Livagen

updated

Livagen is the synthetic tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala from the Khavinson group of Russian short-peptide bioregulators, sold for liver support around oral steroid liver toxicity. No controlled human study exists: the record is rat hepatocyte and liver explant cultures, an oral rat study and lymphocyte and serum work in vitro. Liver support is shown only as higher protein synthesis in cultured rat liver cells, and no study tested a steroid or any hepatotoxic drug.

Synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator

  • PubChem lists Livagen as CID 87919683, C18H31N5O9, molecular weight 461.5, CAS 433257-50-2, with a name that reads Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala. A 2001 paper spells it lyvagen.
  • In hepatocyte cultures from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from every age, most strongly from old animals; a 2001 report found it stimulated growth of rat liver explants.
  • After two weeks of oral dosing in rats, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals; the abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration.
  • A 2020 review abstract says liver polypeptide complex and KEDA restored liver function in animal hepatitis models, but it names no toxin, species, dose or number, and no primary paper behind it turned up in PubMed under the peptide's names.
  • A PubMed search on 10 October 2026 for livagen returned 19 records; a search with steroid, anabolic or androgen terms returned 0 records.
  • Livagen is a synthetic peptide. Ventvil, a calf liver complex, and Hepalin, an older liver preparation, are different products, and their results are not moved to the peptide.

What is Livagen, and is it an approved drug?

Livagen is the synthetic tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (KEDA) from the Khavinson group, made from an analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed return no product named Livagen and ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study, so no FDA record was found. Liver extracts such as Ventvil and Hepalin are different products.

PubChem lists Livagen as CID 87919683, C18H31N5O9, molecular weight 461.5, CAS 433257-50-2, with a systematic name that reads Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala. The same sequence appears in the group's abstracts from 2001, 2003, 2005, 2020 and 2023, and in the group's 2022 table as Livagen (KEDA). The sequence is consistent in print. A 2001 paper spells the name lyvagen, so search under both spellings to find the older work.

A 2001 report says the peptide was obtained by directed chemical synthesis on the basis of amino acid analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. The Russian-language text of a 2020 review abstract describes a separate liver polypeptide complex called Ventvil, extracted from calf liver, alongside the KEDA tetrapeptide Livagen and reports the two as having concordant effects, and a 2002 report names an older liver preparation, Hepalin, listed separately from Livagen among the preparations tested on rat explants. The evidence below is for the synthetic tetrapeptide unless it says otherwise, and no study in the records reviewed tested a liver extract in the same experiment as a retail Cytomax or Cytogen product.

On 10 October 2026 openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed returned no product named Livagen, and ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA. That covers FDA and registry sources and says nothing about other regulators.

PubChem: Livagen identity

Chemical identity record

National Library of Medicine. PubChem compound record CID 87919683.

PubChem lists Livagen as CID 87919683, C18H31N5O9, molecular weight 461.5, CAS 433257-50-2, with a systematic name that reads Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala. The same sequence appears in the group's abstracts from 2001 (written lyvagen), 2003, 2005, 2020 and 2023, and in the group's 2022 table as Livagen (KEDA). The sequence is consistent in print; the spelling lyvagen is a variant.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined synthetic peptide
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
NLM chemical record
Funding
not stated in the source

A defined tetrapeptide record.

Read the original source
2001 report: protein synthesis in hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months

Cell study

Brodskiĭ VIa et al. Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol. 2001(5):517-21. PMID 15926314.

A 2001 report says the peptide was obtained by directed chemical synthesis on the basis of amino acid analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. In monolayer cultures of hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from rats of every age, most strongly in cells from old animals, and increased the amplitude of protein synthesis fluctuations in old rats; epitalon did not change protein synthesis. A 2002 Russian-language report on an organotypic liver culture says the peptide supports homeostasis of tissue structure and function and strengthens cellular regeneration, with no numbers in the abstract. A 2001 report (PMID 11713572) found that it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. These show effects in liver cells and explants; none measures liver injury, enzymes, or function in an animal.

Participants / model
Hepatocytes and liver explants from rats of different ages
Treatment
Peptide in culture medium
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and explant culture, Russian-language reports
Funding
not stated in the source

The spelling lyvagen is a variant of Livagen. The extract arms in related reports are separate preparations, and this result is for the synthetic tetrapeptide.

