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Epitalon Background And Identification — Reference Sheet

By Editorial Desk · published 2025-08-27 · last reviewed 2025-09-18 · News

This is a working overview of Epithalamin, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.

This page was last updated on 2025-09-18 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.

Epitalon Background And Identification

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the residue sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its monoisotopic mass is approximately 390.35 daltons, and it is usually supplied as a lyophilised trifluoroacetate or acetate salt. The compound was derived from a pineal gland extract called epithalamin, a heterogeneous preparation investigated in the former Soviet Union. Researchers associated with the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology described the tetrapeptide as a constituent fragment of that extract. Commercial material is offered as a laboratory reagent rather than as a finished pharmaceutical product.

Literature searches for this compound must account for several spelling variants. Indexing databases contain epitalon, epithalon, epithalone, and AEDG, and relevant records are scattered across Russian-language and English-language journals that do not consistently cross-cite. Early publications describe the parent extract as a mixture of many peptides, whereas later work addresses the single synthetic tetrapeptide. That shift in nomenclature complicates comparison between studies, because extract data and tetrapeptide data are sometimes cited interchangeably. A search strategy omitting the alternate spellings will return an incomplete set of references.

Peptide Identity and Laboratory Handling

Laboratory-grade epitalon is typically supplied as a lyophilized powder. Purity is commonly assessed with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, often paired with mass spectrometry to confirm molecular identity. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping can provide additional confirmation of sequence. Certificates of analysis for research materials frequently report purity above 95 percent, although the methods behind such figures vary between suppliers. The absence of a pharmacopeial monograph means that no single standardized assay defines the compound, so reported results depend on the analytical protocol chosen.

Storage recommendations center on limiting moisture, heat, and light. The dry powder is generally kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius, and some suppliers recommend minus 80 degrees for long-term archival. Once dissolved, solutions are usually aliquoted and frozen to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles, which can promote aggregation or degradation. Aqueous stability depends on pH and concentration, and buffered saline is often preferred over plain water for biological work. Stability data specific to epitalon remain limited, so general peptide-handling practices are applied by analogy rather than from product-specific validation.

Epitalon at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Chemical classSynthetic tetrapeptideFour amino acid residues
Residue sequenceAla-Glu-Asp-GlyAbbreviated AEDG
Approximate mass390.35 DaMonoisotopic, free base form
Parent preparationEpithalamin extractDerived from pineal tissue
Common spelling variantsEpithalon, epithalone, AEDGAffects literature retrieval

Background and Chemical Identity

Material supplied for laboratory use is normally a lyophilised white to off-white powder that dissolves readily in water and in isotonic saline. Lyophilised cakes are hygroscopic and should be equilibrated to room temperature before opening to limit condensation on the solid. Solutions are typically prepared at milligram-per-millilitre concentrations and divided into single-use aliquots, because repeated freeze–thaw cycles degrade short peptides. Aqueous solutions are far less stable than the dry powder, and identity is usually verified by mass spectrometry alongside purity estimation from reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Epitalon is a synthetic linear tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine–glutamate–aspartate–glycine, abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 and the calculated mass is approximately 390.35 g/mol. The compound is made by solid-phase peptide synthesis rather than extracted from tissue, although early work described it as a short fragment of a peptide fraction obtained from bovine pineal extract. In the research literature the spelling epitalon and the variant epithalone both appear, while AEDG is the standard code used in peptide nomenclature.

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Peptide Identity and Research Origin

The published literature is dominated by a small number of research groups, much of it in Russian-language journals, and independent replication outside those groups is limited. Studies are typically small, use cultured cells or rodent models, and report endpoints that differ between papers, which makes comparison difficult. Large randomised human trials have not appeared in the indexed literature. Questions about absorption, distribution and clearance are therefore still treated as open in reviews that mention the compound.

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine–glutamate–aspartate–glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its design traces to epithalamin, a peptide fraction prepared from bovine pineal gland extracts that researchers in Saint Petersburg began investigating in the 1970s. The compound has a molecular formula of C14H22N4O9 and a nominal molecular mass near 390 daltons. It holds no approved drug status in the United States or the European Union, and material sold under this name is generally offered as a research chemical rather than a finished pharmaceutical product.

Epitalon Background and Discovery

Published studies on epitalon are dominated by a small number of research groups, and independent replication in other laboratories remains limited. Proposed mechanisms include activation of telomerase and modulation of melatonin rhythms, but the evidence for either rests mainly on cell cultures and animal models. Whether the peptide produces comparable effects in humans is an open question, and the absence of large controlled trials means the literature is best read as exploratory rather than settled.

Epitalon is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9, and its calculated molar mass is approximately 390.35 grams per mole. The compound is a short fragment related to a peptide fraction isolated from bovine pineal gland extracts, and it is normally supplied as a lyophilised powder intended for laboratory research. It is not a registered pharmaceutical product in most countries.

The peptide emerged from research carried out in Saint Petersburg from the late 1980s onward, where investigators searched for shorter active fragments of a pineal preparation known as epithalamin. The name epitalon was chosen to reflect that parent extract. Early reports described effects on neuroendocrine markers and on the lifespan of laboratory animals. Much of that work appeared in Russian-language journals, with English translations following later, which affects how readily the original protocols can be assessed by outside groups.

