Epithalon
Epithalon, or Epitalon, is the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. Cell studies report telomerase and telomere changes, and some animal studies report lifespan or tumor findings. Human reports describe nighttime melatonin and retinal outcomes, but omit enough study detail to prevent reliable efficacy estimates. They did not test slower aging or sleep quality.
synthetic AEDG tetrapeptide
- Sequence AEDG
- Synthetic tetrapeptide
- Different from the multicomponent pineal extract Epithalamin
- Sparse human reports measured melatonin or retinal outcomes with incomplete methods
- No FDA-approved Epithalon drug
Is Epithalon the same as Epithalamin?
No. Epithalon or Epitalon is the defined tetrapeptide AEDG. Epithalamin is a mixture extracted from animal pineal tissue. A study that does not characterize which material was used cannot support an exact-AEDG claim.
Spelling also varies between Epitalon and Epithalon. Sequence confirmation matters more than the marketing name.
Multilingual records · sparse human evidence
Literature and registry record set
PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov records.
Published administered-human reports cover nighttime melatonin and retinal degeneration. They do not provide an adequately described independent controlled trial of exact AEDG for longevity, sleep, or a durable age-related outcome. ClinicalTrials.gov contains no exact intervention record.
- Study design
- Name, spelling, chemical name, sequence, Cyrillic, and extract-disambiguation coverage
Has Epithalon been shown to slow aging in people?
One report said exact Epitalon increased nighttime plasma melatonin in elderly people, and another reported retinal benefit. Their abstracts omit group sizes, comparator results, allocation, regimens, and numerical estimates. Neither measured survival, functional aging, or sleep quality.
Does the melatonin report show better sleep?
It reports a plasma melatonin pattern, not a sleep outcome. It also combines Epitalon, Epithalamin extract, elderly people, and monkeys without enough group detail to estimate an exact-AEDG effect.
Russian human report · denominator missing
Human biomarker report
Korkushko OV et al. Advances in Gerontology, 2007. Article in Russian with English abstract.
The paper reports that Epithalamin extract and synthetic Epitalon increased nighttime plasma melatonin in elderly people with pineal functional insufficiency. The abstract does not state the human denominator, allocation, comparator, route, dose, duration, attrition, adverse-event collection, or separate group estimates. It reports a biomarker, not sleep quality, function, disease, or longevity.
- Participants / model
- Elderly people with and without reduced pineal melatonin function; human denominator not stated in the abstract, alongside old rhesus monkeys
- Treatment
- Epithalamin extract or exact synthetic Epitalon; regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Russian-language human and animal biomarker report with insufficiently described clinical methods
Does the reported 90% retinal response establish efficacy?
The abstract reports a positive clinical effect in 90% of cases, but omits the human denominator, outcome definition, comparator result, allocation, attrition, and uncertainty.
Controlled-trial-indexed report · denominator missing
Clinical report
Khavinson V et al. Neuro Endocrinology Letters, 2002.
The paper studied exact Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly in Campbell rats and people described as having degenerative retinal lesions. Its abstract claims a positive clinical effect in 90% of cases. It does not state the human denominator, diagnosis breakdown, allocation, comparator results, route, dose, duration, attrition, outcome definition, uncertainty, or adverse-event method. PubMed indexes it as a controlled clinical trial, but that label cannot supply the missing methods or denominator.
- Participants / model
- People with degenerative retinal lesions; human denominator not stated, alongside Campbell rats with inherited retinal degeneration
- Treatment
- Exact Epitalon; human regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Human and animal report indexed as a controlled clinical trial, with insufficiently described clinical methods and results
Russian human report · denominator missing
Human biomarker report
Korkushko OV et al. Advances in Gerontology, 2007. Article in Russian with English abstract.
The paper reports that Epithalamin extract and synthetic Epitalon increased nighttime plasma melatonin in elderly people with pineal functional insufficiency. The abstract does not state the human denominator, allocation, comparator, route, dose, duration, attrition, adverse-event collection, or separate group estimates. It reports a biomarker, not sleep quality, function, disease, or longevity.
- Participants / model
- Elderly people with and without reduced pineal melatonin function; human denominator not stated in the abstract, alongside old rhesus monkeys
- Treatment
- Epithalamin extract or exact synthetic Epitalon; regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Russian-language human and animal biomarker report with insufficiently described clinical methods
Controlled-trial-indexed report · denominator missing
Clinical report
Khavinson V et al. Neuro Endocrinology Letters, 2002.
The paper studied exact Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly in Campbell rats and people described as having degenerative retinal lesions. Its abstract claims a positive clinical effect in 90% of cases. It does not state the human denominator, diagnosis breakdown, allocation, comparator results, route, dose, duration, attrition, outcome definition, uncertainty, or adverse-event method. PubMed indexes it as a controlled clinical trial, but that label cannot supply the missing methods or denominator.
