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Background And Chemical Identity — Worked Examples

By Editorial Desk · published 2026-07-16 · last reviewed 2026-08-01 · Topic

Everything below concerns Epithalamin. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.

Updated 2026-08-01. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.

Background and Chemical Identity

Several names circulate for the same molecule, including epitalon, epithalone, epithalamin tetrapeptide, and the sequence code AEDG. A CAS registry number, 307297-39-8, is commonly cited for it, though catalogue entries should be checked against supplier documentation because mislabelled records occur. In its usual form the peptide carries free amino and carboxyl termini and is neither glycosylated nor lipidated. Researchers distinguish the defined tetrapeptide from epithalamin itself, a crude pineal preparation containing many peptides that is not chemically characterised.

Material supplied for laboratory use is normally a lyophilised white to off-white powder that dissolves readily in water and in isotonic saline. Lyophilised cakes are hygroscopic and should be equilibrated to room temperature before opening to limit condensation on the solid. Solutions are typically prepared at milligram-per-millilitre concentrations and divided into single-use aliquots, because repeated freeze–thaw cycles degrade short peptides. Aqueous solutions are far less stable than the dry powder, and identity is usually verified by mass spectrometry alongside purity estimation from reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Epitalon is a synthetic linear tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine–glutamate–aspartate–glycine, abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 and the calculated mass is approximately 390.35 g/mol. The compound is made by solid-phase peptide synthesis rather than extracted from tissue, although early work described it as a short fragment of a peptide fraction obtained from bovine pineal extract. In the research literature the spelling epitalon and the variant epithalone both appear, while AEDG is the standard code used in peptide nomenclature.

Epitalon Structure and Research Origin

Most experimental work has been carried out in cell culture and animal models. Several reports describe changes in telomerase activity and proliferation in cultured cells, while rodent studies have examined lifespan, melatonin rhythm and reproductive endpoints. Human data remain limited, and much of the published clinical material consists of small trials with incomplete reporting of methods and controls. Whether the cell and animal findings translate into measurable effects in people is an open question, and the mechanistic basis of the reported telomerase changes is not fully established.

Discussions in the literature often conflate three distinct entities: the pineal extract epithalamin, the isolated tetrapeptide AEDG, and commercial preparations sold under similar names. Reviews citing older Russian-language studies sometimes omit detail on purity, route of administration and control groups, which makes cross-study comparison difficult. Researchers working with the compound generally note the need for independent replication, standardized enzyme assays, and clearer reporting of peptide identity. These caveats are relevant when weighing claims that appear in secondary sources rather than in primary reports.

Epitalon at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Amino acid sequenceAla-Glu-Asp-GlyLinear tetrapeptide, also written AEDG
Molecular massAbout 390.35 g/molValue calculated from the sequence
AppearanceWhite to off-white powderLyophilised material forms a loose cake
SolubilityFreely soluble in waterAlso dissolves in isotonic saline
Storage-20 °C, desiccatedAliquot solutions to avoid freeze–thaw cycling

Peptide Identity and Research Origin

Proposed mechanisms centre on cell-culture observations rather than a defined receptor interaction. Several reports describe increased expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit after exposure of cultured human cells, and the authors attributed the effect to short peptide fragments entering the nucleus and influencing gene transcription. No receptor for the tetrapeptide has been identified, and the free peptide is expected to be degraded rapidly by plasma peptidases. Whether any measurable fraction reaches intact tissues after administration remains an unresolved question rather than an established finding.

The published literature is dominated by a small number of research groups, much of it in Russian-language journals, and independent replication outside those groups is limited. Studies are typically small, use cultured cells or rodent models, and report endpoints that differ between papers, which makes comparison difficult. Large randomised human trials have not appeared in the indexed literature. Questions about absorption, distribution and clearance are therefore still treated as open in reviews that mention the compound.

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Identity and Research Background

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose sequence is alanine–glutamate–aspartate–glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. It was developed in Russia during the 1980s and 1990s by investigators associated with the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, who studied short peptides as regulators of gene expression and tissue function. The alternative spelling epithalon appears interchangeably in the literature, and the two names refer to the same molecule. Outside Russia it is encountered chiefly as a research chemical rather than a licensed medicine, and it holds no approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency.

The peptide is a synthetic analogue of epithalamin, a preparation extracted from bovine pineal glands. Investigators sought a short, chemically defined molecule that would reproduce some of the endocrine and gerontological observations attributed to the glandular extract. Proposed mechanisms centre on induction of telomerase activity, an effect reported in cultured human somatic cells in the early 2000s, together with influences on melatonin secretion and neuroendocrine regulation. Those mechanisms remain incompletely characterised, and the reported telomerase response has not been consistently reproduced by independent groups working in comparable systems.

Epitalon Background and Discovery

The peptide emerged from research carried out in Saint Petersburg from the late 1980s onward, where investigators searched for shorter active fragments of a pineal preparation known as epithalamin. The name epitalon was chosen to reflect that parent extract. Early reports described effects on neuroendocrine markers and on the lifespan of laboratory animals. Much of that work appeared in Russian-language journals, with English translations following later, which affects how readily the original protocols can be assessed by outside groups.