Read the original source
2020 review abstract: hepatoprotection statement with no named model

Narrative review

Kuznik BI et al. Adv Gerontol. 2020;33(1):159-164. PMID 32362099.

A 2020 review in Advances in Gerontology says that in animal models of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, acute hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis, and in vitro, the liver polypeptide complex and KEDA showed high efficiency, normalized immune and antioxidant status, and restored liver function during hepatitis, with the largest effect in aging. The abstract names no toxin, species, dose, or number, does not say which agent was tested in which model, and no primary paper behind these statements turned up in PubMed under the peptide's names. The review's premise is that many drugs in older people cause liver dysfunction; that is background and not a result. The Russian-language text also describes a separate liver polypeptide complex called Ventvil, extracted from calf liver, alongside the KEDA tetrapeptide Livagen and reports the two as having concordant effects.

Participants / model
Animal models of liver pathology and cell models, as summarized in a review
Treatment
not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Review abstract, Russian-language
Funding
not stated in the source

Do not move findings between Ventvil, a calf liver extract, and the peptide. The abstract does not say which agent was tested in which model.

Read the original source
PubMed: 19 records, no steroid or drug liver injury model, no clinical trial

PubMed search record

PubMed searches run 10 October 2026: livagen; livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol); livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride"); (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov, openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed queries, run the same day.

A PubMed search for livagen returned 19 records, of which 6 mention liver, hepatic, or hepatocyte terms. A search for livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol) returned 0 records. A search for livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride") returned 1 record, the 2020 review. A search for (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 record, an unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA. openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed return no product named Livagen. In the records reviewed there is no model of steroid-induced or any drug-induced liver injury, no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person, no human dose, and no human pharmacokinetics.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 10 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 10 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source

What did the rat liver studies find?

In cultured hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months the peptide raised protein synthesis, most strongly in old animals, and it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. After two weeks of oral dosing in rats, digestive enzyme activity changed, with no dose stated. A 2020 review abstract says liver polypeptide complex and KEDA restored liver function in animal hepatitis models, but it names no toxin, species, dose or number.

In monolayer cultures of hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from rats of every age, most strongly in cells from old animals, and increased the amplitude of protein synthesis fluctuations in old rats; epitalon did not change protein synthesis. A 2002 Russian-language report on an organotypic liver culture says the peptide supports homeostasis of tissue structure and function and strengthens cellular regeneration, with no numbers in the abstract, and a 2001 report found that it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. These show effects in liver cells and explants. None measures liver injury, enzymes or function in an animal.

A 2005 Russian-language abstract says Livagen is a weakly hydrolyzed peptide that small intestine peptide hydrolases do not break down even to a small extent, and that in vitro it reduced glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase activity in small intestine by 50%. After two weeks of oral administration to rats, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals, moving toward the level in young controls. The abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration. Gut stability is not liver exposure, and the oral effect measured was on digestive enzymes.

A 2020 review in Advances in Gerontology says that in animal models of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, acute hepatitis and chronic hepatitis, and in vitro, the liver polypeptide complex and KEDA showed high efficiency, normalized immune and antioxidant status, and restored liver function during hepatitis, with the largest effect in aging. The abstract names no toxin, species, dose or number, does not say which agent was tested in which model, and no primary paper behind these statements turned up in PubMed under the peptide's names. This page treats it as an unreferenced statement.

2001 report: protein synthesis in hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months

Cell study

Brodskiĭ VIa et al. Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol. 2001(5):517-21. PMID 15926314.

A 2001 report says the peptide was obtained by directed chemical synthesis on the basis of amino acid analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. In monolayer cultures of hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from rats of every age, most strongly in cells from old animals, and increased the amplitude of protein synthesis fluctuations in old rats; epitalon did not change protein synthesis. A 2002 Russian-language report on an organotypic liver culture says the peptide supports homeostasis of tissue structure and function and strengthens cellular regeneration, with no numbers in the abstract. A 2001 report (PMID 11713572) found that it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. These show effects in liver cells and explants; none measures liver injury, enzymes, or function in an animal.

Participants / model
Hepatocytes and liver explants from rats of different ages
Treatment
Peptide in culture medium
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and explant culture, Russian-language reports
Funding
not stated in the source

The spelling lyvagen is a variant of Livagen. The extract arms in related reports are separate preparations, and this result is for the synthetic tetrapeptide.

