Vesugen

Vesugen is the short peptide KED. Russian human reports include vascular symptoms, cognition and combined work-ability or geroprotection programs; their designs do not establish a reliable isolated-KED benefit. Cell and mouse findings are more extensive, with selective positive results and important nulls.

Synthetic KED tripeptide (Lys-Glu-Asp)

Synthetic KED is distinct from vascular organ extracts and the four-residue peptide KEDA.
A mixed-product report assigned 15 people to Vesugen and 17 to Pinealon, without randomization or a usable control denominator.
The lower-limb and erectile-dysfunction papers describe the same 26-treated/15-comparator vascular cohort, not two replications.
The cited records contain no human pharmacokinetic study, controlled safety denominator, convincing cognitive benefit, or lifespan outcome.

Is Vesugen a peptide or an organ extract?

Synthetic KED is lysine-glutamate-aspartate. Vascular organ extracts contain broader mixtures, and KEDA is a different four-residue peptide; their findings cannot be pooled.

PubChem fixes the KED structure, while the experimental paper identifies the tested peptide by sequence. Neither record authenticates whatever happens to be sold under a trade label.

PubChem CID 87571363 · KED identity

Government chemical database

National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 87571363, Lys-Glu-Asp. National Library of Medicine.

The record identifies lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid as the tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp, formula C15H26N4O8, molecular weight 390.39 g/mol, and CAS 204271-66-9.

Participants / model: Not applicable
Treatment: Not applicable
Follow-up: Not applicable
Study design: Primary source record

A structure record fixes KED identity but does not validate the Vesugen trade product, purity, route, efficacy, or approval.

Read the original source

5xFAD mouse synapses, 2021

Primary preclinical study

Khavinson V, Ilina A, Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Kolchina N, Mironova E, Erofeev A, Petukhov M. Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021. DOI 10.3390/ph14060515.

The controlled transgenic-mouse program studied groups of ten, with five males and five females, over two months. KED preserved aspects of dendritic-spine morphology, including a sex-specific mushroom-spine finding, but its long-term-potentiation trend was not statistically significant. No behavioral memory or survival endpoint was demonstrated. Computational DNA docking is a proposed mechanism, not measured in-vivo promoter engagement. An earlier Russian conference account by the same team appears to describe the same model/program and is not an independent clinical or animal replication.

Participants / model: 5xFAD and wild-type mice; four groups of 10, five males and five females per group
Treatment: Intraperitoneal KED or EDR at 400 micrograms/kg daily
Follow-up: Two months
Study design: Controlled transgenic-mouse electrophysiology and morphology experiment
Funding: Russian research institutions.

Read the original source

Do the Russian human reports show that Vesugen works?

The full Russian papers clarify the designs. One report compared 15 Vesugen recipients with 17 Pinealon recipients without randomization or a defined external control. The two 41-person vascular papers use the same 26 treated and 15 untreated patients, so they are two analyses of one cohort, not independent replications.

Russian human reports
Population	Design and result	Why it stays uncertain
Polymorbidity/organic brain syndrome	15 Vesugen and 17 Pinealon; 20-day before-after report	No randomization; undefined same-age controls; many endpoints; sex counts total 30 although the paper says 32
Post-surgical lower-limb ischemia	26 Vesugen and 15 untreated; walking distance rose by more than 110 m versus 22 m	Nonrandomized, unblinded, one month; no adverse-event table
Vasculogenic erectile dysfunction	The same 26 treated and 15 comparators; penile Doppler velocity increased	Same recruitment period and vascular cohort as the limb paper; not an independent study

Russian full paper · 15 Vesugen, 17 Pinealon

Nonrandomized human before-after report

Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva YuE. Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the central nervous system in remission. Advances in Gerontology. 2015;28(1):62-67. PMID 26390612.

The Vesugen group reported a 20% inspiratory and 18.5% expiratory breath-hold increase, 76.3% longer static balance, 16.4% higher Wechsler score, and an 11.8-year reduction in a proprietary biological-age calculation. Plasma chemiluminescence rose 9% and circulating CD34-positive cells fell 11.1%.

Participants / model: Reported as 32 adults aged 41-83; 15 received Vesugen and 17 Pinealon. The stated sex counts total 30, not 32.
Treatment: One 0.2 g gross capsule twice daily with meals; the active KED amount was not established
Follow-up: 20 days
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded before-after comparison of two commercial peptide products; undefined same-age control groups and many endpoints

The commercial capsule was not shown to be pure KED. Control denominators, allocation, multiplicity handling, and adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · 26 treated, 15 comparators

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachov KV, Sazonov AD, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Slusarev AS, Sedova EV. The role of vasoactive peptide in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment. Advances in Gerontology. 2013;26(2):292-296. PMID 28976154.

Walking distance increased by more than 110 m in the 26 treated patients and by 22 m in the 15 untreated comparators; ankle-brachial measures also improved, while pulse and peripheral-resistance changes were not significant.

Participants / model: 41 older men more than six months after surgery for lower-limb obliterative arterial disease: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Prospective nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison with before-after vascular measures

No randomization, blinding, confidence intervals, multiplicity plan, or adverse-event table was reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · same 41-person vascular cohort

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Sliusarev AS, Khavinson VKh. The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people. Advances in Gerontology. 2014;27(1):150-154. PMID 25051774.

In the 26 treated patients, mean penile-artery peak systolic velocity rose from about 15.4 to 26.3 cm/s; the 15 untreated comparators changed from about 15.6 to 16.3 cm/s. Questionnaire outcomes also favored treatment.

Participants / model: The same 41 men with generalized atherosclerosis described in the lower-limb paper: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison using modified SF-36/IIEF measures and penile Doppler

Recruitment dates, arm sizes, ages, vascular disease, and treatment match the lower-limb paper, so this is not an independent replication. Adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

Does Vesugen slow human aging or improve memory?

The small 20-day report included a Wechsler test score and a proprietary biological-age estimate. It did not establish that KED prevents dementia or extends life.

Russian full paper · 15 Vesugen, 17 Pinealon

Nonrandomized human before-after report

Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva YuE. Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the central nervous system in remission. Advances in Gerontology. 2015;28(1):62-67. PMID 26390612.

The Vesugen group reported a 20% inspiratory and 18.5% expiratory breath-hold increase, 76.3% longer static balance, 16.4% higher Wechsler score, and an 11.8-year reduction in a proprietary biological-age calculation. Plasma chemiluminescence rose 9% and circulating CD34-positive cells fell 11.1%.

