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Chemical Identity And Research Background — Quick Reference

By Editorial Desk · published 2026-06-29 · last reviewed 2026-08-01 · Blog

The short version of epithalamin fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.

Reviewed 2026-08-01. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.

Chemical Identity and Research Background

The compound is described in the literature as a derivative of epithalamin, a preparation obtained from bovine pineal tissue. Work on this peptide family was carried out mainly by a research group in Saint Petersburg beginning in the 1980s, and the substance was later registered for clinical use in Russia under the name Epitalon. Outside that region it is generally treated as a research chemical rather than an approved medicine. Statements about its biological activity rest on a relatively small number of studies, and independent replication remains limited.

In its supplied form epitalon is a white to off-white powder, usually lyophilized and often hygroscopic. It dissolves readily in water and in aqueous buffers, and it is commonly handled as the acetate or trifluoroacetate salt to improve stability during purification and drying. The amide backbone is labile in aqueous media, so solutions are less durable than the dry solid. Handling notes in the chemical literature therefore emphasize keeping the powder dry, cool and shielded from light until it is dissolved.

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose sequence is alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, written in single-letter code as AEDG. The four residues are joined by three peptide bonds, giving a linear backbone with no branching and no disulfide bridges. Its calculated molecular mass for the free form is approximately 390.3 daltons, a figure that rises when the compound is supplied as an acetate or trifluoroacetate salt. Because the chain is short, the molecule is defined entirely by its residue order rather than by any folded three-dimensional structure.

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.

Epitalon at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Chemical classSynthetic tetrapeptideFour residues, linear chain
Residue sequenceAla-Glu-Asp-GlySingle-letter form AEDG
Calculated mass390.3 daltonsValue for the free, uncharged form
AppearanceWhite to off-white powderUsually supplied lyophilized
SolubilityFreely soluble in waterOften handled as a salt form

Epitalon Background and Nomenclature

The compound is generally presented as a synthetic fragment of epithalamin, a pineal gland extract investigated in the former Soviet Union from the 1970s onward. Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues in Saint Petersburg developed short peptides modelled on such extracts, and epitalon became the most widely cited of those sequences. Most primary reports appeared in Russian-language journals or in proceedings with limited international circulation. Independent replication in laboratories outside that network remains sparse, and much repeated secondary material traces back to a small number of originating groups.

Laboratory work has examined effects on telomerase activity in cultured cells, on melatonin rhythms in animals, and on markers of oxidative stress. Some experiments report measurable changes while others show none, and the reported findings rest largely on small studies. The absence of large independent trials means the generality of these results is unresolved rather than settled. Review articles occasionally apply the label geroprotector, a term that reflects a research hypothesis about ageing rather than an established clinical finding.

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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.

Epitalon Structure and Research Origin

(TG:@pojiaai)Epitalon is a synthetic linear tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated AEDG. It emerged from work on epithalamin, a peptide fraction prepared from bovine pineal tissue, and was designed as a short, chemically defined analogue of that extract. Early publications came mainly from Russian laboratories studying pineal peptides and aging-related endpoints. The compound appears in the literature under several spellings, including epithalon and epithalone, which complicates systematic searching. Its small size makes solid-phase assembly and routine analytical characterization straightforward.

Chemically, the molecule consists of four amino acid residues joined by three peptide bonds, with a free N-terminal amino group and a free C-terminal carboxyl group. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9, and its monoisotopic mass is approximately 390 daltons. The acidic glutamate and aspartate side chains give the peptide a net negative charge near neutral pH, a property that shapes its chromatographic behaviour and solubility profile. No disulfide bridges or other post-translational modifications are present, so the primary sequence alone defines the structure.

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.

Background from the literature

=== Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) === Although MRM has been used extensively in metabolomics and proteomics, its high sensitivity and linear response over a wide dynamic range make it especially suited for glycan biomarker research and discovery. MRM is performed on a triple quadrupole (QqQ) instrument, which is set to detect a predetermined precursor ion in the first quadrupole, a fragmented in the collision quadrupole, and a predetermined fragment ion in the third quadrupole. It is a non-scanning technique, wherein each transition is detected individually and the detection of multiple transitions occurs concurrently in duty cycles. This technique is being used to characterize the immune glycome. Table 1: Advantages and disadvantages of mass spectrometry in glycan analysis

is constant, it may be ignored and the general expression in theory, above, is obtained. All published stability constant values refer to the specific ionic medium used in their determination, and different values are obtained with different conditions, as illustrated for the complex CuL (L = glycinate). Furthermore, stability constant values depend on the specific electrolyte used, as the value of

This peptide is able to self-assemble in a helical shape with hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues on different side of the molecule, it has two different orientations of the surface that represent the lowest energy and it is able to form complexes with siRNA at different molar ratio varying from 1:1 to 80:1. CADY is able to form a shield around siRNA molecule protecting it from biodegradative processes that may occur before cellular penetration occurs. These types of substrates may present important applications in vivo.