Published studies on epitalon are dominated by a small number of research groups, and independent replication in other laboratories remains limited. Proposed mechanisms include activation of telomerase and modulation of melatonin rhythms, but the evidence for either rests mainly on cell cultures and animal models. Whether the peptide produces comparable effects in humans is an open question, and the absence of large controlled trials means the literature is best read as exploratory rather than settled.

Epitalon is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9, and its calculated molar mass is approximately 390.35 grams per mole. The compound is a short fragment related to a peptide fraction isolated from bovine pineal gland extracts, and it is normally supplied as a lyophilised powder intended for laboratory research. It is not a registered pharmaceutical product in most countries.

Background and Proposed Mechanism

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.

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. It was designed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as a short, chemically defined analogue of epithalamin, a fraction obtained from bovine pineal tissue. Small peptide bioregulators of this type formed a long-running line of work there from the 1980s onward. Because the molecule is produced by solid-phase synthesis rather than extraction, its composition is exact and its purity can be measured directly.

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.

Reference notes

=== Markers === Myofibroblasts usually stain for the intermediate filament vimentin, which is a general mesenchymal marker, α-smooth muscle actin (human gene = ACTA2), and for palladin, which is a cytoskeletal actin scaffold protein. They are positive for other smooth muscle markers, such as intermediate filament type desmin in some tissues, but may be negative for desmin in other tissues. Similar heterogeneous positivity may exist for almost every smooth muscle marker except probably a few which are positive only in contractile smooth muscles like metavinculin and smoothelin. Myofibroblasts upregulate the expression of fibronectin, collagens, and hyaluronic acid during and after their differentiation from fibroblasts. Among these, the EDA isoform of fibronectin (EDA-FN), and collagen type I (COL1A1/COL1A2) are typical markers of myofibroblast-dependent synthesis of pro-fibrotic extracellular matrix. Some myofibroblasts (especially if they have a stellate form) may also be positive for GFAP.

BeaverTails pastry (or Queues de Castor pâtisserie in Quebec) is a chain of pastry stands operated by BeaverTails Canada Inc. The chain's namesake product is a line of fried dough pastries, individually hand-stretched to resemble a beaver's tail. The chain began in Ottawa and now has franchises and licensees in six countries: Canada (Atlantic Canada, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Quebec), the United States, Japan, France, U.A.E., and Mexico.

=== 2010 census === As of the census of 2010, there were 50,158 people, 19,705 households, and 12,894 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,859.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,104.1/km2). There were 20,979 housing units at an average density of 1,196.1 per square mile (461.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.8% White, 0.7% African American, 1.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.4% of the population. There were 19,705 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

== References == M. Sakthi Balan; Kamala Krithivasan; Y. Sivasubramanyam (2001). Peptide Computing - Universality and Complexity. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 2340. pp. 290–299. doi:10.1007/3-540-48017-X_27. ISBN 978-3-540-43775-8. Hubert Hug & Rainer Schuler (2001). "Strategies for the development of a peptide computer". Bioinformatics. 17 (4): 364–368. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/17.4.364. PMID 11301306.

Acquired generalized lipodystrophy (Lawrence syndrome, Lawrence–Seip syndrome) Adiposis dolorosa (Dercum's disease) Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency panniculitis (alpha1-protease deficiency panniculitis, alpha1-proteinase deficiency panniculitis) Atrophic connective tissue panniculitis Barraquer–Simons syndrome (acquired partial lipodystrophy, cephalothoracic lipodystrophy, progressive lipodystrophy) Benign symmetric lipomatosis (benign symmetric lipomatosis of Launois–Bensaude, Madelung's disease) Centrifugal abdominal lipodystrophy (centrifugal lipodystrophy, lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantalis) Chronic erythema nodosum (erythema nodosum migrans, subacute migratory panniculitis of Vilanova and Piñol, subacute nodular migratory panniculitis) Cold panniculitis (popsicle panniculitis) Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (Berardinelli–Seip syndrome) Cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis Drug-induced lipodystrophy Factitial panniculitis Familial partial lipodystrophy (Köbberling–Dunnigan syndrome) Gouty panniculitis Hemihyperplasia–multiple lipomatosis syndrome HIV-associated lipodystrophy Involutional lipoatrophy Lipoatrophia annularis (Ferreira–Marques lipoatrophia) Lipoatrophia semicircularis (semicircular lipoatrophy) Lipodermatosclerosis (chronic panniculitis with lipomembranous changes, hypodermitis sclerodermiformis, sclerosing panniculitis, stasis panniculitis) Lipohypertrophy Localized lipodystrophy Neutrophilic lobular panniculitis Nodular vasculitis Non-progressive late-onset linear hemifacial lipoatrophy Pancreatic panniculitis (enzymatic panniculitis, pancreatic fat necrosis, subcutaneous fat necrosis) Poland's syndrome Post-steroid panniculitis Sclerema neonatorum Sclerosing lipogranuloma (paraffinoma) Septal panniculitis Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn Traumatic panniculitis Tumor lysis syndrome Weber–Christian disease (relapsing febrile nonsuppurative panniculitis)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Notes from published material