Participants / model: Reported as 32 adults aged 41-83; 15 received Vesugen and 17 Pinealon. The stated sex counts total 30, not 32.
Treatment: One 0.2 g gross capsule twice daily with meals; the active KED amount was not established
Follow-up: 20 days
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded before-after comparison of two commercial peptide products; undefined same-age control groups and many endpoints

The commercial capsule was not shown to be pure KED. Control denominators, allocation, multiplicity handling, and adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · 26 treated, 15 comparators

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachov KV, Sazonov AD, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Slusarev AS, Sedova EV. The role of vasoactive peptide in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment. Advances in Gerontology. 2013;26(2):292-296. PMID 28976154.

Walking distance increased by more than 110 m in the 26 treated patients and by 22 m in the 15 untreated comparators; ankle-brachial measures also improved, while pulse and peripheral-resistance changes were not significant.

Participants / model: 41 older men more than six months after surgery for lower-limb obliterative arterial disease: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Prospective nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison with before-after vascular measures

No randomization, blinding, confidence intervals, multiplicity plan, or adverse-event table was reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · same 41-person vascular cohort

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Sliusarev AS, Khavinson VKh. The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people. Advances in Gerontology. 2014;27(1):150-154. PMID 25051774.

In the 26 treated patients, mean penile-artery peak systolic velocity rose from about 15.4 to 26.3 cm/s; the 15 untreated comparators changed from about 15.6 to 16.3 cm/s. Questionnaire outcomes also favored treatment.

Participants / model: The same 41 men with generalized atherosclerosis described in the lower-limb paper: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison using modified SF-36/IIEF measures and penile Doppler

Recruitment dates, arm sizes, ages, vascular disease, and treatment match the lower-limb paper, so this is not an independent replication. Adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

5xFAD mouse synapses, 2021

Primary preclinical study

Khavinson V, Ilina A, Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Kolchina N, Mironova E, Erofeev A, Petukhov M. Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021. DOI 10.3390/ph14060515.

The controlled transgenic-mouse program studied groups of ten, with five males and five females, over two months. KED preserved aspects of dendritic-spine morphology, including a sex-specific mushroom-spine finding, but its long-term-potentiation trend was not statistically significant. No behavioral memory or survival endpoint was demonstrated. Computational DNA docking is a proposed mechanism, not measured in-vivo promoter engagement. An earlier Russian conference account by the same team appears to describe the same model/program and is not an independent clinical or animal replication.

Participants / model: 5xFAD and wild-type mice; four groups of 10, five males and five females per group
Treatment: Intraperitoneal KED or EDR at 400 micrograms/kg daily
Follow-up: Two months
Study design: Controlled transgenic-mouse electrophysiology and morphology experiment
Funding: Russian research institutions.

Read the original source

What do the newer cell and mouse studies show?

KED changes selected proliferation, senescence and neuronal-morphology measures. The effects vary by model, and several functional or damage markers remain unchanged.

In neurons made from fibroblasts of three older female donors, KED increased primary processes and total dendrite length. Branching, mitochondrial and lysosomal measures, p16, laminB1 and oxidative DNA damage did not significantly improve. Cells from people are not treated people.

A 2025 fetal-cell experiment found lower p21 and beta-galactosidase staining, while TUJ1 and laminB1 were unchanged. Other oral stem-cell and embryonic-cell studies found marker changes with model-dependent directions. These are neither integrated new neurons nor validated human age reversal.

In 5xFAD mice, KED preserved aspects of dendritic-spine morphology, but the long-term-potentiation trend was nonsignificant. An older amyloid-culture experiment found a smaller mushroom-spine effect for KED than for EDR. The stronger Pinealon/EDR result cannot be assigned to Vesugen.

KED in induced neurons from older human donors, 2024

Primary preclinical study

Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Sakhenberg E, Krieger D, Polyakova V, Medvedev D, Krasichkov A, Khotin M, Ryzhak G. Short Peptides Protect Fibroblast-Derived Induced Neurons from Age-Related Changes. International journal of molecular sciences. 2024. DOI 10.3390/ijms252111363.

Three dermal-fibroblast lines came from women aged 61, 66 and 68, then were reprogrammed into neurons. KED increased primary processes from 4.59 to 6.06 and total dendrite length from 270.2 to 384, with reported p=.0093 and .0148. Branch-point and terminal-process changes were nonsignificant. KED did not significantly improve mitochondrial/lysosomal measures, p16, laminB1 or oxidative DNA damage. The paper contains direction/number inconsistencies in several descriptive sentences; the broad abstract language overstates specificity. Cells from people are not treated people, and morphology does not establish memory or functional neuronal integration.

Read the original source

KED in fetal-MSC-derived neuronal cells, 2025

Primary preclinical study

Sakhenberg E, Linkova N, Kraskovskaya N, Krieger D, Polyakova V, Medvedev D, Krasichkov A, Khotin M, Ryzhak G. The Influence of Short Peptides on Cell Senescence and Neuronal Differentiation. Current issues in molecular biology. 2025. DOI 10.3390/cimb47090739.

In a fetal mesenchymal-stem-cell line subjected to a complex neuronal reprogramming procedure, ten days of KED reduced p21 staining from 2595 to 2225 and beta-galactosidase from 227.1 to 116.0. TUJ1 and laminB1 did not change significantly. The paper used multiple culture measurements, not a clinical cohort; a fetal line is also not an aged-human treatment model. One methods line says AEDR although the main comparison is AEDG, a source-level reporting issue. Ministry funding FSEE-2025-0015 and no declared conflicts are reported. The study supports selective cell-marker modulation, not demonstrated neurogenesis or lifespan extension in a person.

Read the original source

Caputi et al., periodontal stem-cell differentiation, 2019

Primary preclinical study

Caputi S, Trubiani O, Sinjari B, Trofimova S, Diomede F, Linkova N, Diatlova A, Khavinson V. Effect of short peptides on neuronal differentiation of stem cells. International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology. 2019. DOI 10.1177/2058738419828613.

Cells from ten healthy donors, five men and five women aged 20 to 40, were exposed to separate peptides or a mixture during basal/neural-induction culture. KED and the mixture increased GAP43 and nestin measures. The use of multiple images and replicate wells does not create more independent donors. These markers suggest lineage-related changes; the experiment does not show mature integrated neurons, recovered neurological function or a benefit after people ingest KED. It includes Italian collaboration but remains connected to the originating peptide research network.

Read the original source

Oral stem-cell senescence markers, 2019

Primary preclinical study

Sinjari B, Diomede F, Khavinson V, Mironova E, Linkova N, Trofimova S, Trubiani O, Caputi S. Short Peptides Protect Oral Stem Cells from Ageing. Stem cell reviews and reports. 2020. DOI 10.1007/s12015-019-09921-3.

Human periodontal/gingival stem cells at passage 25 received KED or AEDG. KED lowered p16/p21 mRNA by reported factors of 1.82 to 3.23, with immunofluorescence support. This can inform cell-culture expansion and senescence hypotheses. It does not establish a comparable effect in the human body, a validated aging-clock reversal or safe suppression of tumor-control pathways.

