The Russian-developed longevity tetrapeptide — Khavinson-lineage data on telomerase activation in cultured fibroblasts and circadian/melatonin restoration in older adults. Single-lineage literature; independent replication is limited.
Epitalon (also called Epithalon) is a synthetic tetrapeptide — Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly — developed in the 1980s at the Russian Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It was designed to mimic the natural pineal gland peptide epithalamin, which declines with age.
It is the most-studied longevity peptide in Russia. Vladimir Khavinson's group has published two decades of data on Epitalon — primary findings include telomerase activation in cultured fibroblasts (Khavinson 2003) and melatonin/circadian restoration in older adults (Korkushko, Anisimov). Mortality-related findings include +12.3% maximum-lifespan extension in SHR mice (Anisimov 2003), with no significant change in mean lifespan. The literature is single-lineage — most claims trace to the Khavinson group; broad independent replication outside that lineage is limited.
Not FDA approved. Not WADA prohibited. Available as a research chemical.
One published in-vitro study (Khavinson 2003, PMID 12937682) reported telomerase activation in cultured human fibroblasts that extended their proliferative capacity beyond the Hayflick limit. This is the foundation of the "telomerase peptide" framing in community marketing — but it is a single paper from the Khavinson lineage that has not been independently replicated outside that group in 22 years. Whether this in-vitro fibroblast finding translates to in-vivo human telomere biology is empirically unanswered.
Increases nocturnal melatonin output and supports circadian-rhythm restoration in animal models (aged rhesus monkeys, Goncharova 2001 PMID 11550036). The "restored circadian rhythm in older adults" framing extrapolates these animal findings to humans.
Penetrates cell nuclei and modulates expression of genes involved in antioxidant defense, DNA repair, and circadian regulation. Mechanistic work is largely from the Khavinson lineage; molecular-docking and nuclear-penetration data are documented, but in-cell promoter occupancy in vivo has not been independently mapped.
| Benefit | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Melatonin / circadian (animal) | Increased nocturnal melatonin and circadian restoration in aged rhesus monkeys (Goncharova 2001, PMID 11550036). Translation to circadian/sleep effects in humans is extrapolated from animal data. |
| Telomerase activation (in vitro) | One in-vitro study in cultured human fibroblasts (Khavinson 2003, PMID 12937682) — never replicated outside the Khavinson lineage in 22 years. |
| Lifespan (animal) | SHR mice: +12.3% maximum-lifespan extension and +13.3% last-decile lifespan; no significant change in mean lifespan (Anisimov 2003, PMID 14501183). Russian-cohort claims of all-cause-mortality reduction in older adults are not anchored to a published peer-reviewed RCT. |
| Cancer (animal) | SHR mice: ~6× reduction in spontaneous leukemia (Anisimov 2003, PMID 14501183); HER-2/neu transgenic mice: 3.7× reduction in HER-2 mRNA expression (Anisimov 2002, PMID 12209581). These are anticarcinogenic signals, not prooncogenic — see Side Effects. |
| Antioxidant / retinopathy | Reduced oxidative-stress markers in aged-subject reports (Khavinson lineage). Used in Russian clinical practice for age-related retinal degeneration; no Western RCT. |
Note: Most human data come from Russian trials that have not been independently replicated in Western clinical programs.
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Start Tracking FreeThere is no Western dose-finding data for Epitalon. Published Russian trials and preclinical work have used a very wide range — from sub-milligram IM/IV courses up to the 5–10 mg/day figures widely circulated in peptide communities. Animal studies typically used microgram-range doses per animal. Start low (e.g., 2–5 mg/day) and only escalate if tolerated.
These are community-circulated ranges, not FDA- or trial-established doses.
Some users split the daily dose into 2× (AM + PM). There is no PK data supporting this; the rationale is theoretical.
50 mg vial + 2 mL BAC water = 25 mg/mL. Verify your vial’s unit of measure (mg vs. mcg) before drawing — much of the published animal literature uses microgram-range doses per animal, so a mislabeled vial could lead to a 1,000× dosing error.
| Dose | Volume | Syringe Units |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 0.20 mL | 20 units |
| 10 mg | 0.40 mL | 40 units |
50 mg vial at 10 mg/day = 5 days; at 5 mg/day = 10 days. One 10-day cycle typically uses one 50 mg vial.
Pre-filled with a typical Epitalon setup. Edit any field — the draw updates live.
Insulin syringe — 100 units = 1 mL
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Epitalon has one of the cleanest safety profiles of any research peptide — decades of human use with minimal reported adverse events.
The cancer picture is mixed. Telomerase activation is a theoretical concern for pre-existing malignancies, but several published studies (PMIDs 12049808, 16634527, 12374906) have actually reported anticarcinogenic effects in animal models — reduced colon tumor multiplicity and decreased spontaneous malignancy. Given the uncertainty, discuss with an oncologist if you have any cancer history before starting.
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Build your protocol, log every dose, monitor your body's response, and get reminders so you never miss a dose.
Start Tracking FreeNo. Epitalon (also Epithalon, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) is a synthetic tetrapeptide modeled after the pineal extract Epithalamin. It has never been FDA or EMA approved. In Russia it appears in secondary literature as a supplement-class (БАД) registration — not a drug approval. Sold in the US only as a research chemical.
Community human protocols (no published dose-finding data) use 5–10 mg/day subcutaneously, 10–20 days per cycle, 1–2 (sometimes 4) cycles per year. Important context: the published primary literature in the Khavinson/Anisimov lineage used MICROGRAM-per-animal doses in rodent experiments — community human doses are 100–1000× higher than the doses that generated the published efficacy data. This dose-translation gap is the single biggest open question about Epitalon.
A typical reconstitution is 10 mg of Epitalon + 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, yielding 5 mg/mL. A 5 mg dose draws to 1.00 mL (full 100-unit insulin syringe), 10 mg = 2.00 mL (use 3 mL syringe). Some users prefer 10 mg + 5 mL = 2 mg/mL so a 5 mg dose becomes 2.5 mL on a 3 mL syringe — gentler subcutaneous volume.
The published rodent data (multiple papers, single research lineage at the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology) show modest lifespan extension and reduced tumor incidence in tumor-prone mouse models. There is no human RCT of Epitalon for any aging or lifespan endpoint. The human "telomere lengthening" story circulating in community sources cites a Khavinson 2007 in vitro paper in human somatic cells — interesting preclinical finding, not human longevity data.
Animal data from the Khavinson/Anisimov lineage trends anticarcinogenic (reduced spontaneous tumor incidence, reduced metastasis, downregulation of HER-2/neu in a transgenic model) — opposite of what a casual "this raises growth signals" intuition would suggest. However, all the data is from one research lineage and used microgram-per-animal doses, while community human use is milligram-per-day. Patients with active malignancy or in post-treatment surveillance should consult oncology before starting.
Not specifically named on the WADA Prohibited List as of 2025–2026, but WADA reserves discretion to sweep peptides under S0 (Non-Approved Substances). Competitive athletes should verify the current-year list before use.
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StackTrax guides cover peptides and compounds that are not FDA-approved for the uses discussed. The dosing, reconstitution, and safety information is compiled from published research and community protocols for educational purposes only.
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