Epithalon
A synthetic pineal tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) studied for effects on telomerase expression. Evidence is in vitro and rodent only, and originates largely from one research group.
| Total citations | 4 |
|---|---|
| Human clinical studies | 0 |
| Animal models | 1 |
| In vitro studies | 2 |
| Reviews / meta-analyses | 1 |
Mechanism of action
Epithalon (AEDG) has been reported to induce hTERT expression and telomere elongation in cultured human somatic cells, extending replicative capacity past the Hayflick limit in the originating group’s experiments.
It is proposed to act as an epigenetic or gene-transcription regulator rather than through a defined cell-surface receptor; no specific receptor has been characterised. More recent independent in vitro work reports telomere lengthening via telomerase upregulation or ALT activity.
Peer-reviewed literature
Study type is tagged on every entry so animal and in-vitro findings are never mistaken for human clinical evidence.
Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells
Reported telomerase induction and telomere elongation in cultured human fetal fibroblasts.
Effect of Epitalon on biomarkers of aging, life span and spontaneous tumor incidence in female Swiss-derived SHR mice
Reported effects on ageing biomarkers and lifespan in mice; one of the few studies using the synthetic tetrapeptide rather than pineal extract.
Epitalon increases telomere length in human cell lines through telomerase upregulation or ALT activity
Independent replication attempt reporting telomere lengthening across human cell lines via two distinct mechanisms.
Overview of Epitalon — Highly Bioactive Pineal Tetrapeptide with Promising Properties
A recent review consolidating the in vitro and animal literature.
Limitations & open questions
A large part of the older "epithalamin" literature studies a pineal gland extract, not the synthetic AEDG tetrapeptide — the two are frequently conflated. The tetrapeptide corpus also originates predominantly from a single research group, and no adequate human clinical trial data has been verified.