A four-amino-acid peptide studied in telomere and aging-biology research.
Epithalon (also spelled Epitalon) is a synthetic tetrapeptide that appears often in longevity research. It is short, well-defined, and traces back to decades of work from a single research tradition.
Epithalon is a four-amino-acid peptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly). It was designed as a synthetic version of epithalamin, a peptide extract of the pineal gland studied by Russian gerontology researcher Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues.
The best-known published work reports that Epithalon induced telomerase activity and telomere elongation in cultured human cells. Telomeres are the protective caps on chromosome ends that shorten as cells divide, which is why they are a central topic in aging biology.
Because of its pineal origin, a second strand of the literature examines melatonin signalling and circadian rhythm markers in animal models.
Much of the Epithalon literature comes from a small number of research groups, and independent replication is limited. A careful researcher should read the primary papers and note the model used in each.
For related longevity compounds, see the longevity compound overview.
All of the above is research context from laboratory models. Epithalon is supplied for research use only and is not a treatment.
Short peptides are easy to mislabel. Ask for a batch COA with HPLC purity and mass-spec identity. Here is how to read one.
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