The short version of epithalamin fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
This page was last updated on 2025-10-20 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
Storage and handling follow conventional peptide practice. Lyophilized epitalon is typically kept refrigerated or frozen, protected from moisture and light, and allowed to equilibrate to room temperature before opening to avoid condensation. Once dissolved, aqueous solutions are usually stored cold and used within a short period, since dilute peptide solutions can support microbial growth and may slowly degrade. The absence of cysteine and methionine reduces, but does not eliminate, oxidation concerns during long-term storage.
Regulatory status varies by country and is not harmonized. Epitalon is not an approved drug in major Western jurisdictions. In some countries it is sold as a research chemical, and in others it has appeared in products marketed for other categories. This inconsistent status means that purity, labeling accuracy, and documentation differ widely between suppliers, and verification of identity and purity through independent analysis is the usual way buyers assess a given lot.
The most frequently cited proposed action is induction of telomerase, the enzyme that adds repeat sequences to chromosome ends. Cell-culture work from the originating group reported higher telomerase reverse transcriptase expression and measurable telomere elongation in human somatic cells after exposure. How a four-residue peptide would reach nuclear gene regulation is not established, and no cell-surface receptor or uptake route has been identified. Additional reports describe changes in melatonin secretion, antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in aged animals, but these findings remain mechanistically unconnected to the telomerase observation.
Published evidence comes mainly from Russian-language journals and from a single research group, with small sample sizes and limited independent replication. A few laboratories outside that group have examined related peptides and reported weaker or absent telomerase effects, so the central claim is best described as contested rather than settled. Rodent studies report modest changes in some ageing markers and in survival, but designs vary and control conditions are often sparse. No large randomised trial in humans has been published, and long-term safety data in healthy populations are correspondingly thin.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Purity assessment | RP-HPLC | Reported as percent area, often ≥95% |
| Identity confirmation | Mass spectrometry | Observed mass compared with ~390 Da |
| Typical storage temperature | -20 °C or below | Lyophilized powder, desiccated |
| Reconstitution solvent | Sterile water or buffer | Acidic residues aid dissolution |
| Common synonyms | AEDG; epithalon | Spelling varies in literature |
Epitalon emerged from research conducted in Saint Petersburg by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues, who studied short peptides as potential regulators of aging. The work built on epithalamin, a pineal gland extract reported to influence neuroendocrine function. Epitalon was designed as a synthetic counterpart with a defined sequence, allowing reproducible experiments that extracts could not support. Early publications described effects on melatonin rhythms and lifespan in animal models. These findings circulated mainly in Russian-language journals during the 1990s, which limited their visibility among English-speaking researchers.
The most widely cited claim is that epitalon activates telomerase and thereby extends telomere length. Supporting evidence comes largely from cultured human cells, where treatment was associated with increased telomerase activity and delayed replicative senescence. Telomerase activation is a biologically consequential effect, since the enzyme is largely silenced in most somatic cells. However, the route by which a short peptide would reach and act on the enzyme's regulatory machinery has not been established. Independent replication in human trials is scarce, so the link between cell-culture observations and whole-body aging remains an open question.
The parent extract epithalamin was characterised as a low-molecular-weight fraction of pineal tissue rather than a single defined chemical entity. Researchers fractionated it and tested successive fragments for activity, a screening approach typical of peptide discovery work in that era. Epitalon emerged from that process as one of the shorter sequences of interest. Because the original extract was never fully resolved into individual components, claims about which constituent drives a given effect rest on inference. This distinction matters when reading older reports that attribute extract observations to the tetrapeptide itself.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the residue sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its monoisotopic mass is approximately 390.35 daltons, and it is usually supplied as a lyophilised trifluoroacetate or acetate salt. The compound was derived from a pineal gland extract called epithalamin, a heterogeneous preparation investigated in the former Soviet Union. Researchers associated with the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology described the tetrapeptide as a constituent fragment of that extract. Commercial material is offered as a laboratory reagent rather than as a finished pharmaceutical product.
Literature searches for this compound must account for several spelling variants. Indexing databases contain epitalon, epithalon, epithalone, and AEDG, and relevant records are scattered across Russian-language and English-language journals that do not consistently cross-cite. Early publications describe the parent extract as a mixture of many peptides, whereas later work addresses the single synthetic tetrapeptide. That shift in nomenclature complicates comparison between studies, because extract data and tetrapeptide data are sometimes cited interchangeably. A search strategy omitting the alternate spellings will return an incomplete set of references.
Typical storage for the lyophilized powder is −20 °C or lower, in a sealed container protected from light and moisture. Hygroscopic material should be allowed to equilibrate to room temperature before the vial is opened, which limits condensation on the contents. Working solutions are commonly divided into single-use aliquots and frozen to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Dilute solutions are more prone to adsorption onto plastic surfaces and to loss during filtration, so procedures that minimize transfers and use low-binding labware are preferable.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography is the standard approach for assessing purity, usually with ultraviolet detection near 214 nm, where the peptide bond absorbs. Mass spectrometry, most often with electrospray ionization, confirms the molecular mass and helps reveal truncation or deletion byproducts. Amino acid analysis can verify composition, and counterion content is sometimes measured because peptides purified with trifluoroacetic acid retain variable amounts of that salt. Purity figures reported without a stated method and detection wavelength are difficult to interpret.
Epitalon is the common name for a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, usually abbreviated AEDG. All four residues are proteinogenic amino acids, and the free peptide has a calculated mass near 390 grams per mole. Because the chain is short and carries no modifications, it is assembled readily by solid-phase synthesis and is distributed mainly as a freeze-dried solid for laboratory work. Catalogue listings use the spellings epitalon, epithalone, and simply AEDG, and the three refer to the same sequence.
