tetrapeptide is one of those subjects where the details matter more than the headlines. This page pulls together the background, the mechanisms, and the practical points readers ask about most.
Last reviewed on 2026-06-03. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
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.
Reported biological findings come mainly from cell culture and rodent experiments. Those studies describe changes in telomerase catalytic subunit expression, melatonin rhythm amplitude, and antioxidant enzyme activity after peptide exposure. Human data are sparse and consist of small trials with limited blinding and inconsistent endpoints. The proposed mechanisms remain hypotheses rather than established facts, and there is no consensus on whether effects observed in animals carry over to people. Independent replication outside the original research groups is limited, which is a recognised gap in the published literature.
The parent extract epithalamin was characterised as a low-molecular-weight fraction of pineal tissue rather than a single defined chemical entity. Researchers fractionated it and tested successive fragments for activity, a screening approach typical of peptide discovery work in that era. Epitalon emerged from that process as one of the shorter sequences of interest. Because the original extract was never fully resolved into individual components, claims about which constituent drives a given effect rest on inference. This distinction matters when reading older reports that attribute extract observations to the tetrapeptide itself.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Derived from the four-residue sequence |
| Molar mass | About 390.35 g/mol | Free peptide, counter-ion not included |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Lyophilised solid from aqueous solution |
| Water solubility | Freely soluble | Short, polar peptide chain |
| Common synonyms | AEDG; epithalone | Catalogues use the names interchangeably |
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.
Several names circulate for the same molecule, including epitalon, epithalone, epithalamin tetrapeptide, and the sequence code AEDG. A CAS registry number, 307297-39-8, is commonly cited for it, though catalogue entries should be checked against supplier documentation because mislabelled records occur. In its usual form the peptide carries free amino and carboxyl termini and is neither glycosylated nor lipidated. Researchers distinguish the defined tetrapeptide from epithalamin itself, a crude pineal preparation containing many peptides that is not chemically characterised.
=== Kenny Kilbane === Kenny Kilbane (Conor MacNeill) is a VP on Pierpoint's FX desk, and Yasmin's line manager. Throughout the first season, Kenny subjects Yasmin to repeated bullying and verbal abuse in the workplace, which he often blames on his alcoholism. In one case, Yasmin brings Kenny to a client dinner she arranged with her family friend Maxim Alonso, but Kenny embarrasses her when he orders a stripper to perform a lap dance on Yasmin in front of her disgusted clients. On RIF day, however, Kenny's boss Hilary Wyndham advises that Yasmin not report his behavior during her interview, suggesting that being a "team player" would help her career prospects. In series 2, Kenny returns to work following a long stint in rehab during the COVID-19 pandemic, noticeably kinder to his colleagues and vocal about his commitment to self-improvement and repentance. Yasmin, though still uncomfortable around Kenny, invites him to another client dinner, which ends up going well after Kenny and the client bond over both attending AA. When Yasmin announces her departure from the FX desk for a role in private wealth management (PWM), Kenny takes her aside and offers a sincere, tearful apology for his past behavior. Later, however, new FX hire Venetia Berens reports to Kenny that CPS client Nicole Craig sexually assaulted her, and that Yasmin dismissed her concerns. Kenny confronts Yasmin about her response, but Yasmin berates him for his hypocrisy given his own history of abusive conduct towards her, and brands him a narcissist lording his sobriety over others.
Venoms of centipedes remained largely unstudied, and the components remain largely unknown. The venom of the Chinese red-headed centipede contains a small peptide toxin called RhTx, which increases activation of the TRPV1 ion channel, causing a localized burning pain. The crude venom is said to be toxic in mice and to induce platelet aggregation. In addition, another 26 neurotoxins belonging to 10 different groups of peptides have been identified. In January 2018, Chinese scientists found an antidote to the painful venom of centipede in the drug retigabine, used to treat epilepsy. The biological actions of the toxins in centipede venom are mostly unknown. A peptide named S. mutilans venom toxin peptide (SsmTP) and S. mutilans 6 were identified in S. mutilans's venom. SsmTP consists of 66 amino acids, and its composition highly resembles those of neurotoxins. The peptide is found within the venom duct. SsmTP was found to be toxic to cells depending on the concentration administered. It promotes cell growth in low concentrations in vitro (i.e. outside a living organism), but is cytotoxic in high concentrations. A low concentration of SsmTP also protects cells from oxidative damage by inhibiting programmed cell death (apoptosis) and the inflammatory response initiator caspase-1.
DNA sequencing research, using microfluidics, also has the ability to be applied to the sequencing of RNA, using similar droplet microfluidic techniques, such as the method, inDrops. This shows that many of these DNA sequencing techniques will be able to be applied further and be used to understand more about genomes and transcriptomes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Function in pregnancy === Human placental lactogen (hPL) plays a role in supporting the changes needed during pregnancy. It helps in the development of the mammary glands for milk production post-childbirth. Additionally, with estrogen and progesterone, hPL helps in growing alveolar for lactogenesis. Acting as a growth hormone it facilitates fetal development by boosting protein synthesis and cellular growth.
Sara L. Goodacre is a research geneticist and Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Genetics at the University of Nottingham. She is the lead for the Open Air Laboratories, a citizen science project that engages people with the outdoor environment and Deputy Director of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Doctoral Training Programme.
The Yumburger (also spelled as Yum Burger, or Yum!), one of the first products sold by Jollibee, is a hamburger containing a beef patty topped with mayonnaise. In The Daily Telegraph, Michael Deacon described the Yumburger as "a slim, floppy, somewhat damp hamburger slathered with a strangely sweet mayo" in his three-star review of a Jollibee location in London. In 2017, Jollibee introduced the Aloha Yumburger. That same year, an advertising video on YouTube about the Yumburger went viral in the Philippines. A 2019 Yumburger commercial about love on Father's Day was the subject of memes. Merchandise depicting the Yumburger was released in 2018 as a collectible toy set with the Jolly Kiddie Meal.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is a synthetic tetrapeptide built from alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine. The four residues are joined by standard peptide bonds, giving a linear chain rather than a branched structure.
The name derives from epithalamin, a pineal gland extract studied in the former Soviet Union. Researchers proposed that short fragments of that extract carried the biological activity of interest.
No major regulatory agency has approved it as a medicine. It is handled as a research chemical, and products sold under this name are not standardised drugs with defined clinical labelling.
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.