Acronyms used: HFC – Human frontal cortex receptor MB – Mouse brain receptor RC – Cloned rat receptor A study measuring the in vivo receptor occupancies of 13 schizophrenic patients treated with 5.7 ± 1.4 mg/day of flupentixol found 50-70% receptor occupancy for D2, 20 ± 5% for D1, and 20 ± 10% for 5-HT2A. Its antipsychotic effects are predominantly a function of D2 antagonism. Its antidepressant effects at lower doses are not well understood; however, it may be mediated by functional selectivity and/or preferentially binding to D2 autoreceptors at low doses, resulting in increased postsynaptic activation via higher dopamine levels. Flupentixol's demonstrated ability to raise dopamine levels in mice and flies lends credibility to the supposition of autoreceptor bias. Functional selectivity may be responsible through causing preferential autoreceptor binding or other means. The effective dosage guideline for an antipsychotic is very closely related to its receptor residency time (i.e., where drugs like aripiprazole take several minutes or more to disassociate from a receptor while drugs like quetiapine and clozapine—with guideline dosages in the hundreds of milligrams—take under 30s) and long receptor residency time is strongly correlated with likehood of pronounced functional selectivity; thus, with a maximum guideline dose of only 18 mg/day for schizophrenia, there is a significant possibility of this drug possessing unique signalling characteristics that permit counterintuitive dopaminergic action at low doses. Flupentixol also inhibits tubulin polymerization.

== Clinical application == In addition to endomorphins, morphine and morphine-like opiates target the μ-opioid receptor. Thus, endomorphins have significant potential as analgesics and morphine substitutes. In vitro assessment of endomorphins as analgesics reveals similar behavior to morphine and other opiates, where drug tolerance leads to dependence and addiction. Other side effects common to opiates such as vasodilation, respiratory depression, urinary retention, and gastrointestinal reaction develop. However, the endomorphin-induced side effects are slightly less severe than are those of the morphine-derived analgesics commonly used today. Additionally, endomorphins potentially produce more powerful analgesic effects than their morphine-derived counterparts. Despite their potential utility as pharmaceutical agents, the low membrane permeability and vulnerability to enzymatic degradation of endomorphins limit their incorporation into drugs. As a result, endomorphin analogues are being generated to allow transport across the blood brain barrier, increase stability, and reduce side effects. Two endomorphin modifications that approach these problems include glycosylation and lipidation. Glycosylation adds carbohydrate groups to the endomorphin molecules, allowing them to pass membranes via glucose transporters. Lipidation adds lipoamino acids or fatty acids to the endomorphin molecules, increasing hydrophobicity and, therefore, membrane permeability of the molecules.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Further detail

=== Medical === Indigenous healers in Africa use different parts of the locust bean tree for health benefits. In a survey conducted on healers in Togo, Parkia biglobosa was one of the highest cited plants used for treating hypertension. The tree was also one of two plants "listed as having real wound-healing properties in South-Western Nigeria, influencing the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts significantly." In a similar survey conducted in Guinea relating to their use of antimalarial plants, Parkia biglobosa was cited among those most often successfully used. In an analysis on the antibacterial properties of the plant, another study found that "these properties compare favourably with those of streptomycin, making it a potential source of compounds used in the management of bacterial infections."

The 43-second "Iron Gland" was developed out of a guitar riff that Cantrell would play that annoyed the other band members, so he created the song (adding in a reference to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man") and promised to never play the guitar riff again. It features Tom Araya of thrash metal band Slayer on vocals, as well as Layne Staley. "Hate to Feel" and "Angry Chair" were both composed solely by Staley, who also played guitar on both tracks, and Cantrell has expressed his pride in seeing Staley grow as a songwriter and guitarist. "Down in a Hole" was written by Cantrell to his long-time girlfriend, Courtney Clarke. Cantrell explained the song in the liner notes of 1999's Music Bank box set: "["Down in a Hole"]'s in my top three, personally. It's to my long-time love. It's the reality of my life, the path I've chosen and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It's hard for us to both understand... that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships." The album's final track, "Would?", was written by Cantrell as a tribute to his friend and late lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood, who died of a drug overdose in 1990. Cantrell said the song is also "directed towards people who pass judgments."

Cytotrophoblast is both the inner layer of the trophoblast (also called layer of Langhans) and the cells that live there. It is interior to the syncytiotrophoblast and external to the wall of the blastocyst in a developing embryo. The cytotrophoblast is considered to be the trophoblastic stem cell because the layer surrounding the blastocyst remains while daughter cells differentiate and proliferate to function in multiple roles. There are two lineages that cytotrophoblastic cells may differentiate through: fusion and invasive. The fusion lineage yields syncytiotrophoblast and the invasive lineage yields interstitial cytotrophoblast cells. Cytotrophoblastic cells play an important role in the implantation of an embryo in the uterus.