- Participants / model
- People with degenerative retinal lesions; human denominator not stated, alongside Campbell rats with inherited retinal degeneration
- Treatment
- Exact Epitalon; human regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Human and animal report indexed as a controlled clinical trial, with insufficiently described clinical methods and results
Multilingual records · sparse human evidence
Literature and registry record set
PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov records.
Published administered-human reports cover nighttime melatonin and retinal degeneration. They do not provide an adequately described independent controlled trial of exact AEDG for longevity, sleep, or a durable age-related outcome. ClinicalTrials.gov contains no exact intervention record.
- Study design
- Name, spelling, chemical name, sequence, Cyrillic, and extract-disambiguation coverage
What do the telomere and lifespan studies show?
Epithalon increased telomerase activity or telomere length in cultured human cells. Selected animal studies reported lifespan effects under specific conditions. These findings do not establish benefit or safety in people.
Did it extend lifespan in every animal condition?
No. The reported lifespan result depended on the lighting condition and endpoint. The standard light-dark group did not show a broad longevity effect.
Rat study · conditional lifespan finding
Animal study
Anisimov VN et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2008.
Epithalon was tested in rats kept under different light schedules. The standard light-dark group did not show a general lifespan extension; selected maximum-lifespan findings appeared under altered-light conditions. This does not establish human longevity.
- Participants / model
- Rats under standard or altered light schedules
- Treatment
- Epithalon
- Study design
- Controlled animal lifespan study
Telomerase activation is a molecular observation, not an automatic health benefit. Its long-term tissue and tumor implications would need direct in-vivo safety evidence.
Cell study · telomerase activation
In-vitro study
Khavinson VK et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2003.
Epithalon was reported to activate telomerase and lengthen telomeres in cultured human somatic cells. Cultured-cell changes do not establish slower aging, cancer safety, or longer life in treated people.
- Participants / model
- Cultured human somatic cells
- Treatment
- Epithalon exposure in vitro
- Study design
- Cell-culture experiment
Cell study · fibroblast telomeres
In-vitro study
Khavinson VK et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2004.
The study reported telomerase and telomere changes in cultured human fetal fibroblasts. This cell-culture result does not measure effects in treated people.
- Participants / model
- Cultured human fetal fibroblasts
- Treatment
- Epithalon in vitro
- Study design
- Cell-culture experiment
Rat study · conditional lifespan finding
Animal study
Anisimov VN et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2008.
Epithalon was tested in rats kept under different light schedules. The standard light-dark group did not show a general lifespan extension; selected maximum-lifespan findings appeared under altered-light conditions. This does not establish human longevity.
- Participants / model
- Rats under standard or altered light schedules
- Treatment
- Epithalon
- Study design
- Controlled animal lifespan study
What are the key safety unknowns?
The melatonin abstract says no side effects but provides no denominator or adverse-event method, and the retinal abstract provides no usable safety account. The cited evidence does not provide adequate human dose-response, pharmacokinetic, immune, repeated-use, pregnancy, cancer, or interaction data for exact AEDG. Cell telomerase activity cannot quantify either benefit or cancer risk.
- Identity: synthetic AEDG and animal extract have different impurity and biological profiles.
- Long-term biology: telomerase-related claims make durable tissue and tumor surveillance especially relevant, but the needed human data are absent.
- Product quality: aggregation, sequence errors, sterility, endotoxin, and degradation remain formulation-specific.
Russian human report · denominator missing
Human biomarker report
Korkushko OV et al. Advances in Gerontology, 2007. Article in Russian with English abstract.
The paper reports that Epithalamin extract and synthetic Epitalon increased nighttime plasma melatonin in elderly people with pineal functional insufficiency. The abstract does not state the human denominator, allocation, comparator, route, dose, duration, attrition, adverse-event collection, or separate group estimates. It reports a biomarker, not sleep quality, function, disease, or longevity.
- Participants / model
- Elderly people with and without reduced pineal melatonin function; human denominator not stated in the abstract, alongside old rhesus monkeys
- Treatment
- Epithalamin extract or exact synthetic Epitalon; regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Russian-language human and animal biomarker report with insufficiently described clinical methods
Controlled-trial-indexed report · denominator missing
Clinical report
Khavinson V et al. Neuro Endocrinology Letters, 2002.
The paper studied exact Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly in Campbell rats and people described as having degenerative retinal lesions. Its abstract claims a positive clinical effect in 90% of cases. It does not state the human denominator, diagnosis breakdown, allocation, comparator results, route, dose, duration, attrition, outcome definition, uncertainty, or adverse-event method. PubMed indexes it as a controlled clinical trial, but that label cannot supply the missing methods or denominator.
