Epitalon, also written Epithalon, is a synthetic tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG), designed in Saint Petersburg from the amino acid composition of epithalamin, an extract of the bovine pineal gland. It is a tiny, strongly acidic and very water-soluble peptide, and it is studied in cell and animal models for its effects on telomerase, melatonin and markers of ageing.
This reference collects what a laboratory needs to know about Epitalon as a material: how its four residues behave in the vial, what it dissolves in, how it is handled at the bench and what to do when an order arrives. Each section below has its own page.
Molecular reference
| Name | Epitalon |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Epithalon, Epithalone, AEDG peptide, L-alanyl-L-glutamyl-L-aspartyl-glycine |
| Sequence | H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly-OH (AEDG; free N-terminal amine and C-terminal acid) |
| Residues | 4 |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 |
| Molecular weight | 390.35 g/mol |
| CAS number | 307297-39-8 |
Formula, molecular weight, CAS number and synonyms are from PubChem (CID 219042). The same formula, weight, CAS number and sequence appear on the MedChemExpress data sheet for Epitalon (HY-P1149).
Three features of that sequence explain most of its behaviour. It has no methionine, cysteine, tryptophan, tyrosine, histidine, asparagine or glutamine, so the oxidation and deamidation routes that limit many peptides are absent, and with no aromatic ring light is a minor concern. Its glutamic acid is at position 2, not the front of the chain, so it cannot close into pyroglutamate. And it ends in aspartic acid followed by glycine, the textbook weak bond in peptide chemistry: in a model peptide carrying the same Asp-Gly pair, the aspartate isomerised in near-neutral solution and the Asp-Gly bond was cleaved in acid (Oliyai and Borchardt, Pharmaceutical Research, 1993). A 2025 review notes that physico-chemical and structural work on Epitalon itself remains quite limited (Araj et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025).
What it is studied for
Most of the Epitalon literature comes from Vladimir Khavinson’s group. In the best-known early study, adding Epitalon to telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts in culture induced expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit, telomerase activity and telomere elongation (Khavinson et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2003). In 2025 an independent group at Brunel University London reported dose-dependent telomere lengthening in normal human epithelial cells and fibroblasts through raised hTERT expression and telomerase activity, and lengthening in two breast cancer cell lines through a separate mechanism, ALT (Al-Dulaimi et al., Biogerontology, 2025).
A 2025 review of 25 years of in vitro, in vivo and in silico work describes effects on melatonin synthesis, interleukin-2 mRNA, thymocyte activity and several enzymes, and says it remains uncertain whether these are its only mechanisms; it also notes that safety data are missing (Araj et al., 2025). Much of the older human literature concerns epithalamin, the pineal extract, rather than synthetic Epitalon. One study of the synthetic peptide reported a rise in urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and changes in circadian gene expression in middle-aged people with reduced melatonin output (Ivko et al., Advances in Gerontology, 2020).
Our summaries are in what is Epitalon and Epitalon (Epithalon): what the research actually shows.
Stability
With four residues and none of the oxidation-prone ones, Epitalon is chemically simple. Its slow route in solution is isomerisation at the Asp-Gly bond, with cleavage of that bond in acid as a second. The Epitalon stability page covers that bond, freeze-thaw, light and what visible changes mean.
Solubility
Epitalon carries three acidic groups against one basic group, and a supplier rates its water solubility at 50 mg/mL or more, so it dissolves in bacteriostatic water at once and needs no acid. The Epitalon solubility guide explains why, which concentrations dissolve cleanly and what causes haze.
Handling
Bench practice for Epitalon is mostly about keeping the solution cold, clean and labelled, and keeping moisture off the dry cake. The Epitalon handling page lists the steps and the common mistakes.
On arrival
What a sealed vial should look like, why it travels without an ice pack and where it goes first are on the Epitalon on-arrival page.
Storage and reconstitution
Fridge and freezer windows, before and after mixing, are on how long Epitalon lasts. Water volumes and the concentration table for a 10 mg vial are on how much bacteriostatic water for an Epitalon 10 mg vial.
FAQ
Short answers to the questions researchers ask most about storing, mixing and handling Epitalon are on the Epitalon FAQ.
Where to get it
Vistara Labs supplies Epitalon 10 mg as a lyophilised vial for laboratory research, shipped within Canada by Canada Post Xpresspost. Certificates are on our lab reports page. For comparisons, see SS-31 vs Epitalon and Epitalon vs NAD+, and for the related Khavinson tripeptide, Pinealon research.
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.