Read the original source
2005 oral rat study: gut stability and digestive enzymes

Animal study

Timofeeva NM et al. Adv Gerontol. 2005;16:92-6. PMID 16075683.

A 2005 Russian-language abstract says Livagen is a weakly hydrolyzed peptide that small intestine peptide hydrolases do not break down even to a small extent, and that in vitro it reduced glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase activity in small intestine by 50%. After two weeks of oral administration to rats, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals, moving toward the level in young controls. The abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration. Gut stability is not liver exposure, and the oral effect measured was on digestive enzymes.

Participants / model
Rats of different ages
Treatment
Oral administration for two weeks; dose not stated
Follow-up
2 weeks
Study design
Preclinical oral administration and in vitro hydrolysis study, Russian-language abstract
Funding
not stated in the source

Oral route in rats, stability only. It shows no liver measure.

Read the original source
2020 review abstract: hepatoprotection statement with no named model

Narrative review

Kuznik BI et al. Adv Gerontol. 2020;33(1):159-164. PMID 32362099.

A 2020 review in Advances in Gerontology says that in animal models of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, acute hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis, and in vitro, the liver polypeptide complex and KEDA showed high efficiency, normalized immune and antioxidant status, and restored liver function during hepatitis, with the largest effect in aging. The abstract names no toxin, species, dose, or number, does not say which agent was tested in which model, and no primary paper behind these statements turned up in PubMed under the peptide's names. The review's premise is that many drugs in older people cause liver dysfunction; that is background and not a result. The Russian-language text also describes a separate liver polypeptide complex called Ventvil, extracted from calf liver, alongside the KEDA tetrapeptide Livagen and reports the two as having concordant effects.

Participants / model
Animal models of liver pathology and cell models, as summarized in a review
Treatment
not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Review abstract, Russian-language
Funding
not stated in the source

Do not move findings between Ventvil, a calf liver extract, and the peptide. The abstract does not say which agent was tested in which model.

Read the original source

Has Livagen been tested in people?

No treatment study in people was found. A PubMed search on 10 October 2026 for livagen, KEDA or Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. The human work is lymphocytes and serum in vitro, none of it a liver measure.

A PubMed search for livagen returned 19 records, of which 6 mention liver, hepatic or hepatocyte terms. A search with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 record, an unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA.

In lymphocytes from old people, Livagen activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin. In lymphocyte cultures from people aged 72 to 91, Livagen reduced chromosome changes caused by copper chloride or cobalt chloride, and it was used in lymphocyte cultures from patients with breast cancer, atherosclerosis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where the authors report normalization of genome measures. A 2003 report found it inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum in vitro (IC50 20 microM) with no binding to mu or delta opioid receptors in rat brain membranes. These are chromosome and enzyme measures in cells or serum, mostly from one Georgian laboratory. None is a liver measure and none treated a person.

Across the searches there is no human dose, no human pharmacokinetics and no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any person.

PubMed: 19 records, no steroid or drug liver injury model, no clinical trial

PubMed search record

PubMed searches run 10 October 2026: livagen; livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol); livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride"); (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov, openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed queries, run the same day.

A PubMed search for livagen returned 19 records, of which 6 mention liver, hepatic, or hepatocyte terms. A search for livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol) returned 0 records. A search for livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride") returned 1 record, the 2020 review. A search for (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 record, an unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA. openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed return no product named Livagen. In the records reviewed there is no model of steroid-induced or any drug-induced liver injury, no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person, no human dose, and no human pharmacokinetics.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 10 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 10 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source
Human lymphocytes and serum in vitro: chromatin, chromosomes, enkephalin-degrading enzymes

Cell study

Khavinson VKh et al. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002;134(4):389-92. PMID 12533768.

In lymphocytes from old people, Livagen activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin (PMID 12533768). In lymphocyte cultures from people aged 72 to 91, Livagen reduced chromosome changes caused by copper chloride or cobalt chloride (PMID 17921545, PMID 17460203), and it was used in lymphocyte cultures from patients with breast cancer, atherosclerosis, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (PMID 28574395, PMID 25541832, PMID 25341254), where the authors report normalization of genome measures. A 2003 report found it inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum in vitro (IC50 20 microM) with no binding to mu or delta opioid receptors in rat brain membranes (PMID 12942748). These are chromosome and enzyme measures in cells or serum, mostly from one Georgian laboratory; none is a liver measure and none treated a person.

