Epithalamin 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.
Updated 2026-04-13. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
The molecule is a short, linear, hydrophilic peptide that dissolves readily in water or aqueous buffer. Its principal chemical liabilities are hydrolytic rather than oxidative, since it contains no cysteine, methionine, or tryptophan residues. The aspartate–glycine step is a recognised site for aspartimide formation under mildly acidic or basic conditions, generating isoaspartate and succinimide-related products over time. Desiccated lyophilised powder held at −20 °C is comparatively stable, whereas dilute solutions degrade faster and are best frozen as single-use aliquots rather than thawed repeatedly.
No pharmacopoeial monograph exists for this peptide, so quality rests on the supplier's internal specifications and on whatever independent testing a purchaser arranges. Certificates of analysis differ widely in which tests they report and in the limits applied. The counter-ion introduced during purification, commonly acetate or trifluoroacetate, changes the net peptide content of a given mass of powder, so two samples of equal weight may not contain equal amounts of the active sequence. Third-party laboratories can verify purity, identity, residual solvents, and counter-ion content for a fee, which makes documentation more informative than labelling.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. It was designed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as a short, chemically defined analogue of epithalamin, a fraction obtained from bovine pineal tissue. Small peptide bioregulators of this type formed a long-running line of work there from the 1980s onward. Because the molecule is produced by solid-phase synthesis rather than extraction, its composition is exact and its purity can be measured directly.
The most frequently cited proposed action is induction of telomerase, the enzyme that adds repeat sequences to chromosome ends. Cell-culture work from the originating group reported higher telomerase reverse transcriptase expression and measurable telomere elongation in human somatic cells after exposure. How a four-residue peptide would reach nuclear gene regulation is not established, and no cell-surface receptor or uptake route has been identified. Additional reports describe changes in melatonin secretion, antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in aged animals, but these findings remain mechanistically unconnected to the telomerase observation.
Published evidence comes mainly from Russian-language journals and from a single research group, with small sample sizes and limited independent replication. A few laboratories outside that group have examined related peptides and reported weaker or absent telomerase effects, so the central claim is best described as contested rather than settled. Rodent studies report modest changes in some ageing markers and in survival, but designs vary and control conditions are often sparse. No large randomised trial in humans has been published, and long-term safety data in healthy populations are correspondingly thin.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Identity confirmation | Electrospray or MALDI mass spectrometry | Observed mass compared with theoretical 390.35 Da |
| Purity specification | 95 percent or greater by RP-HPLC | Common convention for research-grade peptide |
| Counter-ion | Acetate or trifluoroacetate | Affects net peptide content of a weighed sample |
| Solution storage | −80 °C as single-use aliquots | Repeated freeze–thaw cycles accelerate loss |
| Main degradation route | Aspartimide formation at Asp-Gly | Produces isoaspartate and related species |
Stability of the tetrapeptide follows ordinary peptide chemistry rather than any unusual structural feature. The aspartate-glycine pair is prone to aspartimide formation under mildly basic or neutral conditions, and deamidation can follow, altering both mass and chromatographic retention. Dry lyophilised powder kept at or below minus twenty degrees Celsius is the usual handling recommendation, with repeated freeze-thaw cycles avoided. Once dissolved in neutral aqueous buffer, degradation proceeds over days to weeks depending on pH and temperature, while acidic conditions generally slow the aspartimide route. A formal stability-indicating study has not been published in the indexed literature.
Because epitalon has no pharmacopoeial monograph, quality assessment depends on supplier documentation and independent testing. Certificates of analysis typically report a purity figure from a single chromatographic run, a measured mass and sometimes an appearance description, but methods and acceptance criteria are not harmonised across vendors. Third-party laboratories can repeat identity and purity measurements, and mismatches between labelled and measured peptide content have been described for research peptides generally. What constitutes adequate identity confirmation for a molecule of this size stays an open question, since mass agreement alone does not separate closely related sequences.
Identity testing for epitalon relies on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for purity and mass spectrometry for mass confirmation. Because the sequence contains no tryptophan or tyrosine, ultraviolet detection at 280 nanometres is insensitive, so chromatographic methods usually monitor absorbance near 214 nanometres, where the peptide backbone absorbs. Electrospray ionisation or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation then checks the intact mass against the expected value near 390 daltons. Peptide mapping or amino acid analysis after acid hydrolysis can supplement these measurements, although such confirmatory work is seldom reported on commercial certificates of analysis.
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.
In addition, historical figures in the process of independence in New Granada emerged from the expedition as the astronomer Francisco José de Caldas, the scientist Francisco Antonio Zea, the zoologist Jorge Tadeo Lozano and the painter Salvador Rizo.