- Participants / model
- People with degenerative retinal lesions; human denominator not stated, alongside Campbell rats with inherited retinal degeneration
- Treatment
- Exact Epitalon; human regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Human and animal report indexed as a controlled clinical trial, with insufficiently described clinical methods and results
Multilingual records · sparse human evidence
Literature and registry record set
PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov records.
Published administered-human reports cover nighttime melatonin and retinal degeneration. They do not provide an adequately described independent controlled trial of exact AEDG for longevity, sleep, or a durable age-related outcome. ClinicalTrials.gov contains no exact intervention record.
- Study design
- Name, spelling, chemical name, sequence, Cyrillic, and extract-disambiguation coverage
FDA safety page · aggregation and impurity concerns
FDA safety communication
US Food and Drug Administration.
FDA cites inadequate human safety information plus aggregation, immunogenicity, and peptide-impurity concerns for compounded Epitalon.
- Study design
- Agency safety summary
Is Epithalon approved?
FDA approval records contain no Epithalon or Epitalon drug. FDA lists safety concerns for compounded use and does not provide an approved indication or dosing label.
FDA safety page · aggregation and impurity concerns
FDA safety communication
US Food and Drug Administration.
FDA cites inadequate human safety information plus aggregation, immunogenicity, and peptide-impurity concerns for compounded Epitalon.
- Study design
- Agency safety summary
Studies and sources
Cell study · telomerase activation
In-vitro study
Khavinson VK et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2003.
Epithalon was reported to activate telomerase and lengthen telomeres in cultured human somatic cells. Cultured-cell changes do not establish slower aging, cancer safety, or longer life in treated people.
- Participants / model
- Cultured human somatic cells
- Treatment
- Epithalon exposure in vitro
- Study design
- Cell-culture experiment
Cell study · fibroblast telomeres
In-vitro study
Khavinson VK et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2004.
The study reported telomerase and telomere changes in cultured human fetal fibroblasts. This cell-culture result does not measure effects in treated people.
- Participants / model
- Cultured human fetal fibroblasts
- Treatment
- Epithalon in vitro
- Study design
- Cell-culture experiment
Rat study · conditional lifespan finding
Animal study
Anisimov VN et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2008.
Epithalon was tested in rats kept under different light schedules. The standard light-dark group did not show a general lifespan extension; selected maximum-lifespan findings appeared under altered-light conditions. This does not establish human longevity.
- Participants / model
- Rats under standard or altered light schedules
- Treatment
- Epithalon
- Study design
- Controlled animal lifespan study
Russian human report · denominator missing
Human biomarker report
Korkushko OV et al. Advances in Gerontology, 2007. Article in Russian with English abstract.
The paper reports that Epithalamin extract and synthetic Epitalon increased nighttime plasma melatonin in elderly people with pineal functional insufficiency. The abstract does not state the human denominator, allocation, comparator, route, dose, duration, attrition, adverse-event collection, or separate group estimates. It reports a biomarker, not sleep quality, function, disease, or longevity.
- Participants / model
- Elderly people with and without reduced pineal melatonin function; human denominator not stated in the abstract, alongside old rhesus monkeys
- Treatment
- Epithalamin extract or exact synthetic Epitalon; regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Russian-language human and animal biomarker report with insufficiently described clinical methods
Controlled-trial-indexed report · denominator missing
Clinical report
Khavinson V et al. Neuro Endocrinology Letters, 2002.
The paper studied exact Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly in Campbell rats and people described as having degenerative retinal lesions. Its abstract claims a positive clinical effect in 90% of cases. It does not state the human denominator, diagnosis breakdown, allocation, comparator results, route, dose, duration, attrition, outcome definition, uncertainty, or adverse-event method. PubMed indexes it as a controlled clinical trial, but that label cannot supply the missing methods or denominator.
- Participants / model
- People with degenerative retinal lesions; human denominator not stated, alongside Campbell rats with inherited retinal degeneration
- Treatment
- Exact Epitalon; human regimen not stated in the abstract
- Study design
- Human and animal report indexed as a controlled clinical trial, with insufficiently described clinical methods and results
Multilingual records · sparse human evidence
Literature and registry record set
PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov records.
Published administered-human reports cover nighttime melatonin and retinal degeneration. They do not provide an adequately described independent controlled trial of exact AEDG for longevity, sleep, or a durable age-related outcome. ClinicalTrials.gov contains no exact intervention record.
- Study design
- Name, spelling, chemical name, sequence, Cyrillic, and extract-disambiguation coverage
FDA safety page · aggregation and impurity concerns
FDA safety communication
US Food and Drug Administration.
FDA cites inadequate human safety information plus aggregation, immunogenicity, and peptide-impurity concerns for compounded Epitalon.
- Study design
- Agency safety summary
Why is Epithalon in C tier?
The C grade reflects a published cell and animal literature. It does not convert telomerase activation in culture or extract studies into human longevity evidence for AEDG.