Participants / model
Lymphocytes or serum from older people and patients; rat brain membranes
Treatment
In vitro exposure
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and serum in vitro studies
Funding
not stated in the source

Human cells and serum with no human treatment. None is a liver measure.

Read the original source

Does Livagen protect the liver from oral steroid toxicity?

Not shown. Liver support is supported only as higher protein synthesis in cultured rat hepatocytes, growth of rat liver explants and an unreferenced review statement about animal hepatitis models. Protection around oral steroid liver toxicity has no study at all, because none of the 19 records tests a steroid or any hepatotoxic drug in liver cells, animals or people.

Sellers promote Livagen for liver support around oral steroid liver toxicity. The liver support part is supported only as higher protein synthesis in cultured rat hepatocytes and stimulated growth of rat liver explants, plus an unreferenced review statement about animal hepatitis models.

The steroid part has no study. A PubMed search for livagen together with steroid, anabolic, androgen or named oral steroid terms returned 0 records, and none of the 19 records for livagen tests a steroid or any hepatotoxic drug in liver cells, animals or people. A search for livagen with hepatitis, liver injury, cirrhosis, fibrosis or carbon tetrachloride terms returned 1 record, the 2020 review, which names no toxin.

The 2020 review's premise is that many drugs in older people cause liver dysfunction. That is background and not a result, and this page does not imply protection from drug or steroid liver injury.

PubMed: 19 records, no steroid or drug liver injury model, no clinical trial

PubMed search record

PubMed searches run 10 October 2026: livagen; livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol); livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride"); (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov, openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed queries, run the same day.

A PubMed search for livagen returned 19 records, of which 6 mention liver, hepatic, or hepatocyte terms. A search for livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol) returned 0 records. A search for livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride") returned 1 record, the 2020 review. A search for (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 record, an unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA. openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed return no product named Livagen. In the records reviewed there is no model of steroid-induced or any drug-induced liver injury, no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person, no human dose, and no human pharmacokinetics.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 10 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 10 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source
2001 report: protein synthesis in hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months

Cell study

Brodskiĭ VIa et al. Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol. 2001(5):517-21. PMID 15926314.

A 2001 report says the peptide was obtained by directed chemical synthesis on the basis of amino acid analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. In monolayer cultures of hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from rats of every age, most strongly in cells from old animals, and increased the amplitude of protein synthesis fluctuations in old rats; epitalon did not change protein synthesis. A 2002 Russian-language report on an organotypic liver culture says the peptide supports homeostasis of tissue structure and function and strengthens cellular regeneration, with no numbers in the abstract. A 2001 report (PMID 11713572) found that it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. These show effects in liver cells and explants; none measures liver injury, enzymes, or function in an animal.

Participants / model
Hepatocytes and liver explants from rats of different ages
Treatment
Peptide in culture medium
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and explant culture, Russian-language reports
Funding
not stated in the source

The spelling lyvagen is a variant of Livagen. The extract arms in related reports are separate preparations, and this result is for the synthetic tetrapeptide.

Read the original source
2020 review abstract: hepatoprotection statement with no named model

Narrative review

Kuznik BI et al. Adv Gerontol. 2020;33(1):159-164. PMID 32362099.

A 2020 review in Advances in Gerontology says that in animal models of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, acute hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis, and in vitro, the liver polypeptide complex and KEDA showed high efficiency, normalized immune and antioxidant status, and restored liver function during hepatitis, with the largest effect in aging. The abstract names no toxin, species, dose, or number, does not say which agent was tested in which model, and no primary paper behind these statements turned up in PubMed under the peptide's names. The review's premise is that many drugs in older people cause liver dysfunction; that is background and not a result. The Russian-language text also describes a separate liver polypeptide complex called Ventvil, extracted from calf liver, alongside the KEDA tetrapeptide Livagen and reports the two as having concordant effects.

Participants / model
Animal models of liver pathology and cell models, as summarized in a review
Treatment
not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Review abstract, Russian-language
Funding
not stated in the source

Do not move findings between Ventvil, a calf liver extract, and the peptide. The abstract does not say which agent was tested in which model.

Read the original source

How is Livagen thought to work?

