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Research use only
· 7 min read
Four amino acids. No receptor. No approved use. And yet the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly - better known as Epithalon (also spelled Epitalon), with PubChem CID 219042 - has accumulated a small, dedicated body of literature centred on telomerase-pathway endpoints that most peptide catalogues do not even attempt to characterise. This page sets out the verified molecular identity, the origin of the peptide, what the published study designs actually investigated, and what the bench researcher needs to know about handling it. Kovalabs supplies Epithalon strictly as a research reagent for laboratory use only - not for human or veterinary use - and everything below describes what studies have investigated, not any human use. It sits within the cellular research pathway.
| Compound | Epithalon (Epitalon) |
|---|---|
| Synonyms / sequence | Epitalon; AEDG; Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly |
| Class / mechanism | Synthetic regulatory tetrapeptide; candidate telomerase-pathway regulator (not a classical receptor ligand) |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 |
| Molecular weight | 390.35 g/mol |
| CAS number | 307297-39-8 |
| PubChem CID | 219042 |
| InChIKey | HGHOBRRUMWJWCU-FXQIFTODSA-N |
| Supply status | Research use only - not for human or veterinary use |
Epithalon (Epitalon) is the synthetic linear tetrapeptide L-alanyl-L-glutamyl-L-aspartyl-glycine, written as Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly and abbreviated AEDG. The PubChem IUPAC name resolves to (4S)-4-[[(2S)-2-aminopropanoyl]amino]-5-[[(2S)-3-carboxy-1-(carboxymethylamino)-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-5-oxopentanoic acid - consistent with the AEDG sequence - and the synonyms record for CID 219042 carries both spellings, Epithalon and Epitalon, alongside the Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly string. They are the same molecule; the variant spelling is transliteration noise from the Russian literature, not a separate compound.
Here is the trap. PubChem CID 219042 lists two CAS numbers: 307297-39-8 and 64082-79-7. Only 307297-39-8 is the synthetic AEDG tetrapeptide. The second number, 64082-79-7, belongs to Epithalamin - the bovine pineal-gland polypeptide extract on which the synthetic peptide was modelled - and it is emphatically not a defined tetrapeptide. The two have been cross-confirmed against independent registry property sheets (ChemicalBook entry CB12518304 and the MedChemExpress catalogue record HY-P1149): 307297-39-8 maps to C14H22N4O9 and 390.35 g/mol; 64082-79-7 does not. Cite the wrong CAS and you have cited the wrong material.
| Property | Epithalon / Epitalon (synthetic AEDG) | Epithalamin (pineal extract) |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Defined synthetic linear tetrapeptide | Bovine pineal-gland polypeptide preparation / extract |
| Sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG) | Not a single defined sequence |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Not applicable (mixture) |
| Molecular weight | 390.35 g/mol | Not applicable (mixture) |
| CAS number | 307297-39-8 | 64082-79-7 (do not cite for the synthetic peptide) |
| PubChem CID | 219042 | Not the monograph subject |
Epithalon did not emerge from target-based drug discovery. The originating group - Khavinson and colleagues at the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology - derived the AEDG sequence from the amino-acid composition of Epithalamin, the bovine pineal-gland extract they had been studying in the preceding decades. The synthetic peptide was an attempt to distil the hypothesised active component of that complex mixture into a chemically defined entity. It is therefore not a receptor ligand in the classical sense: no cognate receptor has been identified. The two acidic residues, glutamate and aspartate, leave the molecule net-negatively charged at physiological pH, which accounts for its reported free water solubility and almost certainly shapes whatever interaction with nucleic-acid sequences the originating group proposed.
A 2025 peer-reviewed review (Araj et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences, PMID 40141333) collates the in-vitro, in-vivo and in-silico literature and catalogues the molecular endpoints that have been investigated, including telomerase enzyme activity and the modulation of melatonin-synthesis and interleukin-2 (IL-2) messenger RNA levels. The review states explicitly that the mechanism remains not fully resolved. The central hypothesis - a direct peptide-DNA interaction at gene promoter regions - derives from in-silico and biophysical work by the originating group. It is reported here as what those studies investigated, not as established pharmacology, and it has not been independently confirmed by a separate laboratory.
The Epithalon literature has an unusual provenance problem: the substantial majority of the primary experimental work comes from a single research group, and independent replication of the telomerase findings outside that group is limited. A 2025 review (Araj et al., Int J Mol Sci, PMID 40141333) is the most current synthesis of this body of work. The entries below name only what each study set out to measure. No result, effect, or benefit is asserted for any endpoint.
Epithalon is reported in the literature as a white to off-white lyophilised (freeze-dried) powder, freely water-soluble - a property consistent with the net-negative charge contributed by its glutamate and aspartate residues at physiological pH. The published in-vitro work used aqueous reconstitution as the working form. Storage of the lyophilate is described as refrigerated or cool and dry, protected from light and moisture; reconstituted solutions are reported as short-lived and held cold.