The abstract does not report complete quantitative tables.

Read the original source

Human embryonic MSC gene expression, 2020

Primary preclinical study

Ashapkin V, Khavinson V, Shilovsky G, Linkova N, Vanuyshin B. Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides. Molecular biology reports. 2020. DOI 10.1007/s11033-020-05506-3.

KED changed several aging-related transcripts, with substantial dependence on the culture-aging model. FOXO1 expression fell 1.6 to 2.3-fold; TNKS2 moved in opposite directions in passage-aged and stationary cultures, and NF-kappaB expression increased. These are not uniformly anti-inflammatory or pro-longevity changes. The experiment makes a simple claim that KED turns on beneficial longevity genes untenable.

Read the original source

KED versus EDR in amyloid-exposed hippocampal cultures, 2017

Primary preclinical study

Kraskovskaya NA, Kukanova EO, Lin'kova NS, Popugaeva EA, Khavinson VK. Tripeptides Restore the Number of Neuronal Spines under Conditions of In Vitro Modeled Alzheimer's Disease. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2017. DOI 10.1007/s10517-017-3847-2.

KED increased mushroom-spine numbers by 20% under amyloid synaptotoxicity, while EDR increased them by 71%. The result supplies exact-KED preclinical evidence but does not justify importing the stronger EDR magnitude or calling it human cognition. The abstract does not report full denominators or uncertainty.

Read the original source

5xFAD mouse synapses, 2021

Primary preclinical study

Khavinson V, Ilina A, Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Kolchina N, Mironova E, Erofeev A, Petukhov M. Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021. DOI 10.3390/ph14060515.

The controlled transgenic-mouse program studied groups of ten, with five males and five females, over two months. KED preserved aspects of dendritic-spine morphology, including a sex-specific mushroom-spine finding, but its long-term-potentiation trend was not statistically significant. No behavioral memory or survival endpoint was demonstrated. Computational DNA docking is a proposed mechanism, not measured in-vivo promoter engagement. An earlier Russian conference account by the same team appears to describe the same model/program and is not an independent clinical or animal replication.

Participants / model: 5xFAD and wild-type mice; four groups of 10, five males and five females per group
Treatment: Intraperitoneal KED or EDR at 400 micrograms/kg daily
Follow-up: Two months
Study design: Controlled transgenic-mouse electrophysiology and morphology experiment
Funding: Russian research institutions.

Read the original source

What do human studies report about safety and pharmacokinetics?

The cited human studies do not establish parent-peptide half-life, oral bioavailability, or controlled long-term safety. Short oral observations cannot establish injectable or systemic safety.

The 20-day report found a 9% rise in plasma chemiluminescence and an 11.1% fall in circulating CD34-positive cells. Neither was linked to clinical injury, so neither proves harm. Conversely, a short report without a proper adverse-event table cannot establish safety.

The vascular papers share one cohort. Occupational and geroprotection reports use combinations or incompletely described populations; they cannot be pooled into a large independent KED safety trial.

Institute clinical report, study conducted 2005 to 2006

Primary human study

Institute clinical report, study conducted 2005-2006. https://peptidi-slo.si/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/brosura-3.pdf

The institute-authored report, reproduced on pages 100 to 102 of a commercial English compilation, describes 40 atherosclerosis patients aged 54 to 77: narrative allocation 25 add-on Vesugen and 15 standard care, for 10 to 15 days. Total cholesterol is shown as pooled baseline 8.2 mmol/L, standard care 7.0 and add-on 6.4. Both follow-up values carry only a before-after significance marker; no clear between-arm test, separate baseline, randomization or blinded assessment is provided. Group labels in the extracted table conflict with the narrative. Subjective sleep, angina and BP improvement lacks quantitative endpoints. The report claims no side effects, without an event table or defined surveillance. Commercial-product content and independent publication are unverified. This is primary gray literature, not a placebo-controlled journal trial.

The report appears in a distributor-hosted compilation, and its table layout is ambiguous.

Read the original source

Meshchaninov et al., the existing 32-person report, 2015

Primary human study

Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva IuE. [EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ON AGING OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC POLYMORBIDITY AND ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN REMISSION]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2015. PMID 26390612.

The paper reports 15 Vesugen and 17 Pinealon recipients over twenty days; the sex counts sum to only thirty. Vesugen-associated changes included Wechsler score +16.4%, static balance +76.3%, and a proprietary biological-age decrease of 11.8 years. These are uncontrolled within-arm observations with many endpoints and no adequate external control denominator. Plasma chemiluminescence rose 9% and circulating CD34-positive cells fell 11.1%; neither was connected to a clinical harm outcome. This paper gives preliminary human observations, not a credible estimate of cognitive or anti-aging efficacy.

Read the original source

POT/LAT transport mechanisms, 2022

Mechanism context

Khavinson V, Linkova N, Kozhevnikova E, Dyatlova A, Petukhov M. Transport of Biologically Active Ultrashort Peptides Using POT and LAT Carriers. International journal of molecular sciences. 2022. DOI 10.3390/ijms23147733.

This review combines known peptide-transporter biology with computational hypotheses for ultrashort peptides. It does not directly measure human KED oral exposure, blood-brain delivery or plasma elimination. Quoting a transporter family's presence in tissues as proof that this exact molecule reaches a specific target overstates the experiment.

This source provides mechanism context rather than pharmacokinetic data.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · 26 treated, 15 comparators

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachov KV, Sazonov AD, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Slusarev AS, Sedova EV. The role of vasoactive peptide in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment. Advances in Gerontology. 2013;26(2):292-296. PMID 28976154.

Walking distance increased by more than 110 m in the 26 treated patients and by 22 m in the 15 untreated comparators; ankle-brachial measures also improved, while pulse and peripheral-resistance changes were not significant.

Participants / model: 41 older men more than six months after surgery for lower-limb obliterative arterial disease: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Prospective nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison with before-after vascular measures

No randomization, blinding, confidence intervals, multiplicity plan, or adverse-event table was reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · same 41-person vascular cohort

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Sliusarev AS, Khavinson VKh. The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people. Advances in Gerontology. 2014;27(1):150-154. PMID 25051774.

In the 26 treated patients, mean penile-artery peak systolic velocity rose from about 15.4 to 26.3 cm/s; the 15 untreated comparators changed from about 15.6 to 16.3 cm/s. Questionnaire outcomes also favored treatment.

Participants / model: The same 41 men with generalized atherosclerosis described in the lower-limb paper: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison using modified SF-36/IIEF measures and penile Doppler

Recruitment dates, arm sizes, ages, vascular disease, and treatment match the lower-limb paper, so this is not an independent replication. Adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

Is synthetic Vesugen an approved medicine?