The compound is generally presented as a synthetic fragment of epithalamin, a pineal gland extract investigated in the former Soviet Union from the 1970s onward. Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues in Saint Petersburg developed short peptides modelled on such extracts, and epitalon became the most widely cited of those sequences. Most primary reports appeared in Russian-language journals or in proceedings with limited international circulation. Independent replication in laboratories outside that network remains sparse, and much repeated secondary material traces back to a small number of originating groups.
Laboratory work has examined effects on telomerase activity in cultured cells, on melatonin rhythms in animals, and on markers of oxidative stress. Some experiments report measurable changes while others show none, and the reported findings rest largely on small studies. The absence of large independent trials means the generality of these results is unresolved rather than settled. Review articles occasionally apply the label geroprotector, a term that reflects a research hypothesis about ageing rather than an established clinical finding.
Ein zerbrochenes Thermometer führte zufällig zu der Erkenntnis, dass Quecksilbersulfat sich als Katalysator für die Oxidation des bei der Teerfarbstoffindustrie in großen Mengen anfallenden Naphthalins zu Phthalsäure eignete. Durch Reaktion mit Ammoniak ließ sich die Phthalsäure in das Säureamid überführen. Mittels anschließender Hofmann-Umlagerung gelangte die BASF zu Anthranilsäure, die im großtechnischen Maßstab als Ausgangsstoff für die Heumann-Synthese benötigt wurde.
Mittels der 2. Heumann-Synthese konnte die Anthranilsäure zu Indigo in Ausbeuten von 70 bis 90 % verarbeitet werden. Ab 1897 stellte die BASF synthetischen Indigo großtechnisch nach diesem Verfahren her. 1901 gelang der Degussa mit einem Verfahren von Johannes Pfleger, mittels Natriumamid, welches im Castner-Kellner-Verfahren zur Herstellung von Natriumcyanid hergestellt wurde, und einer Alkalischmelze N-Phenylglycin bei einer Temperatur von etwa 200 °C Indigo in hohen Ausbeuten zu erhalten (Heumann-Pfleger-Synthese). Das Natriumamid dient dabei als wasserentziehendes Mittel. Dieses Verfahren wurde gemeinsam mit den Farbwerken Hoechst vermarktet:
Nach diesem Verfahren produziert die BASF seit 1926 Indigo. Die BASF entwickelte 1905 eine Verfahrensvariante der Heumann-Pfleger-Synthese, bei der das teure Natriumamid durch billigeres Calciumoxid ersetzt wurde. Das Verfahren wurde auf eine früher entwickelte Syntheseroute übertragen. Dabei wird Anilin mit Ethylenchlorhydrin zu 2-Anilinoethanol umgesetzt, das sich in einer Natriumhydroxid-Kaliumhydroxid-Calciumoxidschmelze bei Temperaturen von etwa 280 °C bei befriedigenden Ausbeuten zu Indoxyl umsetzt. Nach diesem Verfahren produzierte die BASF von 1909 bis 1924. Seit 1924 basierte die Indigosynthese der BASF auf Phenylglycinnitril, das aus Anilin hergestellt wurde. In allen Fällen entsteht Indoxyl, das durch Luftsauerstoff zu Indigo oxidiert. Die naheliegende Vermutung, dass die Bildung von Indigo durch basenkatalysierte Kondensation zwischen Isatin und Indoxyl abläuft, konnte durch mechanistische Untersuchungen ausgeschlossen werden. Die Oxidation von Indoxyl in basischer Lösung erfolgt wahrscheinlich über ein radikalisches Zwischenprodukt. Ob die Bildung über die Kupplung von zwei Indoxylradikalen oder der Kupplung eines Indoxylradikals und eines Indoxylanions verläuft, konnte experimentell nicht eindeutig geklärt werden.
=== Mikrobiologische Synthese === Schon in den 1920er-Jahren wurde beobachtet, dass Bodenbakterien Indigo aus Indol synthetisieren können. Mittlerweile sind eine Reihe mikrobieller Indigoproduzenten wie Pseudomonas putida bekannt, die aus aromatischen Kohlenwasserstoffen wie Naphthalin, Cumol oder Styrol Indigo bilden können. Das für die Indigobildung verantwortliche Enzymsystem besteht aus einem oder mehreren Enzymen, typischerweise Monooxygenasen, Dioxygenasen oder Hydroxylasen. Die größten Probleme der mikrobiologischen Route sind die hohe Verdünnung des Indigos und der Aufwand für die Abtrennung der beträchtlichen Menge organischen Materials. Bislang konnte eine mikrobiologische Syntheseroute daher nicht kommerzialisiert werden.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Identity is normally confirmed by mass spectrometry, which checks the measured mass against the expected value near 390 daltons. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography is used alongside it to assess purity. Amino acid analysis can provide additional composition data.
The powder is generally kept refrigerated or frozen, protected from light and moisture. Vials should reach room temperature before opening to prevent condensation. Reconstituted solutions are usually stored cold and used within a limited window because dilute solutions can degrade or support microbial growth.
Epitalon is not an approved drug in major Western regulatory jurisdictions. Its legal status differs between countries, and it is often distributed as a research chemical. This means product documentation and purity vary considerably between suppliers.
No. Epithalamin is a peptide-containing extract of bovine pineal glands, while epitalon is a single synthetic tetrapeptide. The extract contains many peptides and other tissue components, so its composition varies between batches in ways that a synthesised sequence does not.