This is a working overview of pineal peptides, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2026-06-23 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
The most frequently cited laboratory finding is that AEDG increased telomerase activity and extended telomere length in cultured human somatic cells. That work used fetal fibroblast strains and reported changes in enzyme activity alongside altered division counts. Replication by unrelated groups has been limited, and the published record is largely a single-laboratory series rather than a multi-centre programme. The result supports a hypothesis about peptide influence on gene expression in cell culture; it does not by itself establish an effect on telomere length in living animals or in people.
Animal and clinical reports appear mainly in Russian-language journals from the 1990s and 2000s, covering endpoints such as melatonin rhythm, lifespan in aged rodents, and retinal function. Many of these papers involve small groups, lack blinding or placebo comparison, and are difficult to retrieve through indexed databases. Review articles published in English generally summarise the claims without reanalysing the underlying data. Because no large randomised trial exists, the clinical importance of these reported effects stays unresolved and is properly described as an open question.
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.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory status | Not an approved drug | Marketed in most countries as a research chemical |
| Main literature language | Russian and English | Early reports concentrated in Russian journals |
| Typical stated purity | ≥95% by HPLC | Supplier declaration, seldom independently verified |
| Principal studied endpoint | Telomerase activity in vitro | Measured in cultured human cells |
| Reported administration routes | Subcutaneous, intranasal | Described in exploratory use reports |
Dissolution is usually performed in water or a suitable aqueous buffer, and the resulting liquid is divided into single-use portions before freezing. Freeze-thaw cycling is a recognised source of loss for short peptides, since each cycle can encourage aggregation or adsorption onto container walls. Working solutions are generally kept cold and used within a short window, although published stability data specific to epitalon are thin. Containers should be marked with concentration and date, and solutions examined for cloudiness before use.
Identity is normally established by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry, a pairing that separates components and confirms molecular mass at once. Purity is quoted as a percentage from the chromatogram, and figures above ninety-five percent are a frequent commercial specification. Amino acid analysis or sequencing supplies further confirmation when required. Because many short peptides behave similarly under chromatography, retention time alone does not establish sequence; the mass measurement is what separates one tetrapeptide from another, and certificates should report both.
Interest in epitalon is usually discussed within the broader field of short peptide bioregulators, a category that includes other synthetic di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides studied by the same research group. These compounds share a common rationale: that small fragments of tissue-derived proteins can retain biological activity and can be produced reproducibly. The category as a whole remains outside mainstream pharmacological consensus, and epitalon specifically has a limited presence in independent, non-Russian research literature, which shapes how its evidence base is described.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the amino acid sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly or AEDG. It was developed by the Russian researcher Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues during work on peptide bioregulators derived from the pineal gland. The compound is short enough to be produced by standard solid-phase peptide synthesis and is typically handled as a lyophilized white powder. Its small size distinguishes it from larger pineal peptides such as epithalamin, a complex extract from which the tetrapeptide was conceptually derived.
The four residues give epitalon a molecular formula of C14H22N4O9 and a molecular weight near 390.35 daltons. The presence of two acidic residues, glutamate and aspartate, makes the free peptide strongly acidic, while the alanine and glycine ends provide neutral, nonpolar character. This combination produces a molecule with substantial water solubility. Because there are no cysteine, methionine, or tryptophan residues, the peptide lacks the most common oxidation-sensitive side chains, which simplifies handling compared with many longer peptides.
The most widely cited claim is that epitalon activates telomerase and thereby extends telomere length. Supporting evidence comes largely from cultured human cells, where treatment was associated with increased telomerase activity and delayed replicative senescence. Telomerase activation is a biologically consequential effect, since the enzyme is largely silenced in most somatic cells. However, the route by which a short peptide would reach and act on the enzyme's regulatory machinery has not been established. Independent replication in human trials is scarce, so the link between cell-culture observations and whole-body aging remains an open question.
Human data are limited to small studies, often without the randomization, blinding, or control groups expected in contemporary clinical research. Reported outcomes have included changes in melatonin levels, immune markers, and subjective measures, but sample sizes were generally too small to support firm conclusions. Some reviews treat the peptide as promising while noting methodological weaknesses; others question whether the observed effects are specific. The compound is frequently discussed in longevity-focused communities, where enthusiasm often outpaces the published evidence. Separating established findings from speculation is therefore important when reading summaries of this research.
Epitalon emerged from research conducted in Saint Petersburg by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues, who studied short peptides as potential regulators of aging. The work built on epithalamin, a pineal gland extract reported to influence neuroendocrine function. Epitalon was designed as a synthetic counterpart with a defined sequence, allowing reproducible experiments that extracts could not support. Early publications described effects on melatonin rhythms and lifespan in animal models. These findings circulated mainly in Russian-language journals during the 1990s, which limited their visibility among English-speaking researchers.