The cited public records contain no US or EU approval or Russian or Chinese medicine authorization for synthetic KED/Vesugen.

PubChem CID 87571363 · KED identity

Government chemical database

National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 87571363, Lys-Glu-Asp. National Library of Medicine.

The record identifies lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid as the tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp, formula C15H26N4O8, molecular weight 390.39 g/mol, and CAS 204271-66-9.

Participants / model: Not applicable
Treatment: Not applicable
Follow-up: Not applicable
Study design: Primary source record

A structure record fixes KED identity but does not validate the Vesugen trade product, purity, route, efficacy, or approval.

Read the original source

Why is Vesugen in D tier?

The cell and mouse work is preclinical evidence. The small, nonrandomized human reports do not establish a cognitive benefit or show fewer vascular events or longer life.

Russian full paper · 15 Vesugen, 17 Pinealon

Nonrandomized human before-after report

Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva YuE. Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the central nervous system in remission. Advances in Gerontology. 2015;28(1):62-67. PMID 26390612.

The Vesugen group reported a 20% inspiratory and 18.5% expiratory breath-hold increase, 76.3% longer static balance, 16.4% higher Wechsler score, and an 11.8-year reduction in a proprietary biological-age calculation. Plasma chemiluminescence rose 9% and circulating CD34-positive cells fell 11.1%.

Participants / model: Reported as 32 adults aged 41-83; 15 received Vesugen and 17 Pinealon. The stated sex counts total 30, not 32.
Treatment: One 0.2 g gross capsule twice daily with meals; the active KED amount was not established
Follow-up: 20 days
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded before-after comparison of two commercial peptide products; undefined same-age control groups and many endpoints

The commercial capsule was not shown to be pure KED. Control denominators, allocation, multiplicity handling, and adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · 26 treated, 15 comparators

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachov KV, Sazonov AD, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Slusarev AS, Sedova EV. The role of vasoactive peptide in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment. Advances in Gerontology. 2013;26(2):292-296. PMID 28976154.

Walking distance increased by more than 110 m in the 26 treated patients and by 22 m in the 15 untreated comparators; ankle-brachial measures also improved, while pulse and peripheral-resistance changes were not significant.

Participants / model: 41 older men more than six months after surgery for lower-limb obliterative arterial disease: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Prospective nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison with before-after vascular measures

No randomization, blinding, confidence intervals, multiplicity plan, or adverse-event table was reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · same 41-person vascular cohort

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Sliusarev AS, Khavinson VKh. The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people. Advances in Gerontology. 2014;27(1):150-154. PMID 25051774.

In the 26 treated patients, mean penile-artery peak systolic velocity rose from about 15.4 to 26.3 cm/s; the 15 untreated comparators changed from about 15.6 to 16.3 cm/s. Questionnaire outcomes also favored treatment.

Participants / model: The same 41 men with generalized atherosclerosis described in the lower-limb paper: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison using modified SF-36/IIEF measures and penile Doppler

Recruitment dates, arm sizes, ages, vascular disease, and treatment match the lower-limb paper, so this is not an independent replication. Adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

5xFAD mouse synapses, 2021

Primary preclinical study

Khavinson V, Ilina A, Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Kolchina N, Mironova E, Erofeev A, Petukhov M. Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021. DOI 10.3390/ph14060515.

The controlled transgenic-mouse program studied groups of ten, with five males and five females, over two months. KED preserved aspects of dendritic-spine morphology, including a sex-specific mushroom-spine finding, but its long-term-potentiation trend was not statistically significant. No behavioral memory or survival endpoint was demonstrated. Computational DNA docking is a proposed mechanism, not measured in-vivo promoter engagement. An earlier Russian conference account by the same team appears to describe the same model/program and is not an independent clinical or animal replication.

Participants / model: 5xFAD and wild-type mice; four groups of 10, five males and five females per group
Treatment: Intraperitoneal KED or EDR at 400 micrograms/kg daily
Follow-up: Two months
Study design: Controlled transgenic-mouse electrophysiology and morphology experiment
Funding: Russian research institutions.

Read the original source

What about the Russian stress and work-capacity studies?

They expand the human research record, but combined products and incomplete reporting prevent a clear Vesugen-specific treatment effect.

The 2012 truck-driver paper compared 150 drivers with 150 metal craftsmen and described improvement after peptide treatment, strongest with Pinealon plus Vesugen. The abstract does not report treatment-arm counts, allocation, duration or absolute changes. It is not a 300-person randomized Vesugen trial.

A 2015 Work Ability Index report does not provide usable arm counts or quantitative contrasts in the abstract. Possible overlap with the earlier occupational program remains unresolved.

A 2016 comparison included 110 people receiving different geroprotective interventions, with the largest calculated biological-age changes attributed to Vesugen plus Pinealon. The report does not provide peptide-arm denominators or allocation. Neither a combined treatment nor a biological-age formula establishes isolated-KED life extension.

Bashkireva and Artamonova, professional truck drivers, 2012

Primary human study

Bashkireva AS, Artamonova VG. [The peptide correction of neurotic disorders among professional truck-drivers]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2012. PMID 23734521.

The study compared 150 male truck drivers, mean age 43.3, with 150 metal craftsmen, mean age 42.8, for neurotic and psychoadaptive symptoms and occupational factors. It reports improvement after peptide bioregulation, strongest with combined Pinealon and Vesugen, at p values between .001 and .05. The abstract does not identify how many received each intervention, allocation, duration, absolute score changes, attrition or adverse-event counts. This was an observational comparison rather than a 300-person randomized Vesugen trial. Its occupational exposure and combined-product intervention also prevent direct healthy-rested or exact-KED attribution.

The abstracts do not report complete treatment tables.

Read the original source

Bashkireva and Kachan, work-ability index, 2015

Primary human study

Bashkireva AS, Kachan EY. [Assessment of work ability index in evaluation of small peptides geroprotective effect]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2015. PMID 28509489.

This comparative report evaluates the Work Ability Index in occupationally exposed workers receiving combined cytogen products. PubMed indexes KED and Pinealon, but the abstract provides no cohort size, exact product arms, quantitative treatment contrast or safety table. It supports the existence of a work-ability research program rather than proven KED-specific endurance. Overlap with the earlier truck-driver program is unresolved, so it cannot establish independent replication.

The abstract does not report full methods or results tables.

Read the original source

Myakotnykh et al., comparative geroprotection, 2016

Primary human study

Myakotnykh VS, Torgashov MN, Egorin KV, Meshchaninov VN, Gavrilov VI, Borovkova TA, Zvezdina EM, Verzhbitskaya TY, Tkachenko EL. [Comparative analysis of different methods of geroprotective]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2016. PMID 28539017.

