Epithalon
Epithalon (Epitalon, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly)
What is Epithalon?
Epithalon: Synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) derived from epithalamin, a bovine pineal gland extract, developed by Vladimir Khavinson's group in Russia. The sources cited here most often discuss it for: Telomere lengthening, lab; Lower mortality, small Russian trials; Melatonin rhythm, extract data. Evidence label: Early human.
- Type
- Peptide
- Family
- Longevity & Mitochondria
- Evidence label
- Early human (3 of 5)
- Regulatory status
- On July 24, 2026, FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 7 to 4 to recommend adding epitalon to the 503A bulks list after FDA reviewed it for insomnia, against FDA scientists' advice, a non-binding step that still requires rulemaking.
- Goals discussed
- Longevity & Cellular Aging, Heart, Liver & Kidney, Sleep
- Also called
- Epitalon, Epithalone, AEDG, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, Epi
- Last reviewed
- 2026-10-11
- Synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) derived from epithalamin, a bovine pineal gland extract, developed by Vladimir Khavinson's group in Russia; proposed telomerase activator/geroprotector; not FDA-approved (epithalamin approved only in Russia).1
Epitalon is the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. Epithalamin is a different product, a bovine pineal gland extract it was derived from, and much of the older Russian human data used epithalamin.
Regulatory status On July 24, 2026, FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 7 to 4 to recommend adding epitalon to the 503A bulks list after FDA reviewed it for insomnia, against FDA scientists' advice, a non-binding step that still requires rulemaking. 2
Names as used in gyms, forums and gray-market listings. Reported, not endorsed; stacks have not been studied as combinations.
Our data suggests that epitalon can extend telomere length in normal healthy mammalian cells through the upregulation of hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase enzyme activity.
Cell-culture study outside Russia; the same paper found telomere lengthening in breast cancer cell lines through a different pathway (ALT).
What is Epithalon researched for?
The three outcomes most discussed for Epithalon in the sources below, as those sources report them. humanpeptides.fyi makes no claims of its own: a listed benefit can be unproven or can have failed in trials, and the label on each line says which.
Lower mortality, small Russian trials
- Mortality: parent extract epithalamin in 70 older adults with heart disease linked to 28% lower overall and 2-fold lower cardiovascular mortality over 12 years; 266-person cohort reported 1.6-1.8x lower mortalitysmall Russian human trials, not independently replicated; extract, not synthetic epitalon561
What do researchers and users say about Epithalon?
It is critical to note that every preclinical and clinical study discussed here has been conducted by Dr. Khavinson’s group in Russia with no independent confirmation of their results.
Evidence review by the foundation's Cognitive Vitality program.
Dreams were crazy! But definitely improved my REM.
One user's self-report in a Reddit thread on sleep; not verified.
What side effects of Epithalon are reported?
- No severe adverse events in two 3-year epithalamin trials, but no proper phase 1 safety study; synthetic impurities a concern1
- Users report headaches, fatigue, vivid dreams, occasional insomniaanecdotal10
- FDA flagged possible immune reactions from aggregation and peptide impurities in compounded epitalon and found no safety information for the proposed route.FDA safety review11
- In lab dishes, epitalon also lengthened telomeres in breast cancer cell lines, a theoretical concern that has not been tested in people.in vitro9
- Epithalamin is a crude bovine extract whose safety likely depends heavily on how it is manufactured.review1
What do peptide guides say about Epithalon?
- Dr. Axe Dr. Axe's library grades epitalon as preclinical: telomere changes were seen in cell lines, which the site stresses does not establish a longer human lifespan. 12
- PepEdHub PepEdHub describes epithalon as a synthetic version of the pineal peptide epithalamin that it says activates telomerase and regulates melatonin, citing Professor Khavinson's decades of studies for its favorable safety claims. 13
- Seek Peptides Seek Peptides labels epithalon an expensive, experimental longevity peptide with limited human data but intriguing animal studies, aimed at telomere and circadian rhythm goals. 14
- NCBI PMC A 2025 review says epitalon has 25 years of cell, animal and computer-model research, yet it remains uncertain how it works and its chemical and structural characterization is still limited. 15
- Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation notes that epithalamin, the parent extract, is approved only in Russia, and that at least half of about 110 papers on the two are available only in Russian. 1
What does the research say, system by system?
Body & tissues1
- Pineal gland (melatonin)1
Hormones & physiology1
- Epithalamin normalized melatonin rhythm and carbohydrate/lipid metabolism in 15-year follow-upRussian human study1
Cells & mitochondria1
Brain, mood & sleep2
Weight & metabolism1
- Epithalamin reportedly normalized carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in elderlyRussian human study1
Muscle1
- Epithalamin 'prevented age-associated impairment of physical endurance'Russian human follow-up1
How strong is the evidence for Epithalon?
In vitro + animal + small Russian human studies (mostly on extract), almost all from one group, unreplicated
Small, short, old, unblinded or single-group human studies. How tiers work
Questions about Epithalon
What is Epithalon?
Synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) derived from epithalamin, a bovine pineal gland extract, developed by Vladimir Khavinson's group in Russia. Epitalon is the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. Epithalamin is a different product, a bovine pineal gland extract it was derived from, and much of the older Russian human data used epithalamin.
Is Epithalon FDA-approved?
On July 24, 2026, FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 7 to 4 to recommend adding epitalon to the 503A bulks list after FDA reviewed it for insomnia, against FDA scientists' advice, a non-binding step that still requires rulemaking.
What is Epithalon researched for?
The sources cited on this page most often discuss three outcomes: Telomere lengthening, lab; Lower mortality, small Russian trials; Melatonin rhythm, extract data. Each line above shows what the source reports and how strong that evidence is.
What side effects of Epithalon are reported?
Reported in the cited sources: No severe adverse events in two 3-year epithalamin trials, but no proper phase 1 safety study; synthetic impurities a concern; Users report headaches, fatigue, vivid dreams, occasional insomnia; FDA flagged possible immune reactions from aggregation and peptide impurities in compounded epitalon and found no safety information for the proposed route. The list is not complete, and few listed risks does not mean a compound is safe.
How strong is the evidence for Epithalon?
Evidence label: Early human. In vitro + animal + small Russian human studies (mostly on extract), almost all from one group, unreplicated.
What else is Epithalon called?
Names used for it include Epitalon, Epithalone, AEDG, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, Epi.
Does humanpeptides.fyi recommend Epithalon?
No. humanpeptides.fyi makes no claims and no recommendations of its own. It summarizes and links to what others have published and posted. Nothing here is medical advice; talk to a licensed clinician.