Epithalon Explained: The Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly Tetrapeptide and What Labs Reported

Epithalon is one of the shortest peptides discussed in ageing research: four amino acids, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. Most of its literature comes from St. Petersburg groups working on bioregulation and gerontology (Khavinson 2003; Anisimov 2003). This Vial Post explainer sets out the chemistry, then summarizes what two frequently cited 2003 papers actually measured.

Nothing here is guidance on use in people or animals. The Vial Post covers epithalon only as a subject of laboratory and literature research.

At a Glance

• Sequence: Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, listed by PubChem under CID 219042 (PubChem: Epitalon).
• Formula and mass: PubChem gives C14H22N4O9 and a molecular weight of 390.35 g/mol (PubChem: Epitalon).
• Spellings: PubChem synonyms include Epitalon, Epithalon, Epithalone and the CAS number 307297-39-8 (PubChem: Epitalon).

Two of the four residues, glutamate and aspartate, carry acidic side chains, which is why the formula has nine oxygens for only four residues.

The Fibroblast Study

Khavinson and colleagues added epithalon to cultures of telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts. They reported expression of the catalytic subunit of telomerase, telomerase enzymatic activity and telomere elongation, and suggested this could reflect reactivation of the telomerase gene in somatic cells (Khavinson 2003). This was a cell-culture result in one fibroblast model.

The Mouse Life-Span Study

Anisimov and colleagues followed female outbred Swiss-derived SHR mice from 3 months of age until natural death, with 54 animals per group, comparing saline controls with epithalon given on 5 consecutive days each month. The authors reported:

• no effect on food consumption, body weight or mean life span;
• slower age-related switching-off of estrous function;
• fewer chromosome aberrations in bone marrow cells;
• longer life span in the last 10% of survivors and a higher maximum life span than controls;
• no change in total spontaneous tumour incidence, but less leukaemia than in controls (Anisimov 2003).

These are animal observations from one strain and one sex. They do not establish that epithalon does anything in people, and The Vial Post does not report administered amounts.

Reader Questions

Is epithalon the same as epithalamin? No. Epithalamin is described as a peptide preparation from the pineal gland, while epithalon is the defined synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (Korkushko 2004; PubChem: Epitalon).

Why are there so many spellings? Transliteration. PubChem lists Epitalon, Epithalon and Epithalone as synonyms for the same compound (PubChem: Epitalon).

What mass should a COA show? PubChem lists 390.35 g/mol for the free peptide (PubChem: Epitalon). Salt forms add counter-ions, so check which form was measured.

Lab Note

A four-residue peptide is easy to confirm by mass spectrometry, and HPLC gives purity. See our explainers on HPLC versus mass spec and reading a Certificate of Analysis.

For research and educational use only. This article is not medical advice and does not describe dosing or human use.