What is epitalon?
Epitalon, also spelled epithalon, is the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. It was designed from the amino acid composition of epithalamin, an extract of bovine pineal gland, by Vladimir Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg. Most of its research comes from that group, in cells, flies and rodents. Here is its structure, what was reported and the limits of the evidence.
Epitalon in one table.
| Sequence | AEDG (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), all L-amino acids |
|---|---|
| Length | 4 amino acids, a tetrapeptide |
| Formula | C14H22N4O9 |
| Molecular weight | 390.35 g/mol (monoisotopic 390.1387) |
| PubChem CID | 219042 |
| Also spelled | Epithalon |
| Status | Research compound; not FDA approved |
Formula and masses from Helion's peptide molecular weight calculator, matching PubChem.
Designed from a pineal extract.
Epitalon was first synthesized in the late 1980s by researchers under Vladimir Khavinson, who designed it from the amino acid content of epithalamin, a polypeptide complex extracted from bovine pineal gland. It is often called a synthetic analog of epithalamin, but the two are different substances: the FDA treats them separately, and some databases wrongly list epithalamin as a synonym for epitalon.
Telomeres in cells, lifespan in flies and mice.
A 2003 study from the developers reported that epitalon increased telomerase expression and activity and lengthened telomeres in telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts. In 2025 an independent lab in the UK reported longer telomeres in normal human cell lines through telomerase, and in two breast cancer lines through a telomerase-independent route called ALT.
Animal studies, mostly from the same group, reported an 11 to 16% longer lifespan in fruit flies exposed only during development, a 5.3% longer mean survival in female CBA mice, and in female SHR mice an unchanged mean lifespan with a 12.3% longer maximum lifespan.
Mostly one group.
In a 2026 briefing for its pharmacy compounding advisory committee, the FDA noted that most pharmacological studies of epitalon have been conducted and published by Khavinson's research group in Russia (FDA briefing). A 2026 review describes independent replication as limited and the human evidence as small biomarker studies, with no adequately powered randomized trial. Results in cells, flies and mice describe those systems only.
Not approved in the US.
Epitalon is not an FDA-approved drug. It is sold as a research compound, and Helion supplies compounds for laboratory research use only.
Not currently supplied.
Helion does not currently supply epitalon. Khavinson's group also developed pinealon and the other short peptides compared in Khavinson peptides.
Specs and storage by compound.
Questions (7)
What is epitalon?
The synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, designed by Vladimir Khavinson's group from the amino acid composition of the pineal extract epithalamin.
Is epitalon the same as epithalon?
Yes. They are two spellings of the same peptide.
What is the epitalon sequence?
AEDG: alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine.
What is the molecular weight of epitalon?
390.35 g/mol (C14H22N4O9).
Is epitalon the same as epithalamin?
No. Epithalamin is a polypeptide complex extracted from bovine pineal gland; epitalon is a single synthetic tetrapeptide designed from its amino acid content.
What does the epitalon research show?
Reported telomerase activation and longer telomeres in cultured human cells, and longer lifespan measures in flies and some mouse studies, mostly from the developers' group. Independent replication is limited.
Does Helion sell epitalon?
Not currently.
Published studies (7)
- Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells
- Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity
- Effect of epitalon on the lifespan increase in Drosophila melanogaster
- Effect of synthetic thymic and pineal peptides on biomarkers of ageing, survival and spontaneous tumour incidence in female CBA mice
- Effect of Epitalon on biomarkers of aging, life span and spontaneous tumor incidence in female Swiss-derived SHR mice
- Overview of Epitalon-Highly Bioactive Pineal Tetrapeptide with Promising Properties
- Epitalon and Epithalamin: A Narrative Review of Mechanistic, Preclinical, and Clinical Evidence
Citations from PubMed for reference. They describe the compound in the literature, not any Helion lot, and nothing here is guidance on use.