No liver mechanism is established. In the laboratory the peptide raised protein synthesis in rat hepatocytes, decondensed heterochromatin in human lymphocytes, inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum in vitro, and resisted breakdown by small intestine peptide hydrolases in rats. No pharmacokinetic data exist.

The cell and serum measures are separate observations. In rat hepatocyte cultures the peptide raised protein synthesis. In lymphocytes from old people it activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin. In human serum in vitro it inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes (IC50 20 microM) with no binding to mu or delta opioid receptors in rat brain membranes.

In rats the peptide was not broken down by small intestine peptide hydrolases even to a small extent, and in vitro it reduced glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase activity in small intestine by 50%. This is gut stability, not liver exposure, and no blood or liver concentration, human pharmacokinetics or dose was found.

2001 report: protein synthesis in hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months

Cell study

Brodskiĭ VIa et al. Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol. 2001(5):517-21. PMID 15926314.

A 2001 report says the peptide was obtained by directed chemical synthesis on the basis of amino acid analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. In monolayer cultures of hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from rats of every age, most strongly in cells from old animals, and increased the amplitude of protein synthesis fluctuations in old rats; epitalon did not change protein synthesis. A 2002 Russian-language report on an organotypic liver culture says the peptide supports homeostasis of tissue structure and function and strengthens cellular regeneration, with no numbers in the abstract. A 2001 report (PMID 11713572) found that it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. These show effects in liver cells and explants; none measures liver injury, enzymes, or function in an animal.

Participants / model
Hepatocytes and liver explants from rats of different ages
Treatment
Peptide in culture medium
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and explant culture, Russian-language reports
Funding
not stated in the source

The spelling lyvagen is a variant of Livagen. The extract arms in related reports are separate preparations, and this result is for the synthetic tetrapeptide.

Read the original source
Human lymphocytes and serum in vitro: chromatin, chromosomes, enkephalin-degrading enzymes

Cell study

Khavinson VKh et al. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002;134(4):389-92. PMID 12533768.

In lymphocytes from old people, Livagen activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin (PMID 12533768). In lymphocyte cultures from people aged 72 to 91, Livagen reduced chromosome changes caused by copper chloride or cobalt chloride (PMID 17921545, PMID 17460203), and it was used in lymphocyte cultures from patients with breast cancer, atherosclerosis, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (PMID 28574395, PMID 25541832, PMID 25341254), where the authors report normalization of genome measures. A 2003 report found it inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum in vitro (IC50 20 microM) with no binding to mu or delta opioid receptors in rat brain membranes (PMID 12942748). These are chromosome and enzyme measures in cells or serum, mostly from one Georgian laboratory; none is a liver measure and none treated a person.

Participants / model
Lymphocytes or serum from older people and patients; rat brain membranes
Treatment
In vitro exposure
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and serum in vitro studies
Funding
not stated in the source

Human cells and serum with no human treatment. None is a liver measure.

Read the original source
2005 oral rat study: gut stability and digestive enzymes

Animal study

Timofeeva NM et al. Adv Gerontol. 2005;16:92-6. PMID 16075683.

A 2005 Russian-language abstract says Livagen is a weakly hydrolyzed peptide that small intestine peptide hydrolases do not break down even to a small extent, and that in vitro it reduced glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase activity in small intestine by 50%. After two weeks of oral administration to rats, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals, moving toward the level in young controls. The abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration. Gut stability is not liver exposure, and the oral effect measured was on digestive enzymes.

Participants / model
Rats of different ages
Treatment
Oral administration for two weeks; dose not stated
Follow-up
2 weeks
Study design
Preclinical oral administration and in vitro hydrolysis study, Russian-language abstract
Funding
not stated in the source

Oral route in rats, stability only. It shows no liver measure.

Read the original source

What is known about the safety of Livagen?

No human safety data exist for Livagen: the searches found no human dose, pharmacokinetics or treatment study, and no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person. The oral rat dose is not stated, and digestive enzyme activity changed in rats after two weeks of oral dosing.

A PubMed search on 10 October 2026 found no human treatment study of Livagen, so there is no human dose, no human pharmacokinetics and no human safety data. In the records reviewed there is no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person.

In rats given Livagen orally for two weeks, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals, moving toward the level in young controls. The abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration. This is an observation, not a safety finding, and oral dose and any liver exposure are unknown.

