Epithalon | Review Articles, Experimental Studies

The four amino acids glycine, alanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid comprise the synthetic tetrapeptide isolate known as Epithalon. It originated from the pineal gland’s crude polypeptide epithalamin.

Scientists at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, headed by Professor Vladimir Khavinson, created the synthetic peptide in the 1980s. Since then, it has been studied extensively in cell cultures and animal research models.

“Epitalon,” “Epithalone,” and “AEDG peptide” are some of the names that licensed handlers may encounter while shopping for an Epithalon supplier. Any peptide supplied in academia or research must be labelled as “research chemical,” “reference material,” or something similar; it is not meant for human consumption. None of the substances mentioned in this article should be acquired or utilized by unlicensed individuals outside of contained research environments such as laboratories. This article is intended for educational purposes only.

Epithalon Peptide: Mechanism of Action

Extension of the cell life cycle, anti-ageing, and cancer cell inhibition are just a few areas hypothesized to be impacted by Epithalon’s potential to upregulate telomerase activity and extend telomeres.

Studies suggest that Epithalon may promote an increase in organism’s total lifespan by suppressing the CCl11 and HMGB1 genes, which are known to control gene expression and protein synthesis. Research into its anti-tumour potential in breast and colorectal cancer has been prompted by its alleged antioxidant activities and potential to decrease carcinogenic receptor expression.

Research indicates that because it may possibly control inflammatory biomolecules, including cytokines and C-reactive protein, Epithalon has been studied as a possible approach in the context of inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

The peptide’s potential to raise endogenous gonadotropic hormone levels (FSG, LG, prolactin)—which are responsible for reproductive function but inevitably decrease over time—has led researchers to consider it a potential sleep cycle regulation agent.

Epithalon Peptide Potential

Outside of Russia, where it is used as a research tool in the context of hormone-dependent cancers, anovulatory infertility, and menopause-related symptoms, Epithalon is categorized as a research chemical. According to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), most studies on epithalamin and Epithalon have been carried out in Russia (or the Soviet Union) and have not been verified by outside sources.

Efforts have been made to refer to English translations when available; however, the ADDF states that it has eliminated around half of the 110 Russian-language Epithalon/epithalamin publications from its evaluation.

Based on the data that is currently accessible, we have compiled a list of the main hypothesized theories on the action of the Epithalon peptide below.

Epithalon Peptide and Metabolism

Investigations purport that Epithalon may potentially control gene expression and protein synthesis, which slows the onset of age-related illnesses.

Professor Khavinson and colleagues speculated in a 2003 in vitro investigation that telomerase-negative fetal fibroblast cultures might be stimulated to produce more telomeres when exposed to Epithalon. According to their findings, epithalons may have anti-senescence potential which might allow cell populations to live longer.

In a study conducted the same year, researchers Khavinson and colleagues hypothesized that after two to three years of epithalamin presentation, older research models’ death rate appeared to be 1.6-1.8 times lower than that of a control group. Furthermore, the research models who were exposed to epithalamin suggested lower incidences of:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Blood pressure drops or rises beyond the standard threshold
• Joint degeneration
• Breakage or fracture of bone tissue

According to the study’s authors, Epithalon was evaluated in studies related to “age-related pathology prevention.” Studies are still ongoing.

Epithalon Peptide and Sleep

Researchers have suggested that because the peptide may potentially raise melatonin, it may thereby warrant further exploration in sleep cycles and cognitive research.

In a 1992 study, Anisimov et al. studied the impact of epithalamin on pineal and serum melatonin levels in aged rat models. The researchers cited previous work suggesting that providing rats with melatonin may have improved their lifespan, as speculated by the fact that epithalamin boosted melatonin synthesis in rats.

Researchers Khavinson et al. theorized that the peptide Epithalon might dramatically increase melatonin synthesis, which in turn may normalize the circadian regularity of cortisol secretion, in an investigation of the regulatory impact of Epithalon on melatonin and cortisol production in aged monkeys.

Korkushko et al. suggested in 2004 that epithalamin may modulate the pineal gland’s melatonin-producing activity, increasing melatonin synthesis.

Research conducted in 2013 by Korenevsky et al. indicated that female rats subjected to less-than-ideal environmental conditions, like light pollution, were able to recover from several hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis impairments after receiving a combination of melatonin and Epithalon.

Modern studies have speculated the connection between melatonin and brain function by considering that its antioxidant qualities may shield the brain from the harmful effects of oxidative stress.

Researchers are very interested in Epithalon’s potential in regulating sleep and keeping the brain functioning at high levels since oxidative stress may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases.

Epithalon Peptide and DNA

Based on its alleged antioxidant activity, Epithalon has been theorized to have the potential to prevent and repair DNA damage. It has been speculated that:

• Reduce DNA damage when given to mice under accelerated ageing conditions;
• Stimulate neurons in the brain’s cortex;
• Elevate phosphor-CREB levels, a DNA-binding protein;
• Enhance antioxidant defence mechanisms in rats.

Epithalon Peptide and Cancer

Epithalon peptide has been studied in the context of cancer-prevention research in preclinical investigations involving rats and cancerous mice. In 2002, Anisimov et al. conducted research by giving monthly concentrations of Vilon or Epithalon to female transgenic FVB mice containing the breast cancer gene HER-2/neu. By reducing the maximum size of breast adenocarcinomas by 33% compared to the control group, researchers hypothesized that Epithalon appeared to have “markedly inhibited neoplasm development.”

Thinking that the peptide postponed the development of metastases from spontaneous tumours, but no metastases were detected in the experimental animals, Kossoy et al. (2006) examined the possible preventative impact of Epithalon on spontaneous tumorigenesis in mice.

Two studies by Vinogradova et al. implied that Epithalon peptide may have greatly prolonged the average lifespan of rats subjected to continuous natural light. These findings suggest that Eptihalon peptide may have anti-cancer potential in animal models, indicating the need for more investigation.

Scientists interested in buying Epithalon are encouraged to visit the Biotech Peptides website for the highest-quality, most affordable research compounds.

References

[i] Epithalamin/Epithalon. (2022). Retrieved, from https://www.alzdiscovery.org/uploads/cognitive_vitality_media/Epithalamin-and-Epithalon-Cognitive-Vitality-For-Researchers.pdf

[ii] Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA. Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2003 Jun;135(6):590-2. doi: 10.1023/a:1025493705728. PMID: 12937682.

[iii] Khavinson V, Diomede F, Mironova E, Linkova N, Trofimova S, Trubiani O, Caputi S, Sinjari B. AEDG Peptide (Epitalon) Stimulates Gene Expression and Protein Synthesis during Neurogenesis: Possible Epigenetic Mechanism. Molecules. 2020 Jan 30;25(3):609. doi: 10.3390/molecules25030609. PMID: 32019204; PMCID: PMC7037223

[iv] Khavinson VKh, Kuznik BI, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin’kova NS. [Peptides and CCL11 and HMGB1 as molecular markers of aging: literature review and own data]. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(3):399-406. Russian. PMID: 25826983.

[v] Anisimov VN, Arutjunyan AV, Khavinson VK. Effects of pineal peptide preparation Epithalamin on free-radical processes in humans and animals. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2001;22(1):9-18. PMID: 11335874.