== Morphology == These organisms specifically reside in the family Stichodactylidae or the “carpet anemones”. Defined by their distinct morphology, S. helianthus are large anemones that are sessile and range in diameter of 10–20 cm. Their color varies in shades of golden brown, yellow and green. They possess a multitude of nematocyst-coated tentacles that cover their flattened oral disc. The nematocysts play a large role in predation and defense by excreting toxins.
junk RNA Any RNA-encoded sequence, especially a transcript, that appears to have no known biological function, or whose function has no positive or a net negative effect on the fitness of the genome from which it is transcribed. Despite remaining untranslated, many non-coding RNAs still serve important functions, whereas junk RNAs are truly useless: often they are the product of accidental transcription of a junk DNA sequence, or they may result from post-transcriptional processing of primary transcripts, as with spliced-out introns. Junk RNA is usually quickly degraded by ribonucleases and other cytoplasmic enzymes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Other uses == Adult Nurse Practitioner Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Lee Airport, Annapolis, Maryland, US (IATA airport code and FAA location identifier "ANP") Angika language (ISO language code "anp") Absolut Null Punkt, a Japanese band featuring KK Null Anpao or Anp, the two-faced Lakota god of the dawn in Native American mythology Aviação Naval Portuguesa or Portuguese Naval Aviation
15 January – Train passengers using the South West Main Line are warned to expect major disruptions after a section of the track north of Hook railway station in Hampshire collapsed due to a landslide. 16 January – At London's Southwark Crown Court, former Metropolitan Police Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection officer David Carrick admits over 40 offences including over 20 rapes. 23 January – Salisbury Crown Court in Wiltshire convicts Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, an Afghan who committed a double murder in Serbia before moving to the UK as an asylum seeker, by pretending to be a 14-year-old refugee, of a murder he committed in Bournemouth, Dorset, in 2022. 25 January – Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 29 years for the March 2022 murder of Thomas Roberts.
Myelinoclastic or demyelinating disorders: Typical forms of multiple sclerosis Neuromyelitis optica, or Devic's disease Idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases Leukodystrophic or dysmyelinating disorders: CNS neuropathies such as those produced by vitamin B12 deficiency Central pontine myelinolysis Myelopathies such as tabes dorsalis (syphilitic myelopathy) Leukoencephalopathies such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy Leukodystrophies The myelinoclastic disorders are typically associated with symptoms such as optic neuritis and transverse myelitis, because the demyelinating inflammation can affect the optic nerve or spinal cord. Many are idiopathic. Both myelinoclastic and leukodystrophic modes of disease may result in lesional demyelinations of the central nervous system.
=== May === 1 May – MSPs vote 70–58 to defeat a motion of no confidence in the Scottish Government. 2 May – John Swinney is set to become the next SNP leader and first minister after Kate Forbes confirms she will not seek the party's leadership. 5 May – John Swinney warns that any bid to challenge his election as leader would delay rebuilding the party amid reports party activist Graeme McCormick is set to put his name forward. He subsequently announces he will not launch a challenge and endorses Swinney. 6 May – John Swinney is confirmed as Leader of the Scottish National Party after being unopposed in the leadership election, and begins his second tenure in the post. 7 May – John Swinney wins the backing of the Scottish Parliament to become Scotland's seventh First Minister, and will be sworn into office the next day. 8 May – John Swinney is sworn in as Scotland's seventh first minister at a ceremony at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. Swinney appoints Kate Forbes as Scotland's Deputy First Minister. Plans to redevelop Glasgow's Met Tower as a digital technology hub are cancelled, with the company behind the redevelopment citing "significant changes" to economic conditions and the construction market. 9 May – Swinney confirms to the BBC that the SNP's strategy of using the next general election as a mandate for a second referendum on Scottish independence remains. 10 May – Food Standards Scotland confirms a case of BSE has been found on a farm in Ayrshire, but says there is no risk to the public as the animal did not enter the food chain.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Other forms === The anamorphic form of P. semilanceata is an asexual stage in the fungus's life cycle involved in the development of mitotic diaspores (conidia). In culture, grown in a petri dish, the fungus forms a white to pale orange cottony or felt-like mat of mycelia. The conidia formed are straight to curved, measuring 2.0–8.0 by 1.1–2.0 μm, and may contain one to several small intracellular droplets. Although little is known of the anamorphic stage of P. semilanceata beyond the confines of laboratory culture, in general, the morphology of the asexual structures may be used as classical characters in phylogenetic analyses to help understand the evolutionary relationships between related groups of fungi. Scottish mycologist Roy Watling described sequestrate (truffle-like) or secotioid versions of P. semilanceata he found growing in association with regular fruit bodies. These versions had elongated caps, 20–22 cm (7.9–8.7 in) long and 0.8–1 cm (0.3–0.4 in) wide at the base, with the inward curved margins closely hugging the stipe from the development of membranous flanges. Their gills were narrow, closely crowded together, and anastomosed (fused together in a vein-like network). The color of the gills was sepia with a brownish vinaceous (red wine-colored) cast, and a white margin. The stipes of the fruit bodies were 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in) long by 0.1–0.3 cm (0.04–0.12 in) thick, with about 2 cm (0.8 in) of stipe length covered by the extended cap. The thick-walled ellipsoid spores were 12.5–13.5 by 6.5–7 μm.