PubMed: 19 records, no steroid or drug liver injury model, no clinical trial

PubMed search record

PubMed searches run 10 October 2026: livagen; livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol); livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride"); (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov, openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed queries, run the same day.

A PubMed search for livagen returned 19 records, of which 6 mention liver, hepatic, or hepatocyte terms. A search for livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol) returned 0 records. A search for livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride") returned 1 record, the 2020 review. A search for (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 record, an unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA. openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed return no product named Livagen. In the records reviewed there is no model of steroid-induced or any drug-induced liver injury, no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person, no human dose, and no human pharmacokinetics.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 10 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 10 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source
2005 oral rat study: gut stability and digestive enzymes

Animal study

Timofeeva NM et al. Adv Gerontol. 2005;16:92-6. PMID 16075683.

A 2005 Russian-language abstract says Livagen is a weakly hydrolyzed peptide that small intestine peptide hydrolases do not break down even to a small extent, and that in vitro it reduced glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase activity in small intestine by 50%. After two weeks of oral administration to rats, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals, moving toward the level in young controls. The abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration. Gut stability is not liver exposure, and the oral effect measured was on digestive enzymes.

Participants / model
Rats of different ages
Treatment
Oral administration for two weeks; dose not stated
Follow-up
2 weeks
Study design
Preclinical oral administration and in vitro hydrolysis study, Russian-language abstract
Funding
not stated in the source

Oral route in rats, stability only. It shows no liver measure.

Read the original source

Why does Livagen sit in C tier?

A defined tetrapeptide with rat hepatocyte and liver explant work, an oral rat study and papers on human lymphocytes and serum forms a coherent preclinical profile. There is no human treatment study, no liver injury model that a primary paper describes, and no pharmacokinetics.

Livagen has a PubChem sequence record, rat hepatocyte and liver explant work, an oral rat study, and papers on human lymphocytes and one on human serum. That is a coherent preclinical profile in the liver claim's own tissue.

It does not reach a higher tier because there is no human treatment study, no liver injury model that a primary paper describes, and no pharmacokinetics. The oral steroid liver toxicity claim has no study at all.

PubChem: Livagen identity

Chemical identity record

National Library of Medicine. PubChem compound record CID 87919683.

PubChem lists Livagen as CID 87919683, C18H31N5O9, molecular weight 461.5, CAS 433257-50-2, with a systematic name that reads Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala. The same sequence appears in the group's abstracts from 2001 (written lyvagen), 2003, 2005, 2020 and 2023, and in the group's 2022 table as Livagen (KEDA). The sequence is consistent in print; the spelling lyvagen is a variant.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined synthetic peptide
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
NLM chemical record
Funding
not stated in the source

A defined tetrapeptide record.

Read the original source
2001 report: protein synthesis in hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months

Cell study

Brodskiĭ VIa et al. Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol. 2001(5):517-21. PMID 15926314.

A 2001 report says the peptide was obtained by directed chemical synthesis on the basis of amino acid analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. In monolayer cultures of hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from rats of every age, most strongly in cells from old animals, and increased the amplitude of protein synthesis fluctuations in old rats; epitalon did not change protein synthesis. A 2002 Russian-language report on an organotypic liver culture says the peptide supports homeostasis of tissue structure and function and strengthens cellular regeneration, with no numbers in the abstract. A 2001 report (PMID 11713572) found that it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. These show effects in liver cells and explants; none measures liver injury, enzymes, or function in an animal.

Participants / model
Hepatocytes and liver explants from rats of different ages
Treatment
Peptide in culture medium
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and explant culture, Russian-language reports
Funding
not stated in the source

The spelling lyvagen is a variant of Livagen. The extract arms in related reports are separate preparations, and this result is for the synthetic tetrapeptide.

Read the original source
2005 oral rat study: gut stability and digestive enzymes

Animal study

Timofeeva NM et al. Adv Gerontol. 2005;16:92-6. PMID 16075683.

A 2005 Russian-language abstract says Livagen is a weakly hydrolyzed peptide that small intestine peptide hydrolases do not break down even to a small extent, and that in vitro it reduced glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase activity in small intestine by 50%. After two weeks of oral administration to rats, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals, moving toward the level in young controls. The abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration. Gut stability is not liver exposure, and the oral effect measured was on digestive enzymes.

