This is a working overview of pineal peptides, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
Reviewed 2026-05-12. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the amino acid sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly or AEDG. It was developed by the Russian researcher Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues during work on peptide bioregulators derived from the pineal gland. The compound is short enough to be produced by standard solid-phase peptide synthesis and is typically handled as a lyophilized white powder. Its small size distinguishes it from larger pineal peptides such as epithalamin, a complex extract from which the tetrapeptide was conceptually derived.
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.
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.
These ranged from deformed jaws to cyclopia. After decades of research, in the 1980s, the compound responsible for these deformities was identified as the alkaloid 11-deoxyjervine, later renamed to cyclopamine.
=== T cell maturation === The thymus facilitates the maturation of T cells, an important part of the adaptive immune system, providing cell-mediated immunity. T cells begin as hematopoietic precursors from the bone marrow, and migrate to the thymus, where they are referred to as thymocytes. There, they mature, which involves ensuring the cells react against foreign antigens ("positive selection"), but do not react against antigens found on body tissue ("negative selection"). Once mature, T cells emigrate from the thymus to the rest of the body. Each T cell has a distinct T cell receptor, suited to a specific antigen. Most T cell receptors bind to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on cells. The MHC presents an antigen to the T cell receptor, which becomes active if they match. A mature T cell needs to bind to the MHC molecule ("positive selection"), and not to react against antigens that are from healthy tissues ("negative selection"). Positive selection occurs in the cortex, while negative selection occurs in the medulla. After this process, surviving T cells exit the thymus, regulated by sphingosine-1-phosphate. Further maturation occurs in the peripheral circulation. Some of this is because of hormones and cytokines secreted within the thymus, including thymulin, thymopoietin, and thymosins.
Overall, these iron oxides display good magnetic properties, lower toxicity, and high stability against degradation. For example, a Fe3-δO4 core-shell is used as a carrier for drug delivery. The designed magnetic nanoparticle-based structure displayed biocompatibility, the formation of a covalent bond between the carrier and drug, and glutathione-responsive drug release which prevents early drug release and increases bioavailability. Furthermore, the presence of magnetic nanoparticles in this drug delivery method allows for its response to external magnetic fields for functionalization. The combination of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) used as drug carriers for doxorubicin are influenced by external magnetism. In vivo SPIO-PEG-D under a magnetic field leads to greater tumor accumulation of therapeutic elements, shows lower tumor size, and reduces cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity in the magnetic field. Doxorubicin is known for being extremely toxic, and SPIO-PEG shows potential for use as a nanoparticle carrier for reduced toxicity in the periphery.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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== Diagnosis == Gilbert syndrome is typically diagnosed based on clinical findings and laboratory results, emphasizing the exclusion of other potential causes of elevated bilirubin levels. The key criteria include:
== History == A total of 1,535 participants with moderate to severe acute pain were treated with oliceridine in controlled and open-label trials. Its safety and efficacy were established by comparing oliceridine to placebo in randomized, controlled studies of participants who had undergone bunion surgery or abdominal surgery. Participants administered oliceridine reported decreased pain compared to placebo at the approved doses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved oliceridine based on evidence from three clinical trials (Trial 1/NCT02815709, Trial 2/NCT02820324 and Trial 3) of 1558 participants 18 to 89 years old who were in need of pain medication. The trials were conducted at 53 sites in the United States. Trial 1 enrolled participants who underwent bunion surgery. Participants with moderate to severe post-surgical pain were randomly assigned to receive oliceridine, placebo or an approved drug to treat pain (morphine) for 48 hours intravenously. Neither the participants nor the health care providers knew which treatment was being given until after the trial was completed. All participants were allowed to use a rescue pain medication, if the pain was not well controlled using the trial medications. Trial 2 enrolled participants who underwent surgical removal of abdominal wall fat (abdominoplasty) and had moderate to severe pain. Participants were randomly assigned to receive oliceridine, placebo or an approved drug to treat pain (morphine) for 24 hours intravenously.
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.