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Epitalon Background And Discovery — Complete Guide

By Editorial Desk · published 2026-07-28 · last reviewed 2026-08-01 · Topic

AEDG comes up often in conversation and rarely with the context attached. Here we lay out the basics in order, then work through the practical considerations.

Last reviewed on 2026-08-01. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.

Epitalon Background and Discovery

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.

Background and Chemical Identity

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.

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 at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Molecular formulaC14H22N4O9Derived from the four-residue sequence
Molar massAbout 390.35 g/molFree peptide, counter-ion not included
AppearanceWhite to off-white powderLyophilised solid from aqueous solution
Water solubilityFreely solubleShort, polar peptide chain
Common synonymsAEDG; epithaloneCatalogues use the names interchangeably

Epitalon Background And Identification

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.

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Reference notes

== D == Dakin reaction (AKA Dakin oxidation) Dakin–West reaction Danheiser annulation Danheiser benzannulation Darapsky degradation Darzens condensation, Darzens–Claisen reaction, Glycidic ester condensation Darzens halogenation Darzens synthesis of unsaturated ketones Darzens tetralin synthesis Davis' reagent, Davis oxidation Davis–Beirut reaction De Kimpe aziridine synthesis Dehydration reaction Dehydrogenation Delépine reaction DeMayo reaction Demjanov rearrangement Demjanow desamination Dess–Martin oxidation Diazoalkane 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition Diazotisation DIBAL-H selective reduction Dieckmann condensation Dieckmann reaction Diels–Alder reaction Diels–Reese reaction Dienol–benzene rearrangement Dienone–phenol rearrangement Dimroth rearrangement Di-π-methane rearrangement Directed ortho metalation Doebner modification Doebner reaction Doebner–Miller reaction, Beyer method for quinolines Doering–LaFlamme carbon chain extension Dötz reaction Dowd–Beckwith ring expansion reaction Duff reaction Dutt–Wormall reaction Dyotropic reaction

Subgenus Artocarpus: Perianth of fruit is partially connate (fused). Subgenus Pseudojaca: Perianth is entirely connate. Subgenus Cauliflori Subgenus Pseudojaca is allied to the genus Prainea, and some researchers treat this taxon as a fourth subgenus of Artocarpus.

=== Other === Organic polymers can be used to create aerogels. SEAgel is made of agar. Cellulose from plants can be used to create a flexible aerogel. GraPhage13 is the first graphene-based aerogel assembled using graphene oxide and the M13 bacteriophage. Chalcogel is an aerogel made of chalcogens (the column of elements on the periodic table beginning with oxygen) such as sulfur, selenium, and other elements. Metals less expensive than platinum have been used in its creation. Aerogels made of cadmium selenide quantum dots in a porous 3-D network have been developed for use in the semiconductor industry. Aerogel performance may be augmented for a specific application by the addition of dopants, reinforcing structures, and hybridizing compounds. For example, Spaceloft is a composite of aerogel with some kind of fibrous batting. Amyloid fibrils from food waste (whey) have the potential for use in AF aerogels for gold extraction from e-waste. Their use would have a less environmental impact than that of the conventional use of activated carbon as adsorbent.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Notes from published material

=== Internal relationships === The phylogeny of the teleosts has been subject to long debate, without consensus on either their phylogeny or the timing of the emergence of the major groups before the application of modern DNA-based cladistic analysis. Near et al. (2012) explored the phylogeny and divergence times of every major lineage, analysing the DNA sequences of 9 unlinked genes in 232 species. They obtained well-resolved phylogenies with strong support for the nodes (so, the pattern of branching shown is likely to be correct). They calibrated (set actual values for) branching times in this tree from 36 reliable measurements of absolute time from the fossil record. The teleosts are divided into the major clades shown on the cladogram, with dates, following Near et al. More recent research divide the teleosts into two major groups: Eloposteoglossocephala (Elopomorpha + Osteoglossomorpha) and Clupeocephala (the rest of the teleosts).

=== Uniformity requirements === The chemical processing and synthesis of high-performance technological components for the private, industrial, and military sectors requires the use of high-purity ceramics (oxide ceramics, such as aluminium oxide or copper(II) oxide), polymers, glass-ceramics, and composite materials, as metal carbides (SiC), nitrides (Aluminum nitrides, Silicon nitride), metals (Al, Cu), non-metals (graphite, carbon nanotubes), and layered (Al + aluminium carbonate, Cu + C). In condensed bodies formed from fine powders, the irregular particle sizes and shapes in a typical powder often lead to non-uniform packing morphologies that result in packing density variations in the powder compact. Uncontrolled agglomeration of powders due to attractive van der Waals forces can also give rise to microstructural heterogeneity. Differential stresses that develop as a result of non-uniform drying shrinkage are directly related to the rate at which the solvent can be removed, and thus highly dependent upon the distribution of porosity. Such stresses have been associated with a plastic-to-brittle transition in consolidated bodies, and can yield to crack propagation in the unfired body if not relieved. In addition, any fluctuations in packing density in the compact as it is prepared for the kiln are often amplified during the sintering process, yielding inhomogeneous densification. Some pores and other structural defects associated with density variations have been shown to play a detrimental role in the sintering process by growing and thus limiting end-point densities.

=== Genetically engineered biofactories === Various yeast species have been genetically engineered to efficiently produce various drugs, a technique called metabolic engineering. S. cerevisiae is easy to genetically engineer; its physiology, metabolism and genetics are well known, and it is amenable for use in harsh industrial conditions. A wide variety of chemical in different classes can be produced by engineered yeast, including phenolics, isoprenoids, alkaloids, and polyketides. About 20% of biopharmaceuticals are produced in S. cerevisiae, including insulin, vaccines for hepatitis, and human serum albumin.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

What is epitalon made of?

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.

Why is it called epitalon?

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.

Is epitalon approved for medical use?

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.

Is epitalon a natural substance?

It is a synthetic tetrapeptide. Its sequence was derived from research on peptide fractions of bovine pineal extract, and the intact AEDG sequence has not been demonstrated as an abundant free peptide in human tissue.

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