Participants / model
Rats of different ages
Treatment
Oral administration for two weeks; dose not stated
Follow-up
2 weeks
Study design
Preclinical oral administration and in vitro hydrolysis study, Russian-language abstract
Funding
not stated in the source

Oral route in rats, stability only. It shows no liver measure.

Read the original source
Human lymphocytes and serum in vitro: chromatin, chromosomes, enkephalin-degrading enzymes

Cell study

Khavinson VKh et al. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002;134(4):389-92. PMID 12533768.

In lymphocytes from old people, Livagen activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin (PMID 12533768). In lymphocyte cultures from people aged 72 to 91, Livagen reduced chromosome changes caused by copper chloride or cobalt chloride (PMID 17921545, PMID 17460203), and it was used in lymphocyte cultures from patients with breast cancer, atherosclerosis, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (PMID 28574395, PMID 25541832, PMID 25341254), where the authors report normalization of genome measures. A 2003 report found it inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum in vitro (IC50 20 microM) with no binding to mu or delta opioid receptors in rat brain membranes (PMID 12942748). These are chromosome and enzyme measures in cells or serum, mostly from one Georgian laboratory; none is a liver measure and none treated a person.

Participants / model
Lymphocytes or serum from older people and patients; rat brain membranes
Treatment
In vitro exposure
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and serum in vitro studies
Funding
not stated in the source

Human cells and serum with no human treatment. None is a liver measure.

Read the original source
PubMed: 19 records, no steroid or drug liver injury model, no clinical trial

PubMed search record

PubMed searches run 10 October 2026: livagen; livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol); livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride"); (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov, openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed queries, run the same day.

A PubMed search for livagen returned 19 records, of which 6 mention liver, hepatic, or hepatocyte terms. A search for livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol) returned 0 records. A search for livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride") returned 1 record, the 2020 review. A search for (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 record, an unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA. openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed return no product named Livagen. In the records reviewed there is no model of steroid-induced or any drug-induced liver injury, no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person, no human dose, and no human pharmacokinetics.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 10 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 10 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source

Studies and sources

PubChem: Livagen identity

Chemical identity record

National Library of Medicine. PubChem compound record CID 87919683.

PubChem lists Livagen as CID 87919683, C18H31N5O9, molecular weight 461.5, CAS 433257-50-2, with a systematic name that reads Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala. The same sequence appears in the group's abstracts from 2001 (written lyvagen), 2003, 2005, 2020 and 2023, and in the group's 2022 table as Livagen (KEDA). The sequence is consistent in print; the spelling lyvagen is a variant.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined synthetic peptide
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
NLM chemical record
Funding
not stated in the source

A defined tetrapeptide record.

Read the original source
2001 report: protein synthesis in hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months

Cell study

Brodskiĭ VIa et al. Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol. 2001(5):517-21. PMID 15926314.

A 2001 report says the peptide was obtained by directed chemical synthesis on the basis of amino acid analysis of liver polypeptide preparations. In monolayer cultures of hepatocytes from rats aged 1 to 24 months, the peptide raised protein synthesis in cells from rats of every age, most strongly in cells from old animals, and increased the amplitude of protein synthesis fluctuations in old rats; epitalon did not change protein synthesis. A 2002 Russian-language report on an organotypic liver culture says the peptide supports homeostasis of tissue structure and function and strengthens cellular regeneration, with no numbers in the abstract. A 2001 report (PMID 11713572) found that it stimulated growth of rat liver explants. These show effects in liver cells and explants; none measures liver injury, enzymes, or function in an animal.

Participants / model
Hepatocytes and liver explants from rats of different ages
Treatment
Peptide in culture medium
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and explant culture, Russian-language reports
Funding
not stated in the source

The spelling lyvagen is a variant of Livagen. The extract arms in related reports are separate preparations, and this result is for the synthetic tetrapeptide.

Read the original source
2005 oral rat study: gut stability and digestive enzymes

Animal study

Timofeeva NM et al. Adv Gerontol. 2005;16:92-6. PMID 16075683.