A 110-person comparison examined carbon-dioxide baths, hyperbaric oxygen, massage and peptide preparations. The abstract attributes the strongest biological-age change to combined Vesugen/Pinealon. It does not give peptide-arm denominators, randomization/blinding, baseline balance, duration, absolute estimates or attrition. Several authors overlap the 2015 polymorbidity report, so cohort independence is unresolved. This is not a 110-person KED-monotherapy trial, and a calculated biological-age change does not measure life extension.

The abstracts do not report complete results.

Read the original source

Was Vesugen tested for cholesterol or blood pressure?

An institute report describes short add-on treatment in atherosclerosis patients, but its comparison is too poorly reported to establish a treatment effect.

The report, reproduced in a commercial compilation, describes 25 add-on Vesugen recipients and 15 standard-care patients over 10 to 15 days. Cholesterol is presented as a pooled baseline of 8.2 mmol/L, then 7.0 with standard care and 6.4 with add-on treatment. Both follow-up values carry before-after significance markers; separate baselines and a clear between-group test are missing.

Group labels conflict with the narrative. Claims about sleep, angina and blood pressure lack quantitative outcomes, and the assertion of no side effects has no defined event-surveillance method. This is primary gray literature, not a blinded placebo-controlled trial.

Institute clinical report, study conducted 2005 to 2006

Primary human study

Institute clinical report, study conducted 2005-2006. https://peptidi-slo.si/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/brosura-3.pdf

The institute-authored report, reproduced on pages 100 to 102 of a commercial English compilation, describes 40 atherosclerosis patients aged 54 to 77: narrative allocation 25 add-on Vesugen and 15 standard care, for 10 to 15 days. Total cholesterol is shown as pooled baseline 8.2 mmol/L, standard care 7.0 and add-on 6.4. Both follow-up values carry only a before-after significance marker; no clear between-arm test, separate baseline, randomization or blinded assessment is provided. Group labels in the extracted table conflict with the narrative. Subjective sleep, angina and BP improvement lacks quantitative endpoints. The report claims no side effects, without an event table or defined surveillance. Commercial-product content and independent publication are unverified. This is primary gray literature, not a placebo-controlled journal trial.

The report appears in a distributor-hosted compilation, and its table layout is ambiguous.

Read the original source

Is it an antioxidant or immune enhancer?

The experimental record is mixed. Some culture measures changed, but the older assay did not find direct antioxidant activity and immune-cell differentiation was unchanged in another model.

Endothelial proliferation and promoter docking suggest mechanisms; docking does not measure intracellular target engagement. Skin-fibroblast and rat tissue-explant results remain laboratory endpoints.

Hypoxia and redox papers tested panels of peptides, with some stronger effects belonging to Pinealon. KED-specific athletic benefit cannot be extracted from the panel as a whole. A sports-methodology account also used Vesugen with two other products and does not report isolated-KED outcome data.

Transporter reviews and models do not establish human oral KED exposure, brain delivery or half-life. Capsule gross mass is not automatically the active peptide amount.

Vascular proliferation markers and promoter docking, 2014

Primary preclinical study

Khavinson VKh, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin'kova NS, Guton EO, Elashkina EV. [Epigenetic aspects of peptidergic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during aging]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2014. DOI 10.1134/s2079057015040116.

KED/Vesugen and D-7 increased Ki-67 in tissue-derived and dissociated endothelial cultures. A computational model proposes binding near the MKI67 promoter. A favorable docking configuration does not measure intracellular sequence-specific binding, target engagement or a validated human endothelial repair mechanism. Cultures obtained from old animals are not a treatment trial in living old animals.

Read the original source

Skin fibroblast proliferation and matrix markers, 2016

Primary preclinical study

Lin'kova NS, Drobintseva AO, Orlova OA, Kuznetsova EP, Polyakova VO, Kvetnoy IM, Khavinson VKh. Peptide Regulation of Skin Fibroblast Functions during Their Aging In Vitro. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2016. DOI 10.1007/s10517-016-3370-x.

KED and other short peptides reduced MMP9 and increased Ki-67/CD98hc in aging skin-fibroblast cultures. Caspase suppression was reported for AED/AEDG, not all peptides. These are cosmetic/repair hypotheses rather than human wrinkle, wound-healing or scar outcomes; effects attributed to other sequences cannot be copied into KED.

Read the original source

Pineal immune-cell differentiation null, 2011

Primary preclinical study

Linkova NS, Khavinson VKh, Chalisova NI, Katanugina AS, Koncevaya EA. Peptidegic stimulation of differentiation of pineal immune cells. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2011. DOI 10.1007/s10517-011-1470-1.

Vesugen increased proliferation potential in pineal organotypic immune-cell cultures but did not stimulate immune-cell differentiation, unlike some comparator peptides. This negative specificity result belongs beside the positive proliferation claims. It supplies no evidence of fewer infections, immune resilience or altered melatonin in treated people.

Read the original source

Hypoxia and redox experiments, 2008

Primary preclinical study

Kozina LS. [Investigation of antihypoxic properties of short peptides]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2008. PMID 18546825.

The indexed report describes antihypoxic activity across a peptide panel, with Pinealon the strongest. Its detailed mechanistic discussion primarily concerns Pinealon, so it cannot give an exact KED endurance effect. The abstract does not report sample sizes or quantitative KED survival or performance values.

Read the original source

Cell and membrane redox assays, 2008

Primary preclinical study

Kozina LS, Arutiunian AV, Stvolinskiĭ SL, Khavinson VKh. [Biological activity of regulatory peptides in model experiments in vitro]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2008. PMID 18546826.

The peptide panel did not show direct antioxidant activity. It reduced lipoprotein peroxidation by changing lipoprotein structure, improved erythrocyte membrane stability, raised intracellular reactive oxygen species, and reduced cell death in some assays. The mixed pattern is biologically interesting but does not support a simple free-radical-scavenging claim or clinical safety inference.

Read the original source

Rat spleen/thyroid explants, 2025

Primary preclinical study

Rat spleen/thyroid explants, 2025. https://intphysiology.ru/index.php/main/article/view/374

The Russian primary article tests KED alongside other short peptides and a polypeptide preparation in organotypic rat spleen and thyroid cultures. It reports increased proliferation at effective concentrations. This is ex-vivo tissue work, not administered-rat infection resistance, thyroid replacement or human immunity. DOI 10.33910/2687-1270-2025-6-2-181-189.

Read the original source

POT/LAT transport mechanisms, 2022

Mechanism context

Khavinson V, Linkova N, Kozhevnikova E, Dyatlova A, Petukhov M. Transport of Biologically Active Ultrashort Peptides Using POT and LAT Carriers. International journal of molecular sciences. 2022. DOI 10.3390/ijms23147733.

