This is a working overview of epithalamin, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2026-07-03 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
Chemically, the molecule consists of four amino acid residues joined by three peptide bonds, with a free N-terminal amino group and a free C-terminal carboxyl group. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9, and its monoisotopic mass is approximately 390 daltons. The acidic glutamate and aspartate side chains give the peptide a net negative charge near neutral pH, a property that shapes its chromatographic behaviour and solubility profile. No disulfide bridges or other post-translational modifications are present, so the primary sequence alone defines the structure.
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.
Peptides of this size are generally stable as dry solids but degrade in solution over time. The principal routes are hydrolysis of the peptide backbone and oxidation, with hydrolysis favoured by elevated temperature and extreme pH. Aqueous solutions held at room temperature can show measurable loss of purity within days, while frozen aliquots are considerably more durable. Because the sequence contains neither cysteine nor methionine, oxidation is less of a concern than for many other peptides, but pH control during handling still matters.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Linear tetrapeptide | Four residues joined by three peptide bonds |
| Sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly | Commonly abbreviated AEDG |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Free acid form |
| Monoisotopic mass | Approximately 390 Da | Matches values reported from mass spectrometry |
| Net charge near neutral pH | Negative | Contributed by glutamate and aspartate side chains |
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose four residues are alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 and its monoisotopic mass is near 390.35 daltons. The peptide carries two acidic side chains, so it is neutral to negatively charged in most aqueous buffers. Published reference summaries usually list it under both spellings, epitalon and epithalon, and treat the two names as the same material.
The compound is generally described as a synthetic analogue of a fragment isolated from a pineal gland extract. Researchers associated with the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology introduced it during the 1980s and 1990s while studying short peptides from animal tissue. The original extract, called epithalamin, is a heterogeneous mixture, whereas epitalon is a single defined sequence. That distinction matters because findings reported for the extract are not automatically findings about the pure tetrapeptide, and claims about broader biological effects remain a separate question from the chemical identity described here.
Residue composition is the property that most cleanly separates verified material from mislabelled samples. Alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine appear in that order from the N-terminus, and the two acidic residues sit in the middle of the chain. Because the peptide is short, it can be produced by solid-phase synthesis and characterised by mass spectrometry without ambiguity. Any reported sample whose measured mass departs substantially from 390 daltons is a different compound or a degraded mixture rather than epitalon.
Reference material is normally supplied as a lyophilised powder in a sealed vial. Product literature typically recommends storage at minus twenty degrees Celsius or colder, protected from light and moisture. Freeze-thaw cycling is usually avoided because repeated condensation can introduce water into the vial. Working solutions are commonly prepared fresh, aliquoted, and kept cold for short periods rather than stored at ambient temperature. Labelling the date of opening helps track how long a vial has been in use.
Solubility is high in water, phosphate-buffered saline and normal saline, a pattern that follows from the two acidic residues in the chain. The peptide dissolves poorly in non-polar solvents such as hexane or chloroform. Stock solutions are often prepared in water first and then diluted into the buffer of interest. Because the molecule is small and hydrophilic, filtration through a low-protein-binding membrane is usually straightforward, and visible particulates are uncommon in freshly made solutions.
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.
Short peptides such as AEDG are normally supplied as a freeze-dried solid and are kept dry, cold, and shielded from light. Holding at minus twenty degrees Celsius is common for the long term, while a refrigerator suffices for brief periods before use. The material takes up moisture to some degree, so containers should stay sealed and be allowed to reach room temperature before opening, which limits condensation on the contents. Repeated warming and cooling of a single container is discouraged because it admits water and can lower the amount of intact peptide.
Dissolution is usually performed in water or a suitable aqueous buffer, and the resulting liquid is divided into single-use portions before freezing. Freeze-thaw cycling is a recognised source of loss for short peptides, since each cycle can encourage aggregation or adsorption onto container walls. Working solutions are generally kept cold and used within a short window, although published stability data specific to epitalon are thin. Containers should be marked with concentration and date, and solutions examined for cloudiness before use.