A 2005 Russian-language abstract says Livagen is a weakly hydrolyzed peptide that small intestine peptide hydrolases do not break down even to a small extent, and that in vitro it reduced glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase activity in small intestine by 50%. After two weeks of oral administration to rats, digestive enzyme activity fell in young animals and rose in old animals, moving toward the level in young controls. The abstract gives no dose and no blood or liver concentration. Gut stability is not liver exposure, and the oral effect measured was on digestive enzymes.

Participants / model
Rats of different ages
Treatment
Oral administration for two weeks; dose not stated
Follow-up
2 weeks
Study design
Preclinical oral administration and in vitro hydrolysis study, Russian-language abstract
Funding
not stated in the source

Oral route in rats, stability only. It shows no liver measure.

Read the original source
2020 review abstract: hepatoprotection statement with no named model

Narrative review

Kuznik BI et al. Adv Gerontol. 2020;33(1):159-164. PMID 32362099.

A 2020 review in Advances in Gerontology says that in animal models of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, acute hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis, and in vitro, the liver polypeptide complex and KEDA showed high efficiency, normalized immune and antioxidant status, and restored liver function during hepatitis, with the largest effect in aging. The abstract names no toxin, species, dose, or number, does not say which agent was tested in which model, and no primary paper behind these statements turned up in PubMed under the peptide's names. The review's premise is that many drugs in older people cause liver dysfunction; that is background and not a result. The Russian-language text also describes a separate liver polypeptide complex called Ventvil, extracted from calf liver, alongside the KEDA tetrapeptide Livagen and reports the two as having concordant effects.

Participants / model
Animal models of liver pathology and cell models, as summarized in a review
Treatment
not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Review abstract, Russian-language
Funding
not stated in the source

Do not move findings between Ventvil, a calf liver extract, and the peptide. The abstract does not say which agent was tested in which model.

Read the original source
Human lymphocytes and serum in vitro: chromatin, chromosomes, enkephalin-degrading enzymes

Cell study

Khavinson VKh et al. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002;134(4):389-92. PMID 12533768.

In lymphocytes from old people, Livagen activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin (PMID 12533768). In lymphocyte cultures from people aged 72 to 91, Livagen reduced chromosome changes caused by copper chloride or cobalt chloride (PMID 17921545, PMID 17460203), and it was used in lymphocyte cultures from patients with breast cancer, atherosclerosis, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (PMID 28574395, PMID 25541832, PMID 25341254), where the authors report normalization of genome measures. A 2003 report found it inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum in vitro (IC50 20 microM) with no binding to mu or delta opioid receptors in rat brain membranes (PMID 12942748). These are chromosome and enzyme measures in cells or serum, mostly from one Georgian laboratory; none is a liver measure and none treated a person.

Participants / model
Lymphocytes or serum from older people and patients; rat brain membranes
Treatment
In vitro exposure
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Cell and serum in vitro studies
Funding
not stated in the source

Human cells and serum with no human treatment. None is a liver measure.

Read the original source
PubMed: 19 records, no steroid or drug liver injury model, no clinical trial

PubMed search record

PubMed searches run 10 October 2026: livagen; livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol); livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride"); (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov, openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed queries, run the same day.

A PubMed search for livagen returned 19 records, of which 6 mention liver, hepatic, or hepatocyte terms. A search for livagen AND (steroid OR anabolic OR androgen OR methandrostenolone OR oxandrolone OR stanozolol) returned 0 records. A search for livagen AND (hepatitis OR hepatotoxic* OR "liver injury" OR "liver damage" OR cirrhosis OR fibrosis OR tetrachloromethane OR "carbon tetrachloride") returned 1 record, the 2020 review. A search for (livagen OR "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala" OR KEDA) with clinical trial or randomized controlled trial publication types returned 1 record, an unrelated 1978 anesthesia paper. ClinicalTrials.gov returned no study for Livagen or KEDA. openFDA Drugs@FDA and DailyMed return no product named Livagen. In the records reviewed there is no model of steroid-induced or any drug-induced liver injury, no liver enzyme measurement after the peptide in any animal or person, no human dose, and no human pharmacokinetics.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 10 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 10 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source

Why is Livagen in C tier?

C fits a defined tetrapeptide with several peer-reviewed tissue and animal studies that add up to a coherent preclinical profile: rat hepatocyte and liver explant work, an oral rat study, and papers on human lymphocytes and serum. It stays below a higher tier because there is no human treatment study, no liver injury model that a primary paper describes, and no pharmacokinetics.