Vilon Reconstitution: How Much Bacteriostatic Water
A 20 mg vial of Vilon 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. The tables on this page use volumes that produce round numbers on a U-100 syringe; other volumes work identically as long as the resulting concentration is written on the vial.
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 Vilon?
A 20 mg Vilon vial is commonly reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, which gives 10 mg/mL; 1 mL gives 20 mg/mL, 4 mL gives 5 mg/mL and 5 mL gives 4 mg/mL. At 10 mg/mL each 0.1 mL of solution contains 1 mg.
| 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 |
| 5 mL | 4 mg/mL | 0.4 mg |
For any other volume, the calculator on this page works out the concentration. 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 |
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.
Vilon is described here as a lyophilised material for laboratory research use only. The quantities on this page illustrate the arithmetic of dilution and measurement only.
The Vilon vial
Vilon is commonly supplied in research catalogues as a 20 mg lyophilised vial. Vistara Labs does not currently stock Vilon, but you can request it: contact us and we will source it for you. The calculator on this page works for any vial. The compounds we do carry are listed in the peptide library.
What Vilon is
Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide, L-lysyl-L-glutamic acid (Lys-Glu, often written KE), one of the short regulatory peptides developed by Vladimir Khavinson’s group at the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is described as thymomimetic: the KE dipeptide is one of the active substances of Thymalin, a polypeptide extract of the thymus. Its research centres on immune cells, chromatin in ageing cells and markers of ageing.
- In people with type 1 diabetes, whose blood showed signs of chronic intravascular coagulation that standard treatment did not substantially change, adding Vilon significantly reduced, and in some cases fully resolved, that coagulation picture (Kuznik et al., 2006).
- In cultured lymphocytes from older people, Vilon unrolled condensed heterochromatin and reactivated ribosomal genes, releasing genes that had been silenced by age-related chromatin condensation (Lezhava et al., 2004).
- In human blood immune cells stimulated to mount an inflammatory response, the KE dipeptide, together with Thymalin and the related EW dipeptide, lowered IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α production by 1.4 to 6.0 times (Linkova et al., 2023).
- In a long-term animal study, Vilon increased physical activity and endurance, prolonged lifespan and prevented the development of spontaneous tumours, with no unfavourable effects on development (Khavinson et al., 2000).
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 Vilon 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 Vilon vial?
A 20 mg Vilon vial is commonly reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, which gives 10 mg/mL; 5 mL gives 4 mg/mL. At 10 mg/mL each 0.1 mL (10 units on a U-100 syringe) contains 1 mg.
How many units on a U-100 syringe contain 1 mg 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, so 0.1 mL is 10 units. The amounts on this page illustrate the arithmetic only.
What should reconstituted Vilon look like?
Properly reconstituted Vilon 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 Vilon 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.
For any vial: bacteriostatic water.
Sources: Kuznik BI et al. [Effect of thymomimetic vilon on blood coagulation system and fibrinolisis in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients of different age]. Adv Gerontol. 2006. PMID 17152731. Lezhava T et al. Bioregulator Vilon-induced reactivation of chromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old people. Biogerontology. 2004. PMID 15105581. Linkova N et al. The Influence of KE and EW Dipeptides in the Composition of the Thymalin Drug on Gene Expression and Protein Synthesis Involved in the Pathogenesis of COVID-19. Int J Mol Sci. 2023. PMID 37686182. Khavinson VK et al. Effect of vilon on biological age and lifespan in mice. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2000. PMID 11140587.
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.
