Cartalax Reconstitution: How Much Bacteriostatic Water
A 20 mg vial of Cartalax reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives a concentration of 10 mg/mL; with 4 mL it gives 5 mg/mL. The calculation depends only on the quantity in the vial and the volume of water added, so the figures below apply to any 20 mg vial.
There is no single correct volume. Adding more water does not change how much is in the vial. It spreads the same quantity through a larger volume, which changes how many syringe units correspond to a given amount. Cartalax is commonly supplied in 20 mg vials in research catalogues; the tables on this page use volumes that produce round numbers on a U-100 syringe.
View product →Peptide reconstitution calculator
Set to this vial below. Change the vial size, water volume, amount or syringe and it recalculates the concentration and the syringe units. For laboratory research use only.
All products are sold strictly for laboratory research use only and are not for human or veterinary consumption. This calculator is provided as a general reference tool.
How much bacteriostatic water for 20 mg Cartalax?
Add 2 mL of bacteriostatic water to a 20 mg Cartalax vial for 10 mg/mL, so 0.1 mL (10 units) holds 1 mg; 1 mL gives 20 mg/mL, 4 mL gives 5 mg/mL and 5 mL gives 4 mg/mL. Concentration is the quantity in the vial divided by the water volume: the vial holds 20 mg whichever volume you choose, and only the mg/mL figure moves.
| Water added | Concentration | Amount in 0.1 mL (10 units on a U-100 syringe) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 20 mg/mL | 2 mg |
| 2 mL | 10 mg/mL | 1 mg |
| 4 mL | 5 mg/mL | 0.5 mg (500 mcg) |
| 5 mL | 4 mg/mL | 0.4 mg (400 mcg) |
Before choosing a larger volume, check that the vial has headspace for it. One multi-dose vial of bacteriostatic water covers several research vials.
Reading the concentration on a U-100 syringe
A U-100 insulin syringe is graduated in units, and 100 units equal 1 mL. Units are therefore millilitres multiplied by 100: 0.1 mL is 10 units and 0.25 mL is 25 units. A 0.5 mL syringe carries 50 units and a 0.3 mL syringe carries 30 units on the same scale, with finer markings that make small volumes easier to read.
To find the volume that contains a given amount, divide the amount by the concentration. At 10 mg/mL (a 20 mg vial with 2 mL of water), the volume that contains 1 mg is 1 divided by 10, which is 0.1 mL, or 10 units. The table below runs the same calculation for four arbitrary amounts. They illustrate the arithmetic and nothing else.
| Amount (illustrative) | Volume at 10 mg/mL | U-100 units |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mg | 0.05 mL | 5 units |
| 1 mg | 0.1 mL | 10 units |
| 2 mg | 0.2 mL | 20 units |
| 4 mg | 0.4 mL | 40 units |
At 5 mg/mL, which the same vial gives with 4 mL of water, every volume in the table doubles: a 1 mg draw measures 20 units instead of 10. Volumes below about 0.1 mL are hard to read accurately on a 1 mL syringe. Either move to a 0.3 mL or 0.5 mL syringe, or reconstitute with more water so that the same mass occupies a larger, more legible volume.
Cartalax is a lyophilised research material. The quantities on this page illustrate the arithmetic of dilution and measurement only.
The Cartalax vial
Vistara Labs stocks Cartalax as a 20 mg lyophilised vial. The calculator on this page works for any vial. Cartalax is commonly supplied in 20 mg lyophilised vials in research catalogues, and every figure on this page follows from that size. Related compounds we do carry are listed in the peptide library.
What Cartalax is
Cartalax is the short bioregulator peptide Ala-Glu-Asp (AED), a tripeptide from the St. Petersburg peptide-bioregulation research group, studied mainly in cartilage and cell-ageing models. A 2023 review names the AED tripeptide as Kartalax and describes it as studied in animal models of osteoarthritis and with oral administration in older patients with osteoarthritis (Myakisheva 2023).