The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) which, as part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) family, focuses on research and services in bioinformatics. It is located on the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton near Cambridge, and employs over 600 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff. Further, the EMBL-EBI hosts training programs that teach scientists the fundamentals of the work with biological data and promote the plethora of bioinformatic tools available for their research, both EMBL-EBI-based and not so. One of the roles of the EMBL-EBI is to index and maintain biological data in a set of databases, including Ensembl (housing whole genome sequence data), UniProt (protein sequence and annotation database) and Protein Data Bank (protein and nucleic acid tertiary structure database). A variety of online services and tools is provided, such as Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) or Clustal Omega sequence alignment tool, enabling further data analysis.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Supporting material

Brunton Medal 1979, Sir Francis Avery Jones research medal of the British Society of Gastroenterology, the highest research award that the national gastroenterology body confers on its researchers. Fellowships: Royal Colleges of Physicians of Glasgow (1975) London (1977) Edinburgh (1981) Royal College of Pathologists (1984) Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1990) The Anne Ferguson building at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, is named after her. In 1966, she married John Ferguson, a sociology lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, and together they adopted two children, a girl and a boy. John Ferguson died of cancer in 1989. She married Professor Gerald Collee, emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Edinburgh in 1995. In her youth, Ferguson represented the University of Glasgow in athletics as a middle-distance runner. She was also on the Scottish women's basketball team. She enjoyed hill walking and mountaineering, and once visited the Himalayas with her first husband. Ferguson died of pancreatic cancer in Edinburgh on 21 December 1998.

Breed method is a laboratory technique used for counting microorganisms in milk. It was introduced in 1910 by American biologists Samuel Cate Prescott and Robert Stanley Breed. It is a method for somatic cell count, to know the number of living and dead microorganisms. When the method only recounts living organisms is called "viable count". There are many methods for the quantification of microorganisms, including microscopy methods, Coulter counter, Mass Spectrometry (for estimating cell mass), and Cell Culture methods which form and grow colonies of bacteria. The existing security in dairy products is given by the microbiological quality of the same, which ensures consumption from the point of view of health. The analysis of the quality of raw milk is a common practice in the dairy industry and aims to control the quality of the samples and the material introduced into the processing plant, culminating in a mass-consumption to ensure quality standards. Somatic cell count

=== France === A translated selection of articles are published with the French magazine Joypad. In 2017, La Financière de Loisirs licensed the title for France, starting with a 200 pages special issue about popular games that changed the gaming industry, as well AAA as indies.

=== Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act === Clinton signed the 1994 Crime Bill, which was written by Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. It included 30 billion dollars' worth of federal anticrime funding. Specific to the war on drugs, Clinton included the three-strikes law, which required a mandatory life sentence for any felony violent crime conviction after two other prior convictions. Some social justice critics argue that the law disproportionately affected criminals in urban neighborhoods hurt by policing the war on drugs, rather than white-collar criminals. The bill also authorized $16 million in new funding for the development of federal prisons and state and local police forces. The Justice Policy Institute stated in 2008 that the administration's "tough on crime" policies caused larger increases in federal and state inmate populations than for any other president in American history. The act also saw the expansion of the federal death penalty. Sixty new capital punishment charges were created including non-homicidal narcotics offenses, drive-by shootings resulting in death, and carjackings relating to death. Between 1994 and 1999, nearly two thirds of people sentenced to the federal death penalty were black during Clinton's presidency, nearly seven times that of their representation in the US population. During his two terms, the federal prison population increased from 1.3 million to 2 million inmates. The law featured a provision that removed the approval of Pell Grants for low-income inmates in federal prison.

=== Metatherian research === Imprint of a manus and pes of a small carnivorous mammal, interpreted as most likely to be a member of Sparassodonta, is described from the Eocene strata of the Fossil Hill Formation (King George Island, Antarctica) by Mansilla-Vera et al. (2026). Redescription of the skull anatomy of Argyrolagus is published by Forasiepi et al. (2026). Carneiro et al. (2026) reinterpret purported paucituberculatan Riolestes capricornicus as a junior synonym of the protodidelphid opossum species Robertbutleria mastodontoidea. Rich, Flannery & Vickers-Rich (2026) argue that Cretaceous tribosphenic mammals similar to Ausktribosphenos and Bishops might be ancestral to australidelphians, and that australidelphians and ameridelphians might have separate origins. Gaschk et al. (2026) report evidence of similarities of locomotor biomechanics of extant carnivorous mammals with similar hunting ecology, and find locomotor strategies of the thylacine to be similar to those of extant opportunistic pouncing carnivores. Weisbecker et al. (2026) study the cranial morphology and function in the thylacine, and find that the combination of functional traits of skull of members of this species has no analogue among living mammalian carnivores. Churchill et al.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

Which amino acids make up epitalon?

The peptide contains four residues in the order alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine, abbreviated AEDG. The chain is linear and held together by three peptide bonds. Its calculated mass for the uncharged free form is about 390.3 daltons.

How does epitalon differ from epithalamin?

Epithalamin refers to a crude preparation derived from bovine pineal tissue, which contains many components. Epitalon is a single synthetic tetrapeptide identified from that material and produced by chemical synthesis. The two names are sometimes confused because early reports treated the synthetic peptide as an active fragment of the extract.

Is epitalon an approved pharmaceutical?

It has been registered for clinical use in Russia, where it is associated with a small family of short peptides. In most other jurisdictions it is not an approved medicine and is traded as a research chemical. Regulatory status varies by country and changes over time.

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.

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