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.
The compound is generally described as a synthetic analogue of a fragment isolated from a pineal gland extract. Researchers associated with the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology introduced it during the 1980s and 1990s while studying short peptides from animal tissue. The original extract, called epithalamin, is a heterogeneous mixture, whereas epitalon is a single defined sequence. That distinction matters because findings reported for the extract are not automatically findings about the pure tetrapeptide, and claims about broader biological effects remain a separate question from the chemical identity described here.
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.
Human uses of AGPs include the use of Gum arabic in the food and pharmaceutical industries because of natural properties in thickening and emulsification. AGPs in cereal grains have potential applications in biofortification, as sources of dietary fibre to support gut bacteria and protective agents against ethanol toxicity. Arabinogalactan Proteoglycan This article was adapted from the following source under a CC BY 4.0 license (2021) (reviewer reports): Yingxuan Ma; Kim Johnson (2021). "Arabinogalactan-proteins" (PDF). WikiJournal of Science. 4 (1): 2. doi:10.15347/wjs/2021.002. Wikidata Q99557488.
A few long-lived actinide isotopes, such as 244Pu and 250Cm, cannot be produced in reactors because neutron capture does not happen quickly enough to bypass the short-lived beta-decaying nuclides 243Pu and 249Cm; they can however be generated in nuclear explosions, which have much higher neutron fluxes.
While 3-methylfentanyl was initially sold on the black market for only a short time between 1984 and 1985, its high potency made it an attractive target to clandestine drug producers, as racemic 3-MF is 10–15 times more potent than fentanyl, and so correspondingly larger amounts of cut product for street sales can be produced for an equivalent amount of effort as for producing fentanyl itself; one gram of 3-methylfentanyl might be sufficient to produce several thousand dosage units once diluted for sale. 3-MF has thus reappeared several times, at various places around the world. The only country in the world with significant (200+ deaths a year, more than 10,000 addicts) abuse of this chemical is Estonia, where a dose of 3-MF costs 10 €, and other opiates are not generally available since the end of the 2000s. Approximately 1100 deaths from fentanyl and 3-MF abuse were recorded in Estonia between 2005–2013, compared to approximately 450 deaths in Sweden, Germany, UK, Finland and Greece combined during the same period. Other opioid analogs even more potent still than 3-MF are known, such as carfentanil and ohmefentanyl, but these are significantly more difficult to manufacture than 3-methylfentanyl. Since 2016 fentanyl seizures in Estonia contains mostly carfentanil or cyclopropylfentanyl. 3-methylfentanyl has similar effects to fentanyl, but is far more potent due to increased binding affinity to its target site.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Willie Limond, 45, Scottish boxer and footballer (Albion Rovers), complications from a seizure. 18 April – Dave Moyes, 68, Scottish footballer (Berwick Rangers, Meadowbank Thistle, Dunfermline Athletic). 23 April – Fergie MacDonald, 86, Scottish accordionist. 28 April – Brian McCardie, 59, Scottish actor (Rob Roy, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Ellie Parker) and writer. 29 April – Christian, 80, Scottish singer and entertainer. 3 May – Jim Rodger, 90, Scottish footballer (St Mirren, Rangers, Queen of the South). 14 May – Gudrun Ure, 98, Scottish actress (Super Gran, The Million Pound Note, The Crow Road). 20 May – Gerry Collins, 69, Scottish football player (Ayr United, Hamilton Academical, Partick Thistle) and manager. 22 May – David Wilkie, 70, Scottish swimmer, Olympic champion (1976), world champion (1973, 1975), cancer. 24 May – Stuart Borrowman, 71, Scottish politician. 29 May – John Burnside, 69, Scottish writer and poet. 5 June – David Scott, 83, Scottish journalist and broadcaster (Scottish Daily Express, BBC Scotland, STV). (death announced on this date) 18 June – Billy Abercromby, 65, Scottish footballer (St Mirren, Partick Thistle, Dunfermline Athletic). (death announced on this date) 26 June – Pat Heywood, 92, actress (Lucky Feller, Wuthering Heights, Inspector Morse, Root Into Europe) 27 June – Donald Scott, 96, Scottish rugby union player (Langholm, South of Scotland District, national team). 28 July – John Anderson, 92, Scottish television personality (Gladiators). 4 August – Jim Doherty, 65, Scottish footballer (Kilmarnock, Clyde, Queen of the South).
