Synthetic pineal tetrapeptide

Epithalon in Canada

Also known as Epitalon · Epithalone · AEDG peptide · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly · Synthetic epithalamin tetrapeptide

Epithalon — also spelled epitalon — is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, designed in the 1980s by Vladimir Khavinson's institute in St Petersburg as a defined substitute for epithalamin, a bovine pineal extract used in Soviet geriatric medicine. It is the compound most associated with telomerase activation in longevity research, a cell-culture finding that has, unusually, been reproduced by an independent laboratory. Everything above that layer — mouse lifespan, human outcomes — is thinner than its reputation. Canada Peptides carries research-grade epithalon as a 10 mg lyophilised vial, priced and shipped in CAD for laboratory and research use only.

Quick facts

Class: Synthetic tetrapeptide; pineal-extract-derived bioregulator
Structure: 4 amino acids · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly · C14H22N4O9 · ~390 Da
Half-life: No published pharmacokinetic study in any species; a short unmodified tetrapeptide is expected to clear within minutes
Route in research: Subcutaneous and intraperitoneal in animal studies; intramuscular, parabulbar and sublingual in the small Russian human studies
Cadence in research: Short courses — five to ten consecutive days, repeated monthly or seasonally — in the Russian literature
Storage: Lyophilised: refrigerated, dark. Reconstituted: refrigerated, used within weeks
Status in Canada

Epithalon FAQ

Is epithalon for sale in Canada?

Yes. Research-grade epithalon is available in Canada from Canada Peptides as a 10 mg lyophilised vial, priced and shipped in CAD. It is supplied strictly for laboratory and research use, not for human consumption.

What is epithalon?

Epithalon, also spelled epitalon, is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, designed by Vladimir Khavinson's institute in St Petersburg as a defined substitute for epithalamin, a bovine pineal extract used in Soviet geriatric medicine. It is studied for telomerase activation and circadian effects.

Does epithalon actually activate telomerase?

In cell culture, yes, and by more than one laboratory. Khavinson's group reported telomerase induction and telomere elongation in human fetal fibroblasts in 2003, and an independent group at Brunel University London reproduced dose-dependent telomere lengthening in normal human cells in 2025. Both are in-vitro results; no study has shown this in a living human.

Is epithalon the same as epithalamin?

No. Epithalamin is a polypeptide extract of cattle pineal gland with decades of Soviet clinical use. Epithalon is a synthetic four-residue peptide designed from that extract. The widely quoted human mortality study — 266 older adults over six to eight years — used the extracts epithalamin and thymalin, not the tetrapeptide sold here.

What is the half-life of epithalon?

Unknown. No pharmacokinetic study of epithalon has been published in any species. As an unmodified tetrapeptide it would be expected to clear within minutes, which is why the literature uses short repeated courses and assumes any effect outlasts the peptide.

How was epithalon dosed in studies?

The mouse lifespan study gave 1 µg per animal subcutaneously on five consecutive days each month for life. Human studies from the same institute used ten-day intramuscular courses, parabulbar injection or a sublingual formulation. There is no validated human dose, and this page does not recommend one; the material sold here is for research use only.

What side effects does epithalon research report?

The Russian literature reports none at the amounts studied, and lifelong dosing in mice showed no toxicity or increase in total tumours. There is no controlled human safety data, which is why the FDA declined to permit it in compounded medicines in 2023. A theoretical concern is telomerase induction in cells that should senesce; it has not been tested in humans.

Is epithalon legal in Canada?

Epithalon is not a controlled substance in Canada, but it has no Health Canada approval for human use and no DIN. It may be sold for laboratory research, which is how it is sold here. It is not named on the WADA list but, as a non-approved substance, falls under S0 for tested athletes.

Epithalon in Canada

Quick facts

Epithalon — for sale in Canada

What is Epithalon?

Evidence at a glance

Pharmacology

Identity and chemistry

Storage and stability

Research indications

Research protocols

Interactions and stacking in research

Reconstitution and handling

Side effects and safety signals

Regulatory status in Canada

Further reading

Epithalon FAQ

Research references