Xi identifies environmental protection as one of China's five major priorities for national progress. Xi has popularized a metaphor of "two mountains" to emphasize the importance of environmental protection. The concept is that a mountain made of gold or silver is valuable, but green mountains with clear waters are more valuable. The slogan's meaning is that economic development priorities must also provide for economic protection. In September 2020, Xi announced that China would "strengthen its 2030 climate target (NDC), peak emissions before 2030 and aim to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060." If accomplished, this would lower the expected rise in global temperature by 0.2–0.3 °C – "the biggest single reduction ever estimated by the Climate Action Tracker." Xi mentioned the link between the COVID-19 pandemic and nature destruction as one of the reasons for the decision, saying that "Humankind can no longer afford to ignore the repeated warnings of nature." On 27 September 2020, Chinese scientists presented a detailed plan how to achieve the target. In September 2021, Xi announced that China will not build "coal-fired power projects abroad", which was said to be potentially "pivotal" in reducing emissions. The Belt and Road Initiative did not include financing such projects in the first half of 2021. Xi did not attend COP26 personally. However, a Chinese delegation led by climate change envoy Xie Zhenhua did attend. During the conference, the United States and China agreed on a framework to reduce GHG emission by co-operating on different measures.
Advanced characterization of bacterial organisms can be also performed, allowing to obtain the necessary depth and breadth of coverage for genetic characterization results. Gene calling can be performed in a variety of ways, including RAST or using NCBI services at the time of full genome submission. Results of multiple annotation tools can be compared for accuracy and completeness and, if necessary, merged using BEACON. For characterization of antibiotic resistance genes, the Resistance Gene Identifier from the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) is commonly used. To characterize virulence factor genes, ShortBRED offers analyses with a customized database from the Virulence Factor Database.
== Materials science == Materials science has applied the techniques of combinatorial chemistry to the discovery of new materials. This work was pioneered by P.G. Schultz et al. in the mid-nineties in the context of luminescent materials obtained by co-deposition of elements on a silicon substrate. His work was preceded by J. J. Hanak in 1970 but the computer and robotics tools were not available for the method to spread at the time. Work has been continued by several academic groups as well as companies with large research and development programs (Symyx Technologies, GE, Dow Chemical etc.). The technique has been used extensively for catalysis, coatings, electronics, and many other fields. The application of appropriate informatics tools is critical to handle, administer, and store the vast volumes of data produced. New types of design of experiments methods have also been developed to efficiently address the large experimental spaces that can be tackled using combinatorial methods.
Dissolvable or swelling microneedles would provide those who are limited in their ability to seek hospital care with the ability to safely administer drugs in the comfort of their homes, although disposal of solid or hollow microneedles could still pose a needle-stick or blood borne pathogen infection risk. Another benefit of microneedles is their lower rates of microbial invasion into delivery sites. Traditional injection methods can leave puncture wounds for up to 48 hours post-treatment. This leaves a large window of opportunity for harmful bacteria to enter into the skin. Microneedles only damage the skin to a depth of 10-15μm, making it difficult for bacteria to enter the bloodstream and giving the body a smaller wound to repair. Further research is required to determine the types of bacteria able to breach the shallow puncture site of microneedles.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Mass spectrometry provides the identity check, because the observed mass is compared with the theoretical mass of the AEDG sequence. Chromatography separates and quantifies impurities but does not by itself prove which peptide is present. The two techniques are normally used together.
Yes. Trifluoroacetate and acetate ions remain associated with the peptide after purification, so a weighed quantity of powder contains less peptide than the nominal mass suggests. Certificates that report net peptide content rather than raw weight are more directly comparable between suppliers.
Dilute aqueous solutions are less stable than the dry powder and are usually aliquoted and frozen to avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles. Lyophilised material is best stored desiccated at −20 °C, protected from light. Working solutions are typically prepared fresh from a frozen aliquot.
No. Epithalamin is a peptide-containing extract of bovine pineal glands, while epitalon is a single synthetic tetrapeptide. The extract contains many peptides and other tissue components, so its composition varies between batches in ways that a synthesised sequence does not.