During the mid-19th century, one of the most remarkable painters was Ramón Torres Méndez, who produced a series of good quality paintings depicting the people and their customs of different Colombian regions. Also noteworthy in the 19th century were Andrés de Santa María, Pedro José Figueroa, Epifanio Garay, Mercedes Delgado Mallarino, José María Espinosa, Ricardo Acevedo Bernal, between many others. More recently, Colombian artists Pedro Nel Gómez and Santiago Martínez Delgado started the Colombian Murial Movement in the 1940s, featuring the neoclassical features of Art Deco. Since the 1950s, the Colombian art started to have a distinctive point of view, reinventing traditional elements under the concepts of the 20th century. Examples of this are the Greiff portraits by Ignacio Gómez Jaramillo, showing what the Colombian art could do with the new techniques applied to typical Colombian themes. Carlos Correa, with his paradigmatic "Naturaleza muerta en silencio" (silent dead nature), combines geometrical abstraction and cubism. Alejandro Obregón is often considered as the father of modern Colombian painting, and one of the most influential artist in this period, due to his originality, the painting of Colombian landscapes with symbolic and expressionist use of animals, (specially the Andean condor). Fernando Botero, Omar Rayo, Enrique Grau, Édgar Negret, David Manzur, Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt, Oscar Murillo, Doris Salcedo and Oscar Muñoz are some of the Colombian artists featured at the international level.
== Major Kizil caves == The caves were first named in German by Albert Grünwedel based on various individual characteristics. Many of these names have remained in English. More recently, a numbering system was adopted by the Chinese, generally based on the geographical position of the caves from West to East.
In 1972, French physicist Francis Perrin discovered fifteen ancient and no longer active natural nuclear fission reactors in three separate ore deposits at the Oklo mine in Gabon, Africa, collectively known as the Oklo Fossil Reactors. The ore deposit is 1.7 billion years old; then, uranium-235 constituted about 3% of uranium on Earth. This is high enough to permit a sustained chain reaction, if other supporting conditions exist. The capacity of the surrounding sediment to contain the health-threatening nuclear waste products has been cited by the U.S. federal government as supporting evidence for the feasibility to store spent nuclear fuel at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
===== Transparency and access to public information ===== At the beginning of May 2024, Peña signed decree No. 1604, partially objecting to bill No. 7257, which amended Law No. 5282/2014 on access to public information. The veto focused on subsection "g" of article 10, which proposed the disclosure of sensitive data, such as beneficiaries of public land and government transactions. The executive argued that such publication violated the right to privacy and statistical secrecy, constituting a threat to citizens' fundamental rights. The bill was returned to the Senate for reconsideration.
===== Analysis of rebirth without a self ===== The view that the application of dependent origination in the twelve nidanas is closely connected with rebirth is supported by passages from the early sources. Both the Sammādiṭṭhisutta and the Mahānidānasutta specifically mention the factors of dependent origination as being related to the process of conception in the womb. Bhikkhu Bodhi affirms the centrality of rebirth for dependent origination. Bodhi writes that "the primary purpose, as seen in the most archaic Buddhist texts, is to show the causal origination of suffering, which is sustained precisely by our bondage to rebirth."
However, it is described as a "clear-headed candyflip", with entactogenic-like effects, LSD-like effects such as visuals, but a very clear head space. In addition, it is said to not have the same kind of forceful positive mood push that MDMA has, and to be a little more unpredictable and capable of causing bad trips or negative head spaces. 2C-B is said to be more of a "party drug", to be more recreational drug, and to have less likelihood of challenging, emotional-breakthrough, or mystical-type experiences, relative to psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD. Formal clinical studies have found that 2C-B produces a mixture of psychedelic, some possible entactogen-like, and some stimulant effects. Specific effects in these studies have included slight hallucinogenic states, perceptual changes, ego dissolution, time dilation, increased creativity, stimulation, vigor, happiness or elation, euphoria, feelings of well-being, reduced anger, enhanced sociability and friendliness, increased reactivity to negative emotional stimuli, decreased ability to recognize expressions of happiness, augmented emotionality in speech, tenseness, confusion, and mild sympathomimetic effects such as pressor effects, among others. Findings on the entactogen-like effects of 2C-B have been mixed, with some studies reporting that it produces such effects but other studies finding no such effects similarly to psilocybin. However, in other research, both psilocybin and MDMA have been found to increase emotional empathy.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Small studies with human participants have been reported, chiefly in Russian-language journals, but they are limited in size and design. No large randomised controlled trial with published results is available.
The most reproducible biochemical observation comes from cultured cells, where the peptide was reported to raise telomerase activity. Whether this translates into measurable health effects in animals or humans is not established.
It is offered as a research chemical for laboratory use, which places it outside the approval pathways applied to medicines. Buyers should expect documentation to differ between suppliers.
It is based on epithalamin, a peptide-rich preparation obtained from pineal gland tissue and studied in the former Soviet Union. Researchers later identified the tetrapeptide AEDG as a constituent fragment of that material. Modern supplies are produced by chemical synthesis rather than tissue extraction.