PeptideCompareEpitalon — the telomere peptide.
Epitalon (Epithalon) is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) derived from Epithalamin — a polypeptide extract of the pineal gland — developed by Professor Vladimir Khavinson at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation. It is the most extensively studied bioregulator peptide in the Russian longevity research tradition.
Telomerase activation — what it means
Epitalon's primary studied mechanism is activation of telomerase — the enzyme that extends telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes that shorten with each cell division. In cell culture and animal studies, Epitalon has shown telomere lengthening, improved melatonin secretion, and lifespan extension in rodents and fruit flies. Russian clinical research has reported reduced mortality and cancer rates in elderly populations over long-term treatment, though these studies have not been replicated in Western peer review to date.
Molecular information
Pharmacokinetics
Potency retained over time
Each line is one storage condition: it starts at 100% and falls as potency is lost. Above the dashed 80% line the material is considered reliable — hover for exact values.
⚠ Modelled per compound from molecular structure — chain length, cyclisation, oxidation- and deamidation-prone residues and light sensitivity. Indicative only, not lab-measured per batch.
Compare Epitalon prices across EU suppliers
Available in 10mg and 50mg vials · COA-verified EU vendors
Frequently asked questions
What is Epitalon? ▾
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) developed in Russia by Khavinson. Its primary studied mechanism is activation of telomerase, the enzyme that extends telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes.
What does the research show? ▾
There is moderate evidence for telomere lengthening and melatonin normalisation from cell-culture and animal data plus Russian clinical observations in elderly populations, though Western peer-reviewed replication is limited.
Does Epitalon extend lifespan? ▾
In cell culture and animal studies it has shown telomere lengthening and lifespan extension in rodents and fruit flies, and Russian clinical research reported reduced mortality, but these findings have not been replicated in Western peer review to date.
Why is the evidence for Epitalon considered limited? ▾
Much of the supporting data comes from Russian clinical observations that have not been independently replicated in Western peer-reviewed studies.
Is Epitalon legal in the EU? ▾
It is sold as a research compound for laboratory use only.
Is Epitalon banned in sport? ▾
Yes. It appears on the WADA prohibited list (S0).
References
- The study behind every telomerase claim made for this peptide: in cultured human fetal fibroblasts, epithalon induced the telomerase catalytic subunit and lengthened telomeres. Cell culture, not people — and the abstract reports the induction qualitatively, without fold-changes or p-values. Khavinson VK, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2003;135(6):590–592. DOIPubMed 12937682
- Lifespan extension reported in Drosophila. The wider pattern matters more than any single result here: almost all epitalon research comes from one research group and its institutional network, no independent Western laboratory has replicated the lifespan findings, and the Interventions Testing Program — the reference standard for rodent longevity claims — has never tested it. Khavinson VKh, Izmaylov DM, Obukhova LK, Malinin VV. Mech Ageing Dev. 2000;120(1–3):141–149. DOI