Epitalon
Epitalon is a synthetic pineal-derived tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) studied for cellular longevity, telomerase activation, and circadian regulation; research protocols typically use 1 mg daily subcutaneously in short 20-day courses repeated a few times per year.
It has been studied primarily for cellular longevity and anti-aging endpoints — telomerase activation and telomere maintenance — as well as for circadian rhythm and sleep, melatonin and hormonal balance, and antioxidant and geroprotective effects in cell and animal models.
Epitalon (also called Epithalon, sequence Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly / AEDG) is a synthetic tetrapeptide modeled on epithalamin, a polypeptide extract of the pineal gland first characterized by Vladimir Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg. Research has focused on its reported ability to induce expression of the catalytic telomerase subunit (hTERT) and thereby lengthen telomeres: in vitro studies described human fibroblasts exceeding the Hayflick limit and maintaining longer telomeres, and animal work has examined effects on antioxidant enzymes, chromosomal stability, melatonin and cortisol rhythms, and lifespan.
As a short peptide it is thought to act as a bioregulator influencing gene expression rather than binding a single classical receptor. Most published work originates from Russian laboratories, and broader independent replication remains limited. Epitalon is not FDA-approved; it is handled as a research compound, and reviewers note that safety and toxicity data are still incomplete.
In research settings it has typically been administered parenterally in short courses, and the founder handbook describes 20-day courses repeated about three times per year.
Time-to-effect is not well defined in humans; cellular and animal studies report telomerase and telomere changes over the course of multi-day to multi-week dosing rather than acutely, and reported sleep or circadian effects are described over similar timeframes.
In longevity research it has most often been studied alongside thymalin (a thymic peptide), with which combined courses were associated with the largest reported mortality reductions in elderly cohorts.
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This page is educational reference material about compounds studied in research settings. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy, possess, or use any compound. Research findings described are from published literature; individual compounds may not be approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician about anything that affects your health.