The short version of tetrapeptide fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
Reviewed 2025-11-01. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
The four residues give epitalon a molecular formula of C14H22N4O9 and a molecular weight near 390.35 daltons. The presence of two acidic residues, glutamate and aspartate, makes the free peptide strongly acidic, while the alanine and glycine ends provide neutral, nonpolar character. This combination produces a molecule with substantial water solubility. Because there are no cysteine, methionine, or tryptophan residues, the peptide lacks the most common oxidation-sensitive side chains, which simplifies handling compared with many longer peptides.
The proposed relationship between epitalon and pineal function is a central part of its background. Khavinson's group reported that short peptides corresponding to regions of larger pineal proteins could influence gene expression in cells. Epitalon was framed as a synthetic analogue of an active fragment rather than a direct isolation product. Whether the tetrapeptide reproduces the effects of the parent extract is an open question, because comparative studies are limited and the parent extract itself is not a single defined substance.
Interest in epitalon is usually discussed within the broader field of short peptide bioregulators, a category that includes other synthetic di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides studied by the same research group. These compounds share a common rationale: that small fragments of tissue-derived proteins can retain biological activity and can be produced reproducibly. The category as a whole remains outside mainstream pharmacological consensus, and epitalon specifically has a limited presence in independent, non-Russian research literature, which shapes how its evidence base is described.
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.
Laboratory work has examined effects on telomerase activity in cultured cells, on melatonin rhythms in animals, and on markers of oxidative stress. Some experiments report measurable changes while others show none, and the reported findings rest largely on small studies. The absence of large independent trials means the generality of these results is unresolved rather than settled. Review articles occasionally apply the label geroprotector, a term that reflects a research hypothesis about ageing rather than an established clinical finding.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amino acid sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly | Tetrapeptide, often abbreviated AEDG |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Free peptide, unmodified termini |
| Molecular weight | ~390.35 Da | Calculated for the free acid form |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typical lyophilized product form |
| Solubility class | Freely soluble in water | Two acidic residues dominate ionic character |
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.
Published work on this compound consists mainly of in vitro experiments, animal studies, and small clinical investigations, a substantial share of which appeared in Russian-language journals. Sample sizes are generally small, control conditions differ between studies, and several endpoints rely on markers whose clinical meaning is itself debated. Reviews of the longevity field treat the peptide as an early example of telomerase-directed research rather than an established intervention. Regulatory treatment varies by country: some jurisdictions place it under prescription controls, others treat it as a laboratory material, and importation may be restricted regardless of local status.
== Guideline versions == GMP is enforced in the United States by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under Title 21 CFR. The regulations use the phrase "current good manufacturing practices" (CGMP) to describe these guidelines. Courts may theoretically hold that a product is adulterated even if there is no specific regulatory requirement that was violated as long as the process was not performed according to industry standards. However, since June 2007, a different set of CGMP requirements have applied to all manufacturers of dietary supplements, with additional supporting guidance issued in 2010. Additionally, in the U.S., medical device manufacturers must follow what are called "quality system regulations" which are deliberately harmonized with ISO requirements, not necessarily CGMPs. The World Health Organization (WHO) version of GMP is used by pharmaceutical regulators and the pharmaceutical industry in over 100 countries worldwide, primarily in the developing world. The European Union's GMP (EU GMP) enforces similar requirements to WHO GMP, as does the FDA's version in the US. Similar GMPs are used in other countries, with Australia, Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Philippines], Vietnam and others having highly developed/sophisticated GMP requirements. In the United Kingdom, the Medicines Act (1968) covers most aspects of GMP in what is commonly referred to as "The Orange Guide," which is named so because of the color of its cover; it is officially known as Rules and Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Distributors.
=== Inside the continental crust === The continental crust, with tectonic fault zones could present a stable and well-protected environment for long-term prebiotic evolution. Inside these systems of cracks and cavities, water and carbon dioxide present the bulk solvents. Their phase state could vary between liquid, gaseous and supercritical, depending on pressure and temperature. When forming two separate phases, the system provides optimal conditions for phase transfer reactions. Concurrently, the contents of the tectonic fault zones are supplied with inorganic educts (e.g. carbon monoxide, hydrogen, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, nitrogen, and phosphate) and simple organic molecules (e.g. amino acids, long-chain amines, fatty acids, long-chain aldehydes). Part of the tectonic fault zones is at a depth of around 1000 m. For carbon dioxide, it provides temperature and pressure conditions near the phase transition point between the supercritical and the gaseous state. This allows lipophilic organic molecules that dissolve well in supercritical CO2 to accumulate, leading to local precipitation. Periodic pressure variations such as caused by geysers or tidal influences result in periodic phase transitions, keeping the local reaction environment in a constant non-equilibrium state. In presence of amphiphilic compounds (such as the long chain amines and fatty acids), subsequent generations of vesicles are formed that are selected for their stability.