This review combines known peptide-transporter biology with computational hypotheses for ultrashort peptides. It does not directly measure human KED oral exposure, blood-brain delivery or plasma elimination. Quoting a transporter family's presence in tissues as proof that this exact molecule reaches a specific target overstates the experiment.

This source provides mechanism context rather than pharmacokinetic data.

Read the original source

Gymnastics combination described in sports-methodology document

Clinical report with incomplete methods and results

Gymnastics combination described in sports-methodology document. https://peptideproduct.com/upload/ebook/ebook_peptides_for_sport_and_fitness.pdf

The document describes Russian female gymnasts aged 13 to 20 allocated to control or combined Crystagen, Pinealon, and Vesugen. It cites earlier Trofimova and Khavinson work but does not provide a confirmed isolated-KED arm, complete allocation denominator, or outcome dataset. The age group and three-product combination sharply limit transfer. This unresolved report supplies no isolated Vesugen strength, VO2max, or recovery estimate.

The report does not provide a complete allocation denominator or exact arm-level outcome data.

Read the original source

Studies and sources

PubChem CID 87571363 · KED identity

Government chemical database

National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 87571363, Lys-Glu-Asp. National Library of Medicine.

The record identifies lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid as the tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp, formula C15H26N4O8, molecular weight 390.39 g/mol, and CAS 204271-66-9.

Participants / model: Not applicable
Treatment: Not applicable
Follow-up: Not applicable
Study design: Primary source record

A structure record fixes KED identity but does not validate the Vesugen trade product, purity, route, efficacy, or approval.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · 15 Vesugen, 17 Pinealon

Nonrandomized human before-after report

Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva YuE. Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the central nervous system in remission. Advances in Gerontology. 2015;28(1):62-67. PMID 26390612.

The Vesugen group reported a 20% inspiratory and 18.5% expiratory breath-hold increase, 76.3% longer static balance, 16.4% higher Wechsler score, and an 11.8-year reduction in a proprietary biological-age calculation. Plasma chemiluminescence rose 9% and circulating CD34-positive cells fell 11.1%.

Participants / model: Reported as 32 adults aged 41-83; 15 received Vesugen and 17 Pinealon. The stated sex counts total 30, not 32.
Treatment: One 0.2 g gross capsule twice daily with meals; the active KED amount was not established
Follow-up: 20 days
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded before-after comparison of two commercial peptide products; undefined same-age control groups and many endpoints

The commercial capsule was not shown to be pure KED. Control denominators, allocation, multiplicity handling, and adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · 26 treated, 15 comparators

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachov KV, Sazonov AD, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Slusarev AS, Sedova EV. The role of vasoactive peptide in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment. Advances in Gerontology. 2013;26(2):292-296. PMID 28976154.

Walking distance increased by more than 110 m in the 26 treated patients and by 22 m in the 15 untreated comparators; ankle-brachial measures also improved, while pulse and peripheral-resistance changes were not significant.

Participants / model: 41 older men more than six months after surgery for lower-limb obliterative arterial disease: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Prospective nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison with before-after vascular measures

No randomization, blinding, confidence intervals, multiplicity plan, or adverse-event table was reported.

Read the original source

Russian full paper · same 41-person vascular cohort

Nonrandomized comparative human study

Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL, Petrov KYu, Sliusarev AS, Khavinson VKh. The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people. Advances in Gerontology. 2014;27(1):150-154. PMID 25051774.

In the 26 treated patients, mean penile-artery peak systolic velocity rose from about 15.4 to 26.3 cm/s; the 15 untreated comparators changed from about 15.6 to 16.3 cm/s. Questionnaire outcomes also favored treatment.

Participants / model: The same 41 men with generalized atherosclerosis described in the lower-limb paper: 26 treated and 15 untreated
Treatment: Oral Vesugen 200 micrograms/day
Follow-up: One month
Study design: Nonrandomized, unblinded treated-versus-untreated comparison using modified SF-36/IIEF measures and penile Doppler

Recruitment dates, arm sizes, ages, vascular disease, and treatment match the lower-limb paper, so this is not an independent replication. Adverse events were not reported.

Read the original source

Russian in-vitro study · endothelial markers

Human-cell preclinical study

Kozlov KL, Bolotov II, Linkova NS, Drobintseva AO, Khavinson VKh, Dyakonov MM, Kozina LS. Molecular aspects of vasoprotective peptide KED activity during atherosclerosis and restenosis. Advances in Gerontology. 2016;29(4):646-650. PMID 28539025.

KED was tested in cultured endothelial material described as normal, atherosclerotic, or restenotic; the authors reported movement of endothelin-1, connexin, and SIRT1-related markers toward the normal-culture pattern.

Participants / model: Cultured human vascular endothelial material; no treated people
Treatment: Peptide KED in vitro
Follow-up: Cell-culture experiment
Study design: In-vitro marker study

Marker normalization in cultured cells is mechanistic evidence, not proof of vascular events, cognition, or longer life in humans.

Read the original source

5xFAD mouse synapses, 2021

Primary preclinical study

Khavinson V, Ilina A, Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Kolchina N, Mironova E, Erofeev A, Petukhov M. Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021. DOI 10.3390/ph14060515.

The controlled transgenic-mouse program studied groups of ten, with five males and five females, over two months. KED preserved aspects of dendritic-spine morphology, including a sex-specific mushroom-spine finding, but its long-term-potentiation trend was not statistically significant. No behavioral memory or survival endpoint was demonstrated. Computational DNA docking is a proposed mechanism, not measured in-vivo promoter engagement. An earlier Russian conference account by the same team appears to describe the same model/program and is not an independent clinical or animal replication.

Participants / model: 5xFAD and wild-type mice; four groups of 10, five males and five females per group
Treatment: Intraperitoneal KED or EDR at 400 micrograms/kg daily
Follow-up: Two months
Study design: Controlled transgenic-mouse electrophysiology and morphology experiment
Funding: Russian research institutions.

Read the original source

Bashkireva and Artamonova, professional truck drivers, 2012

Primary human study

Bashkireva AS, Artamonova VG. [The peptide correction of neurotic disorders among professional truck-drivers]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2012. PMID 23734521.

The study compared 150 male truck drivers, mean age 43.3, with 150 metal craftsmen, mean age 42.8, for neurotic and psychoadaptive symptoms and occupational factors. It reports improvement after peptide bioregulation, strongest with combined Pinealon and Vesugen, at p values between .001 and .05. The abstract does not identify how many received each intervention, allocation, duration, absolute score changes, attrition or adverse-event counts. This was an observational comparison rather than a 300-person randomized Vesugen trial. Its occupational exposure and combined-product intervention also prevent direct healthy-rested or exact-KED attribution.