One point worth making plainly: a vial that carries a label is not the same as a vial whose contents match the label. The relevant document is the certificate of analysis. Every Kovalabs batch ships with one, available at certificates of analysis, so the mass and identity in hand can be checked against the documented formula C14H22N4O9, molecular weight 390.35 g/mol, and CAS 307297-39-8 rather than taken on trust. See the reconstitution guide for general laboratory handling conventions. These notes describe bench handling of a research reagent only; they are not a preparation method for any use in humans or animals.
Tier one, well established: the chemistry. Epithalon is a defined synthetic tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, with a settled formula (C14H22N4O9), weight (390.35 g/mol) and the correct CAS (307297-39-8) distinct from the Epithalamin extract it was modelled on. Tier two, the middle ground: the mechanistic story rests on in-vitro cell-culture and in-silico binding work - candidate promoter sites, a proposed peptide-DNA interaction - mostly from one originating group. A cell in a dish is not a person, and a computational binding model is not a confirmed one. Tier three, the weakest part: independent replication outside that group is limited, and a 2025 review notes the mechanism is not fully resolved. It is not a licensed medicine, and it has not been shown to produce defined outcomes in humans. Curiosity is warranted; certainty is not.
Epithalon is supplied by Kovalabs for laboratory and in-vitro research only. It is not a medicine, not a supplement, and not for human or veterinary use, and nothing on this page describes a dose, a route, a schedule, or an outcome. It has not been evaluated by the MHRA or any comparable regulator for safety or efficacy in humans or animals. Every batch is third-party tested with a certificate of analysis. See the full research disclaimer at research disclaimer for terms.
The publication titles listed below are the original authors' own titles, reproduced verbatim so that each citation can be independently verified against PubMed and the cited DOI. They are not statements, conclusions, or claims by Kovalabs, and the body of this page deliberately describes each study by its design and pre-specified endpoint only. 1. PubChem Compound (NCBI), CID 219042 (property and synonym records, including both spellings Epithalon and Epitalon, the Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly string, formula C14H22N4O9, molecular weight 390.35 g/mol, and InChIKey HGHOBRRUMWJWCU-FXQIFTODSA-N). https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/219042 2. ChemicalBook compound property sheet (CB12518304) and MedChemExpress catalogue record HY-P1149, cross-confirming CAS 307297-39-8 against formula C14H22N4O9 and molecular weight 390.35 g/mol. https://www.chemicalbook.com/ChemicalProductProperty_EN_CB12518304.htm 3. Araj SK, Brzezik J, Madra-Gackowska K, Szeleszczuk L. Overview of Epitalon - Highly Bioactive Pineal Tetrapeptide with Promising Properties. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(6):2691. PMID 40141333. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26062691 4. Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA. Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2003;135(6):590-2. PMID 12937682. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1025493705728 5. Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA, Smirnova TD. Peptide promotes overcoming of the division limit in human somatic cell. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004;137(5):503-6. PMID 15455129. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:bebm.0000038164.49947.8c 6. Khavinson VKh, Shataeva LK, Chernova AA. Effect of regulatory peptides on gene transcription. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2003;136(3):288-90. PMID 14666197. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:bebm.0000008986.02891.de 7. Khavinson V, Shataeva L, Chernova A. DNA double-helix binds regulatory peptides similarly to transcription factors. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2005;26(3):237-41. PMID 15990728. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15990728/
No. Epithalon (Epitalon) is a research compound. It has not been approved as a medicine by the MHRA or any comparable regulator, and Kovalabs supplies it strictly as a research reagent for laboratory use, not for human or veterinary use.
Yes. Epithalon and Epitalon are two spellings of one molecular entity, the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG). The PubChem record for CID 219042 carries both spellings together with the Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly sequence string, confirming they index the same molecule.
Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 with a molecular weight of 390.35 g/mol. It is indexed under PubChem CID 219042 and InChIKey HGHOBRRUMWJWCU-FXQIFTODSA-N, and the correct CAS number for the synthetic AEDG tetrapeptide is 307297-39-8.
PubChem CID 219042 lists both 307297-39-8 and 64082-79-7. Only 307297-39-8 is the synthetic AEDG tetrapeptide and is the correct identifier for this compound. The number 64082-79-7 is associated with Epithalamin, the bovine pineal-gland extract on which the synthetic peptide was modelled, and should not be cited for the synthetic peptide.
Published study designs name endpoints such as telomerase catalytic-subunit expression, telomerase enzymatic activity, telomere length, and in-silico candidate binding sites within the telomerase gene promoter region. These are reported here as study designs and endpoint names only; no result, effect, or benefit is asserted, and independent replication outside the originating group is limited.
As bench handling of a research reagent only. The reported form is a white to off-white lyophilised powder, stored refrigerated or cool and dry and protected from light and moisture. Aqueous reconstitution is the form used in published in-vitro work, and reconstituted solutions are reported as short-lived and held cold. None of this is a preparation method for any use in humans or animals; see the reconstitution guide for general laboratory handling.