=== June === 1 June – A bioRxiv preprint reports the first use of base editing to alter the genome of early human embryos. Researchers at Columbia University used the technique to introduce precise single-letter DNA changes without the large chromosomal alterations previously associated with double-strand-break CRISPR gene editing, while noting that the approach remains far from clinical use and raises ethical questions over human germline engineering. 3 June – A report by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could reach 945 TWh by 2030, driven partly by growing demand for artificial intelligence, with associated water use rising to 9.3 trillion litres and carbon dioxide emissions to 399 million tonnes. 4 June – Chinese researchers discover the two-state model of liquid water theorizing that water is composed of two distinct and interconvertible local structures at the high and low density phase boundary. 5 June – Researchers at the University of Cambridge and DIOSynVax report the first human clinical trial of a vaccine whose active component was designed entirely by computer simulations. The candidate pan-Sarbecovirus vaccine, pEVAC-PS, uses a machine-learning-designed "super-antigen"; a phase I trial in 39 healthy volunteers finds it safe and able to trigger immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, and related bat coronaviruses.
== Committees == CLSI documents are developed by committees consisting of experts in medical testing or related aspects. Each CLSI committee produces consensus documents related to a specific discipline.
In solid phase peptide synthesis, a linker is a molecule that connects the solid phase (a beaded resin support) to the growing peptide chain. The linker is often permanently attached to the solid phase, but carries a transient covalent bond to the peptide (typically its C-terminus) that can be cleaved after completion of the synthesis to release the peptide. Cleavage can take place under various conditions depending on the linker type and result in different C-terminal functionalities of the released peptide, e.g. amides, carboxylic acids, esters, lactams, etc. Linkers that do not attach via the C-terminus do also exist.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
11 November An investigation by the Independent Police Conduct Authority concludes that several senior New Zealand Police executives including former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster had covered up allegations of serious offending lodged by a police employee against former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. The government proposes the transfer of gun licensing responsibilities from the police to an independent Firearms Safety Authority. The Otago Regional Council extends OceanaGold's mining consent for its Macraes gold mine for another five years. 13 November – ACT leader and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour's controversial Regulatory Standards Bill passes its third reading in Parliament, becoming law. 14 November: The New Zealand Government allocates NZ$2 million to the Dunedin Tunnels Trail cyclewear connecting Dunedin and Mosgiel. Several schools and early childhood centres close after the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) issues a recall notice for two coloured sands products over concerns about asbestos contamination. 17 November – The Supreme Court of New Zealand upholds a 2024 Court of Appeal decision that Uber drivers were employees rather than contractors. 18 November: Taumata Arowai, the national water regulator, takes control of the Northland town of Kāeo's drinking water supply from private contractor, Wai Care Environmental Consultants. The town had been under a boil water notice for ten years and lacked running water.
In the autumn of that year, she began studying for a PhD at Newnham College, Cambridge, under the supervision of John Desmond Bernal. It was then that she became aware of the potential of X-ray crystallography to determine the structure of proteins. She was working with Bernal on the technique's first application to the analysis of a biological substance, pepsin. The pepsin experiment is largely credited to Hodgkin, however she always made it clear that it was Bernal who initially took the photographs and gave her additional key insights. Her PhD was awarded in 1937 for research on X-ray crystallography and the chemistry of sterols.
In 1887 Eddy started teaching a "metaphysical obstetrics" course, two one-week classes. She had started calling herself "Professor of Obstetrics" in 1882; McClure's wrote: "Hundreds of Mrs. Eddy's students were then practising who knew no more about obstetrics than the babes they helped into this world." The first prosecutions took place that year, when practitioners were charged with practicing medicine without a licence. All were acquitted during the trial, or convictions were overturned on appeal. The first manslaughter charge was in March 1888, when Abby H. Corner, a practitioner in Medford, Massachusetts, attended to her daughter during childbirth; the daughter bled to death and the baby did not survive. The defense argued that they might have died even with medical attention, and Corner was acquitted. To the dismay of the Christian Scientists' Association (the secretary resigned), Eddy distanced herself from Corner, telling the Boston Globe that Corner had only attended the college for one term and had never entered the obstetrics class. From then until the 1990s around 50 parents and practitioners were prosecuted, and often acquitted, after adults and children died without medical care; charges ranged from neglect to second-degree murder.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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.
The compound came out of work on epithalamin, a peptide preparation derived from pineal tissue, conducted largely in Russian laboratories. Later studies in other countries examined it mainly in cell cultures and animal models.
The tetrapeptide sequence is a synthetic construct rather than a described circulating peptide. It was derived by analogy to peptide fractions obtained from tissue extracts, not isolated from blood or tissue as such.
The powder is normally kept at −20 °C or below in a sealed, moisture-protected container. Letting the vial reach room temperature before opening helps prevent condensation on the contents.