowska K, Szeleszczuk Ł. Overview of Epitalon — Highly Bioactive Pineal Tetrapeptide with Promising Properties. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025;26(6):2691. DOI 10.3390/ijms26062691. Open access (MDPI)
- Korkushko OV, Khavinson VK, Shatilo VB, Antonyk-Sheglova IA. Peptide geroprotector from the pituitary gland inhibits rapid aging of elderly people: results of 15-year follow-up. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2011;151(3):366–369. DOI 10.1007/s10517-011-1332-x. Springer — note: this study used epithalamin, the extract.
- Health Canada. Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm you. Public advisory, 9 April 2026. recalls-rappels.canada.ca