=== Biology and medicine === CR gas, dibenzoxazepine Calorie restriction Chemokine receptor Complete remission, in oncology Computed radiography Controlled/continuous release; see time release technology Creatine, a molecule found in myocytes Critically endangered species

=== World War I === In 1916, BASF started operations at a new site in Leuna, where explosives were produced during the First World War. On 21 September 1921, an explosion occurred in Oppau, killing 565 people. The Oppau explosion was the biggest industrial accident in German history.

== University of Toronto == Despite its initial reservations centred upon Robertson's apparent "commercial leanings" (and, specifically, his decision to patent "tethelin"), and following "an unusually careful review process", the University of Toronto appointed Robertson as Professor in the Department of Biochemistry in 1918. He moved to Toronto, accompanied by Hardolph Wasteneys, who later became the head of the Toronto Department from 1929 to 1951. Robertson resigned in 1919, in order to take up his position at the University of Adelaide, and was succeeded, at Toronto, by Professor Andrew Hunter, C.B.E., F.R.S.C., F.R.S.E. (1876–1969).

== Political positions == Kerry-Lynne Findlay has positioned herself as right-wing populist, socially conservative, and a Blue Tory. She has described herself as a “reliable Conservative,” and an outsider taking on “insiders” with a “hidden liberal agenda” and “mainstream media gatekeepers.” Findlay has emphasized “faith, family, and freedom” as guiding her leadership, and is politically compared to former British Columbia premier Bill Vander Zalm.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Further detail

PD-1 is a type I membrane protein of 288 amino acids. PD-1 is a member of the extended CD28/CTLA-4 family of T cell regulators. The protein's structure includes an extracellular IgV domain followed by a transmembrane region and an intracellular tail. The intracellular tail contains two phosphorylation sites located in an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif and an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based switch motif, which suggests that PD-1 negatively regulates T-cell receptor TCR signals. This is consistent with binding of SHP-1 and SHP-2 phosphatases to the cytoplasmic tail of PD-1 upon ligand binding. In addition, PD-1 ligation up-regulates E3 ubiquitin ligases CBL-b and c-CBL that trigger T cell receptor down-modulation. PD-1 is expressed on the surface of activated T cells, B cells, and macrophages, suggesting that compared to CTLA-4, PD-1 more broadly negatively regulates immune responses.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is one of the most common ways for detecting anti-U1 RNP antibodies in patient sera. In this procedure, purified or recombinant U1-RNP antigens are placed into microplate wells. After nonspecific binding sites are blocked, diluted patient serum is added to the wells and incubated. If specific autoantibodies are present, they can bind to the immobilized antigen. A secondary enzyme-conjugated anti-human IgG antibody is added, that it is followed by a substrate that produces a color change. This is read by spectrophotometry and compared to a standard curve to measure the levels of antibodies. Reference ranges are specific to each laboratory, and results must be interpreted in the context of clinical findings. This method is highly sensitive and frequently used to support diagnosis in patients with suspected MCTD or other connective tissue diseases. Other laboratory techniques include immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and multiplex immunoassays. Immunoblotting identifies antibodies directed against specific proteins within the U1 snRNP complex, while immunoprecipitation has traditionally been considered one of the most specific methods for confirming anti-U1 RNP antibodies. Multiplex immunoassays allow laboratories to detect several extracellular nuclear antigen antibodies at the same time, making them useful for evaluating those with suspected autoimmune diseases.

== Potential therapies == A potential novel treatment, the NMT inhibitor, has been shown to completely inhibit Lassa (LAS) and Junín (JUN) viral infections in cells based assays. Another host-directed antiviral acts on EPRS1 which in turn acts, in human cells, as a proviral factor in mammarenaviruses infection, including LCMV, JUNV, and LASV, and its inhibition using halofuginon compound, a prolyl domain inhibitor of EPRS1, completely abolishes the viral infection by interrupting viral assembly and budding. PKR has been shown to act as a proviral factor while the inhibition of its kinase activity restricted the virus replication and infectivity.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

Is epitalon a natural substance?

It is a synthetic tetrapeptide. Its sequence was derived from research on peptide fractions of bovine pineal extract, and the intact AEDG sequence has not been demonstrated as an abundant free peptide in human tissue.

What does the abbreviation AEDG mean?

AEDG is the one-letter code for the four amino acids alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine in that order. The same molecule is written in three-letter form as Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly.

How is the identity of epitalon confirmed in a laboratory?

Identity is normally confirmed by mass spectrometry against the calculated mass of roughly 390.35 g/mol. Purity is then estimated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

What is epitalon chemically?

It is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, often abbreviated AEDG. The molecule is linear and contains no modified residues, so it is fully described by its sequence.

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