The abstracts do not report complete treatment tables.

Read the original source

Bashkireva and Kachan, work-ability index, 2015

Primary human study

Bashkireva AS, Kachan EY. [Assessment of work ability index in evaluation of small peptides geroprotective effect]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2015. PMID 28509489.

This comparative report evaluates the Work Ability Index in occupationally exposed workers receiving combined cytogen products. PubMed indexes KED and Pinealon, but the abstract provides no cohort size, exact product arms, quantitative treatment contrast or safety table. It supports the existence of a work-ability research program rather than proven KED-specific endurance. Overlap with the earlier truck-driver program is unresolved, so it cannot establish independent replication.

The abstract does not report full methods or results tables.

Read the original source

Myakotnykh et al., comparative geroprotection, 2016

Primary human study

Myakotnykh VS, Torgashov MN, Egorin KV, Meshchaninov VN, Gavrilov VI, Borovkova TA, Zvezdina EM, Verzhbitskaya TY, Tkachenko EL. [Comparative analysis of different methods of geroprotective]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2016. PMID 28539017.

A 110-person comparison examined carbon-dioxide baths, hyperbaric oxygen, massage and peptide preparations. The abstract attributes the strongest biological-age change to combined Vesugen/Pinealon. It does not give peptide-arm denominators, randomization/blinding, baseline balance, duration, absolute estimates or attrition. Several authors overlap the 2015 polymorbidity report, so cohort independence is unresolved. This is not a 110-person KED-monotherapy trial, and a calculated biological-age change does not measure life extension.

The abstracts do not report complete results.

Read the original source

Institute clinical report, study conducted 2005 to 2006

Primary human study

Institute clinical report, study conducted 2005-2006. https://peptidi-slo.si/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/brosura-3.pdf

The institute-authored report, reproduced on pages 100 to 102 of a commercial English compilation, describes 40 atherosclerosis patients aged 54 to 77: narrative allocation 25 add-on Vesugen and 15 standard care, for 10 to 15 days. Total cholesterol is shown as pooled baseline 8.2 mmol/L, standard care 7.0 and add-on 6.4. Both follow-up values carry only a before-after significance marker; no clear between-arm test, separate baseline, randomization or blinded assessment is provided. Group labels in the extracted table conflict with the narrative. Subjective sleep, angina and BP improvement lacks quantitative endpoints. The report claims no side effects, without an event table or defined surveillance. Commercial-product content and independent publication are unverified. This is primary gray literature, not a placebo-controlled journal trial.

The report appears in a distributor-hosted compilation, and its table layout is ambiguous.

Read the original source

Meshchaninov et al., the existing 32-person report, 2015

Primary human study

Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva IuE. [EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ON AGING OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC POLYMORBIDITY AND ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN REMISSION]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2015. PMID 26390612.

The paper reports 15 Vesugen and 17 Pinealon recipients over twenty days; the sex counts sum to only thirty. Vesugen-associated changes included Wechsler score +16.4%, static balance +76.3%, and a proprietary biological-age decrease of 11.8 years. These are uncontrolled within-arm observations with many endpoints and no adequate external control denominator. Plasma chemiluminescence rose 9% and circulating CD34-positive cells fell 11.1%; neither was connected to a clinical harm outcome. This paper gives preliminary human observations, not a credible estimate of cognitive or anti-aging efficacy.

Read the original source

KED in induced neurons from older human donors, 2024

Primary preclinical study

Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Sakhenberg E, Krieger D, Polyakova V, Medvedev D, Krasichkov A, Khotin M, Ryzhak G. Short Peptides Protect Fibroblast-Derived Induced Neurons from Age-Related Changes. International journal of molecular sciences. 2024. DOI 10.3390/ijms252111363.

Three dermal-fibroblast lines came from women aged 61, 66 and 68, then were reprogrammed into neurons. KED increased primary processes from 4.59 to 6.06 and total dendrite length from 270.2 to 384, with reported p=.0093 and .0148. Branch-point and terminal-process changes were nonsignificant. KED did not significantly improve mitochondrial/lysosomal measures, p16, laminB1 or oxidative DNA damage. The paper contains direction/number inconsistencies in several descriptive sentences; the broad abstract language overstates specificity. Cells from people are not treated people, and morphology does not establish memory or functional neuronal integration.

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KED in fetal-MSC-derived neuronal cells, 2025

Primary preclinical study

Sakhenberg E, Linkova N, Kraskovskaya N, Krieger D, Polyakova V, Medvedev D, Krasichkov A, Khotin M, Ryzhak G. The Influence of Short Peptides on Cell Senescence and Neuronal Differentiation. Current issues in molecular biology. 2025. DOI 10.3390/cimb47090739.

In a fetal mesenchymal-stem-cell line subjected to a complex neuronal reprogramming procedure, ten days of KED reduced p21 staining from 2595 to 2225 and beta-galactosidase from 227.1 to 116.0. TUJ1 and laminB1 did not change significantly. The paper used multiple culture measurements, not a clinical cohort; a fetal line is also not an aged-human treatment model. One methods line says AEDR although the main comparison is AEDG, a source-level reporting issue. Ministry funding FSEE-2025-0015 and no declared conflicts are reported. The study supports selective cell-marker modulation, not demonstrated neurogenesis or lifespan extension in a person.

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Caputi et al., periodontal stem-cell differentiation, 2019

Primary preclinical study

Caputi S, Trubiani O, Sinjari B, Trofimova S, Diomede F, Linkova N, Diatlova A, Khavinson V. Effect of short peptides on neuronal differentiation of stem cells. International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology. 2019. DOI 10.1177/2058738419828613.

Cells from ten healthy donors, five men and five women aged 20 to 40, were exposed to separate peptides or a mixture during basal/neural-induction culture. KED and the mixture increased GAP43 and nestin measures. The use of multiple images and replicate wells does not create more independent donors. These markers suggest lineage-related changes; the experiment does not show mature integrated neurons, recovered neurological function or a benefit after people ingest KED. It includes Italian collaboration but remains connected to the originating peptide research network.

Read the original source

Oral stem-cell senescence markers, 2019

Primary preclinical study

Sinjari B, Diomede F, Khavinson V, Mironova E, Linkova N, Trofimova S, Trubiani O, Caputi S. Short Peptides Protect Oral Stem Cells from Ageing. Stem cell reviews and reports. 2020. DOI 10.1007/s12015-019-09921-3.

Human periodontal/gingival stem cells at passage 25 received KED or AEDG. KED lowered p16/p21 mRNA by reported factors of 1.82 to 3.23, with immunofluorescence support. This can inform cell-culture expansion and senescence hypotheses. It does not establish a comparable effect in the human body, a validated aging-clock reversal or safe suppression of tumor-control pathways.