It is available as the following salts, in approximate descending order of frequency of use: bitartrate, phosphate, hydrochloride, tartrate, hydroiodide, methyliodide, hydrobromide, sulfate, and thiocyanate. The salt to free base conversion factors are 0.67 for the bitartrate, 0.73 for the phosphate, and 0.89 for the hydrochloride. Dihydrocodeine is the parent drug of a series of moderately strong narcotics including, among others, hydrocodone, nicocodeine, nicodicodeine, thebaine and acetyldihydrocodeine. It is an original member and chemical base of a number of similar semi-synthetic opioids such as acetyldihydrocodeine, dihydrocodeinone enol acetate, dihydroisocodeine, nicocodeine, and nicodicodeine. Whereas converting codeine to morphine is a difficult and unrewarding task, dihydrocodeine can be converted to dihydromorphine with very high yields (over 95%). Dihydromorphine is widely used in Japan. The dihydromorphine can be quantitatively converted to hydromorphone using potassium tert butoxide. Dihydrocodeine can be presumptively detected by the Froehde reagent.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== External links == Ernest Beutler (1928–2008) – Profile, including an oral history, from The American Society of Hematology. Scientific Publications – All publications of articles by Ernest Beutler listed in PubMed. Marshall A. Lichtman, "Ernest Beutler", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2012)
=== N-degrons === Proteolytic cleavage can lead to exposure of residues at the N-terminus of a protein. According to the N-end rule, different N-terminal amino acids (or N-degrons) are recognized to a different extent by their appropriate ubiquitin ligase (N-recognin), influencing the half-life of the protein. For instance, positively charged (Arg, Lys, His) and bulky hydrophobic amino acids (Phe, Trp, Tyr, Leu, Ile) are recognized preferentially and thus considered destabilizing degrons since they allow faster degradation of their proteins.
== Further reading == Paradise for Sale: A Parable of Nature. McDaniel and Gowdy. "Christmas Island". Fact sheet 157. National Archives of Australia. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014. Weeramantry C. Nauru: environmental damage under international trusteeship. Melbourne: Oxford University Press; 1992. Williams M, Macdonald BK. The phosphateers: a history of the British Phosphate Commissioners and the Christmas Island Phosphate Commission. Carlton, Vic: Melbourne University Press; 1985. Albert Fuller Ellis 1935. Ocean Island and Nauru – their story. Angus and Robertson Limited
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Brand names === Free alcohol gonadorelin has been sold under the brand names Cryptocur, Cystoréline, Fertagyl, GnRH Serono, Gonadorelin, HRF, Kryptocur, LH-RH, Luforan, Pulstim, Relefact, Relisorm L, Stimu-LH, and Wyeth-Ayest HRF. Gonadorelin diacetate has been sold under the brand names Kryptocur, LHRH Ferring, Lutamin, Lutrelef, Lutrepulse, Relisorm L, and Relisorm. GnRH hydrochloride has been sold under the brand names Factrel, HRF, and Luforan. Additional brand names of gonadorelin and its salts include Acegon, Conceptyl, Cystorelin, Enagon, Equity Oestrus Control, Fertagyl Cattle, Fertiral, Gonabreed, Gonadorelin Interpharm, Gonasyn, Gonavet, Hypocrine, Improvest, LH RH Tanabe, LHRH Ferring, LH-RH Ferring, LH-RH Tanabe, Oestracton, OvaCyst, Ovsynch, OVsynch, Ovurelin, Ovarelin, and Relefact LH-RH. The majority of these brand names are for veterinary use.
Diseases of the skin include skin infections and skin neoplasms (including skin cancer). Dermatology is the branch of medicine that deals with conditions of the skin. There are seven cervical, twelve thoracic, five lumbar, and five sacral. Certain diseases like shingles, caused by varicella-zoster infection, have pain sensations and eruptive rashes involving dermatomal distribution. Dermatomes are helpful in the diagnosis of vertebral spinal injury levels. Aside from the dermatomes, the epidermis cells are susceptible to neoplastic changes, resulting in various cancer types. The skin is also valuable for diagnosis of other conditions, since many medical signs show through the skin. Skin colour affects the visibility of these signs, a source of misdiagnosis in unaware medical personnel.
=== Guanidinium cation === The conjugate acid is called the guanidinium cation, (C(NH2)+3). This planar, symmetric ion consists of three amino groups each bonded to the central carbon atom with a covalent bond of order 4/3. It is a highly stable +1 cation in aqueous solution due to the efficient resonance stabilization of the charge and efficient solvation by water molecules. As a result, its pKa is 13.6 (pKb of 0.4) meaning that guanidine is a very strong base in water; in neutral water, it exists almost exclusively as guanidinium. Due to this, most guanidine derivatives are salts containing the conjugate acid.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide composed of four amino acids: alanine, glutamate, aspartate, and glycine. It is written as Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. The free peptide has a molecular weight of about 390 daltons and is normally supplied as a lyophilized powder.
No. Epitalon is chemically synthesized, not extracted. It was designed as a short synthetic fragment conceptually related to larger pineal peptides studied in the same research tradition, particularly the extract known as epithalamin. The two are distinct materials with different compositions.
The term bioregulator is used in this research tradition for short peptides proposed to influence gene expression or cell function. Epitalon is grouped with other synthetic short peptides under this label. The term reflects a proposed mechanism rather than an established drug classification.
It is a four-amino-acid peptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine. The chain is unmodified and contains only standard proteinogenic residues, which makes it straightforward to produce by solid-phase synthesis and to characterise by standard peptide methods.