In chondrocyte cultures, the AED peptide normalised the synthesis of molecules that make up the ageing-associated secretory phenotype, which is marked by raised p16, p21, p53, TNF-α and IL-1α and lowered Sirt1 (Myakisheva 2023). In human mesenchymal stem cell ageing cultures, AED raised IGF1 gene expression 3.5 to 5.6-fold and stimulated NFκB gene expression at nanomolar concentrations (Ashapkin 2020). In ageing skin fibroblast cultures, AED reduced MMP-9 synthesis, increased Ki-67 and CD98hc expression and suppressed caspase-dependent apoptosis (Lin'kova 2016).
Sources: Myakisheva SN et al. Chondrocytes secretory phenotype associated with aging: role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and prospects for peptide bioregulation. Adv Gerontol. 2023. PMID 37782637. Myakisheva SN et al. Peptides prevent the forming of secretory phenotype of chondrocytes associated with the aging. Adv Gerontol. 2023. PMID 37356100. Ashapkin V et al. Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides. Mol Biol Rep. 2020. PMID 32399807. Lin'kova NS et al. Peptide Regulation of Skin Fibroblast Functions during Their Aging In Vitro. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016. PMID 27259496.
Reconstitution technique
Let the vial reach room temperature, swab both stoppers, and run the measured water slowly down the inside wall of the vial rather than onto the powder. Swirl or tilt gently until the cake dissolves, never shake, and give any remaining powder a few minutes to settle into solution. Label the vial with the date and the concentration, then keep it refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C and protected from light. The full method, with the reason behind each step, is in how to reconstitute peptides with bacteriostatic water.
Why the solution should look clear
Properly reconstituted Cartalax forms a clear, colourless solution. Cloudiness, strands or a gel that will not disperse usually mean the water went in too fast or the vial was shaken; haze that appears later points to warm or bright storage. The causes are covered in why peptides gel or go cloudy.
Bacteriostatic water, not sterile water
Bacteriostatic water is sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, a preservative that allows a refrigerated vial to be accessed more than once; plain sterile water is intended for single access. The difference is explained in bacteriostatic water explained.
Frequently asked questions
How much bac water for a 20 mg Cartalax vial?
There is no single correct volume. With 2 mL of bacteriostatic water a 20 mg vial of Cartalax gives 10 mg/mL, so 0.1 mL (10 units) holds 1 mg; with 4 mL it gives 5 mg/mL. Adding more water does not change the quantity in the vial, it spreads it through a larger volume, so write the concentration you chose on the vial.
How many units on a U-100 syringe contain 1 mg of Cartalax at 10 mg/mL?
At 10 mg/mL (a 20 mg vial with 2 mL of water), the volume that contains 1 mg is 1 divided by 10, which is 0.1 mL, or 10 units. Units are millilitres multiplied by 100. The amounts on this page illustrate the arithmetic only.
What should reconstituted Cartalax look like?
Properly reconstituted Cartalax forms a clear, colourless solution. Cloudiness, strands or a gel that will not disperse usually mean the water went in too fast or the vial was shaken; haze that appears later points to warm or bright storage. More on the causes in why peptides gel or go cloudy.
Can I use sterile water instead of bacteriostatic water?
Only for a vial that will be accessed once. Bacteriostatic water is sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, a preservative that allows a refrigerated vial to be accessed more than once; plain sterile water is intended for single access. Details in bacteriostatic water explained.
How should a reconstituted Cartalax vial be stored?
Refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C, protected from light and labelled with the date and the concentration. Unopened lyophilised vials are kept cold and dark until they are needed. The full storage guide is how to store research peptides.
Work it out for a different vial or concentration
Our peptide calculator opens pre-set for a 20 mg vial with 2 mL of water and marks the 1 mg draw of 10 units on a syringe diagram. Change the vial size, water volume, amount or syringe and it recalculates.
Vistara Labs stocks Cartalax as a 20 mg lyophilised vial. For reconstitution supplies: bacteriostatic water.
All products supplied by Vistara Labs are intended for laboratory research use only. They are not drugs, are not approved for human or veterinary use, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Nothing on this page constitutes medical advice or guidance for use in humans.