The abstract does not report complete quantitative tables.

Read the original source

Human embryonic MSC gene expression, 2020

Primary preclinical study

Ashapkin V, Khavinson V, Shilovsky G, Linkova N, Vanuyshin B. Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides. Molecular biology reports. 2020. DOI 10.1007/s11033-020-05506-3.

KED changed several aging-related transcripts, with substantial dependence on the culture-aging model. FOXO1 expression fell 1.6 to 2.3-fold; TNKS2 moved in opposite directions in passage-aged and stationary cultures, and NF-kappaB expression increased. These are not uniformly anti-inflammatory or pro-longevity changes. The experiment makes a simple claim that KED turns on beneficial longevity genes untenable.

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KED versus EDR in amyloid-exposed hippocampal cultures, 2017

Primary preclinical study

Kraskovskaya NA, Kukanova EO, Lin'kova NS, Popugaeva EA, Khavinson VK. Tripeptides Restore the Number of Neuronal Spines under Conditions of In Vitro Modeled Alzheimer's Disease. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2017. DOI 10.1007/s10517-017-3847-2.

KED increased mushroom-spine numbers by 20% under amyloid synaptotoxicity, while EDR increased them by 71%. The result supplies exact-KED preclinical evidence but does not justify importing the stronger EDR magnitude or calling it human cognition. The abstract does not report full denominators or uncertainty.

Read the original source

Vascular proliferation markers and promoter docking, 2014

Primary preclinical study

Khavinson VKh, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin'kova NS, Guton EO, Elashkina EV. [Epigenetic aspects of peptidergic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during aging]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2014. DOI 10.1134/s2079057015040116.

KED/Vesugen and D-7 increased Ki-67 in tissue-derived and dissociated endothelial cultures. A computational model proposes binding near the MKI67 promoter. A favorable docking configuration does not measure intracellular sequence-specific binding, target engagement or a validated human endothelial repair mechanism. Cultures obtained from old animals are not a treatment trial in living old animals.

Read the original source

Skin fibroblast proliferation and matrix markers, 2016

Primary preclinical study

Lin'kova NS, Drobintseva AO, Orlova OA, Kuznetsova EP, Polyakova VO, Kvetnoy IM, Khavinson VKh. Peptide Regulation of Skin Fibroblast Functions during Their Aging In Vitro. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2016. DOI 10.1007/s10517-016-3370-x.

KED and other short peptides reduced MMP9 and increased Ki-67/CD98hc in aging skin-fibroblast cultures. Caspase suppression was reported for AED/AEDG, not all peptides. These are cosmetic/repair hypotheses rather than human wrinkle, wound-healing or scar outcomes; effects attributed to other sequences cannot be copied into KED.

Read the original source

Pineal immune-cell differentiation null, 2011

Primary preclinical study

Linkova NS, Khavinson VKh, Chalisova NI, Katanugina AS, Koncevaya EA. Peptidegic stimulation of differentiation of pineal immune cells. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2011. DOI 10.1007/s10517-011-1470-1.

Vesugen increased proliferation potential in pineal organotypic immune-cell cultures but did not stimulate immune-cell differentiation, unlike some comparator peptides. This negative specificity result belongs beside the positive proliferation claims. It supplies no evidence of fewer infections, immune resilience or altered melatonin in treated people.

Read the original source

Hypoxia and redox experiments, 2008

Primary preclinical study

Kozina LS. [Investigation of antihypoxic properties of short peptides]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2008. PMID 18546825.

The indexed report describes antihypoxic activity across a peptide panel, with Pinealon the strongest. Its detailed mechanistic discussion primarily concerns Pinealon, so it cannot give an exact KED endurance effect. The abstract does not report sample sizes or quantitative KED survival or performance values.

Read the original source

Cell and membrane redox assays, 2008

Primary preclinical study

Kozina LS, Arutiunian AV, Stvolinskiĭ SL, Khavinson VKh. [Biological activity of regulatory peptides in model experiments in vitro]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2008. PMID 18546826.

The peptide panel did not show direct antioxidant activity. It reduced lipoprotein peroxidation by changing lipoprotein structure, improved erythrocyte membrane stability, raised intracellular reactive oxygen species, and reduced cell death in some assays. The mixed pattern is biologically interesting but does not support a simple free-radical-scavenging claim or clinical safety inference.

Read the original source

Rat spleen/thyroid explants, 2025

Primary preclinical study

Rat spleen/thyroid explants, 2025. https://intphysiology.ru/index.php/main/article/view/374

The Russian primary article tests KED alongside other short peptides and a polypeptide preparation in organotypic rat spleen and thyroid cultures. It reports increased proliferation at effective concentrations. This is ex-vivo tissue work, not administered-rat infection resistance, thyroid replacement or human immunity. DOI 10.33910/2687-1270-2025-6-2-181-189.

Read the original source

POT/LAT transport mechanisms, 2022

Mechanism context

Khavinson V, Linkova N, Kozhevnikova E, Dyatlova A, Petukhov M. Transport of Biologically Active Ultrashort Peptides Using POT and LAT Carriers. International journal of molecular sciences. 2022. DOI 10.3390/ijms23147733.

This review combines known peptide-transporter biology with computational hypotheses for ultrashort peptides. It does not directly measure human KED oral exposure, blood-brain delivery or plasma elimination. Quoting a transporter family's presence in tissues as proof that this exact molecule reaches a specific target overstates the experiment.

This source provides mechanism context rather than pharmacokinetic data.

Read the original source

Gymnastics combination described in sports-methodology document

Clinical report with incomplete methods and results

Gymnastics combination described in sports-methodology document. https://peptideproduct.com/upload/ebook/ebook_peptides_for_sport_and_fitness.pdf

The document describes Russian female gymnasts aged 13 to 20 allocated to control or combined Crystagen, Pinealon, and Vesugen. It cites earlier Trofimova and Khavinson work but does not provide a confirmed isolated-KED arm, complete allocation denominator, or outcome dataset. The age group and three-product combination sharply limit transfer. This unresolved report supplies no isolated Vesugen strength, VO2max, or recovery estimate.

The report does not provide a complete allocation denominator or exact arm-level outcome data.

Read the original source

ClinicalTrials.gov · no matching Vesugen record

Trial registrations

ClinicalTrials.gov records for Vesugen. https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=Vesugen

ClinicalTrials.gov lists no study under Vesugen, Vezugen, or Lys-Glu-Asp. Russian studies without ClinicalTrials.gov registration remain separate evidence.

Read the original source

Why is Vesugen in D tier?

D: small uncontrolled human reports, combination treatments and selective cell or mouse effects. The evidence does not establish an isolated-KED benefit for healthy cognition, vascular events or lifespan.