Structure, Naming and Discovery

Residue composition is the property that most cleanly separates verified material from mislabelled samples. Alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine appear in that order from the N-terminus, and the two acidic residues sit in the middle of the chain. Because the peptide is short, it can be produced by solid-phase synthesis and characterised by mass spectrometry without ambiguity. Any reported sample whose measured mass departs substantially from 390 daltons is a different compound or a degraded mixture rather than epitalon.

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose four residues are alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 and its monoisotopic mass is near 390.35 daltons. The peptide carries two acidic side chains, so it is neutral to negatively charged in most aqueous buffers. Published reference summaries usually list it under both spellings, epitalon and epithalon, and treat the two names as the same material.

The compound is generally described as a synthetic analogue of a fragment isolated from a pineal gland extract. Researchers associated with the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology introduced it during the 1980s and 1990s while studying short peptides from animal tissue. The original extract, called epithalamin, is a heterogeneous mixture, whereas epitalon is a single defined sequence. That distinction matters because findings reported for the extract are not automatically findings about the pure tetrapeptide, and claims about broader biological effects remain a separate question from the chemical identity described here.

Supporting material

Focke-Wulf A 3 Focke-Wulf A 4 Focke-Wulf A 5 Focke-Wulf A 6 Focke-Wulf A 7 Focke-Wulf A 16 – light transport aircraft, 1924. First design built by Focke-Wulf. Focke-Wulf A 17 Möwe (Gull) – 8-passenger airliner, 1927. Focke-Wulf A 20 Habicht (Hawk) – 4-passenger feederliner, 1927. Focke-Wulf A 21 Photomöwe – aerial photography version of A 17, 1929. Focke-Wulf A 26 – engine testbed Focke-Wulf A 28 – A 20 with Bristol Titan engine Focke-Wulf A 29 – production version of A 17, 1929. Focke-Wulf A 32 Bussard (Buzzard) – airliner, 1930. Focke-Wulf A 33 Sperber (Sparrowhawk) – 3-passenger airliner, 1930. Focke-Wulf A 36 Mastgans (Mast Goose) – mail plane, 1931. Focke-Wulf A 38 Möwe (Gull) – 10-passenger airliner, 1931. Focke-Wulf F 19 Ente (Duck) – experimental civil utility aircraft, 1927. Focke-Wulf GL 18 – light transport aircraft developed from the A 16, 1926. Focke-Wulf GL 22 – revised GL 18, 1927. Focke-Wulf K 23 Buchfink (Chaffinch) – two-seat reconnaissance aircraft, 1928. Focke-Wulf AL 101 D Albatros Focke-Wulf S 1 – trainer, 1925. Focke-Wulf S 2 – two-seat trainer, 1928. Focke-Wulf S 24 Kiebitz (Lapwing) – two-seat sports biplane, 1928. Focke-Wulf S 39 – two-seat reconnaissance parasol monoplane, 1931-1932. Focke-Wulf W 4 – reconnaissance floatplane, 1927. Focke-Wulf W 7 – maritime patrol biplane, 1932.

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=== Paralogous chromosomal regions === Sometimes, large regions of chromosomes share gene content similar to other chromosomal regions within the same genome. They are well characterised in the human genome, where they have been used as evidence to support the 2R hypothesis. Sets of duplicated, triplicated and quadruplicated genes, with the related genes on different chromosomes, are deduced to be remnants from genome or chromosomal duplications. A set of paralogy regions is together called a paralogon. Well-studied sets of paralogy regions include regions of human chromosome 2, 7, 12 and 17 containing Hox gene clusters, collagen genes, keratin genes and other duplicated genes, regions of human chromosomes 4, 5, 8 and 10 containing neuropeptide receptor genes, NK class homeobox genes and many more gene families, and parts of human chromosomes 13, 4, 5 and X containing the ParaHox genes and their neighbors. The Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on human chromosome 6 has paralogy regions on chromosomes 1, 9 and 19. Much of the human genome seems to be assignable to paralogy regions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Notes from published material

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Octreotide, sold under the brand name Sandostatin among others, is an octapeptide that mimics natural somatostatin pharmacologically, though it is a more potent inhibitor of growth hormone, glucagon, and insulin than the natural hormone. It was first synthesized in 1979 and binds predominantly to the somatostatin receptors SSTR2 and SSTR5. It was approved for use in the United States in 1988. Octreotide was approved for medical use in the European Union in 2022. As of June 2020, octreotide is the first oral somatostatin analog (SSA) approved by the FDA. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

What is epitalon derived from?

It is based on epithalamin, a peptide-rich preparation obtained from pineal gland tissue and studied in the former Soviet Union. Researchers later identified the tetrapeptide AEDG as a constituent fragment of that material. Modern supplies are produced by chemical synthesis rather than tissue extraction.

Is epitalon identical to epithalamin?

No. Epithalamin is a heterogeneous extract containing many peptides, while epitalon is a single synthesised tetrapeptide. Publications sometimes treat findings from the two as equivalent, which is a common source of confusion. Their compositions differ and they are not interchangeable in analytical terms.

Why are human studies so limited?

Most published work uses cell cultures or rodents because those models are faster and less costly to run. The few human trials that have been reported are small, and several lack control groups or blinding. This restricts what can reasonably be concluded about effects in people.

What is epitalon made of?

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide built from four amino acids: alanine, glutamate, aspartate, and glycine. It is not extracted from a natural source but made in the laboratory by chemical synthesis. Its short length makes it relatively straightforward to produce at high purity.

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