A practical reference on Research chemical: what it is, how it behaves, what the literature reports, and where the honest uncertainties sit.
Reviewed 2026-05-21. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
The molecule is a short, linear, hydrophilic peptide that dissolves readily in water or aqueous buffer. Its principal chemical liabilities are hydrolytic rather than oxidative, since it contains no cysteine, methionine, or tryptophan residues. The aspartate–glycine step is a recognised site for aspartimide formation under mildly acidic or basic conditions, generating isoaspartate and succinimide-related products over time. Desiccated lyophilised powder held at −20 °C is comparatively stable, whereas dilute solutions degrade faster and are best frozen as single-use aliquots rather than thawed repeatedly.
No pharmacopoeial monograph exists for this peptide, so quality rests on the supplier's internal specifications and on whatever independent testing a purchaser arranges. Certificates of analysis differ widely in which tests they report and in the limits applied. The counter-ion introduced during purification, commonly acetate or trifluoroacetate, changes the net peptide content of a given mass of powder, so two samples of equal weight may not contain equal amounts of the active sequence. Third-party laboratories can verify purity, identity, residual solvents, and counter-ion content for a fee, which makes documentation more informative than labelling.
Verification of a sample usually begins with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, which resolves the peptide from truncated sequences and other impurities and expresses purity as a percentage of total peak area. Mass spectrometry by electrospray ionisation or matrix-assisted laser desorption supplies an independent check, because the measured mass can be compared against the theoretical value for AEDG. Amino acid analysis or tandem mass spectrometry sequencing can confirm residue order. Each of these methods answers a different question: a purity figure does not establish identity, and an identity match does not establish how much of the material is intact peptide.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Identity confirmation | Electrospray or MALDI mass spectrometry | Observed mass compared with theoretical 390.35 Da |
| Purity specification | 95 percent or greater by RP-HPLC | Common convention for research-grade peptide |
| Counter-ion | Acetate or trifluoroacetate | Affects net peptide content of a weighed sample |
| Solution storage | −80 °C as single-use aliquots | Repeated freeze–thaw cycles accelerate loss |
| Main degradation route | Aspartimide formation at Asp-Gly | Produces isoaspartate and related species |
Lyophilised epitalon is generally held at minus twenty degrees Celsius in a sealed container kept dry and dark. Cooler conditions are sometimes recommended for long-term archives. The solid takes up moisture readily enough that repeated opening of a vial introduces water, so dividing a batch into smaller portions before storage lowers degradation risk. Aqueous solutions are less durable than the dry powder and are usually prepared shortly before use, then kept cold and shielded from light to slow hydrolysis and oxidation.
Verification of research-grade material involves comparing a supplier chromatogram against an in-house reference, checking the observed mass against the calculated value, and where possible confirming residue order by tandem mass spectrometry or enzymatic peptide mapping. Purity claims should be read alongside the method used to obtain them, because detection wavelength and integration settings alter the result. Batch-specific data, rather than a generic grade statement, is the informative part of a certificate.
Identity and purity of epitalon samples are normally established by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection near 214 nanometres, combined with mass spectrometry. The mass spectrum confirms the expected molecular ion and can reveal truncated or oxidised by-products. Amino acid analysis after acid hydrolysis verifies that the four residues are present in the expected ratio. Certificates typically report a purity figure taken from chromatographic peak area, expressed as a percentage of total integrated signal.
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 proposed relationship between epitalon and pineal function is a central part of its background. Khavinson's group reported that short peptides corresponding to regions of larger pineal proteins could influence gene expression in cells. Epitalon was framed as a synthetic analogue of an active fragment rather than a direct isolation product. Whether the tetrapeptide reproduces the effects of the parent extract is an open question, because comparative studies are limited and the parent extract itself is not a single defined substance.
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.
Regulatory treatment differs by country. No formulation of epitalon holds a marketing authorisation as a medicine in the United States or the European Union, where material sold for laboratory use is handled as a research chemical and is not intended for human consumption. In Russia, several short peptide preparations from the same institute's peptide series are registered medicinal products, and epitalon appears in that national context. Elsewhere it is frequently offered as a cosmetic ingredient, a category with lighter requirements. Advertising claims about longevity or disease prevention are restricted in most jurisdictions, which limits how sellers describe the compound.
Freeze-dried epitalon is normally kept at minus twenty degrees Celsius in a sealed, desiccated container, protected from light. Short excursions at ambient temperature during shipping are generally tolerated, but repeated warming and cooling cycles encourage moisture uptake, which shortens shelf life. Once dissolved, the peptide is far less stable than the solid: aqueous solutions are subject to hydrolysis and to deamidation at the aspartate and glutamate residues. Working solutions are therefore held refrigerated and used within days, and repeated freezing and thawing of the same vial is best avoided.
Reported biological findings come mainly from cell culture and rodent experiments. Those studies describe changes in telomerase catalytic subunit expression, melatonin rhythm amplitude, and antioxidant enzyme activity after peptide exposure. Human data are sparse and consist of small trials with limited blinding and inconsistent endpoints. The proposed mechanisms remain hypotheses rather than established facts, and there is no consensus on whether effects observed in animals carry over to people. Independent replication outside the original research groups is limited, which is a recognised gap in the published literature.
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.
In the run-up to the Second World War Tolkien was earmarked as a codebreaker. In January 1939 he was asked to serve in the cryptographic department of the Foreign Office in the event of national emergency. Beginning on 27 March, he took an instructional course at the London headquarters of the Government Code and Cypher School. He was informed in October that his services would not be required. In 1945 Tolkien moved to Merton College, Oxford, becoming the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, in which post he remained until his retirement in 1959. He served as an external examiner for University College, Galway (now the University of Galway), for many years. In 1954 Tolkien received an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland (of which University College, Galway, was a constituent college). Tolkien completed The Lord of the Rings in 1948, close to a decade after the first sketches.
Of the 74 universities in Spain, 54 are public and funded by the autonomous community in which they are based. University funding differs by region. However, the central government establishes homogeneous tuition fees for all public universities which are much lower than those of their private counterparts. The highest tuition fee allowed by law was, as of 2010, €14.97 per academic credit, amounting to roughly €900 a year for an average 60-credit full-time course. Tuition fees at private universities might reach €18,000 a year. Public universities are state-owned but are granted considerable independence and self-governance. However, public universities do not have free use of their assets and are subject to Spanish administrative law. Public university administrators, lecturers, and professors are granted civil servant status rather than tenure. A Spanish civil servant can only be fired under exceptional and well-justified circumstances. Research funding is allocated by the autonomous community or the central government; in the former, funding amount and conditions vary significantly from one independent community to another.
2 Mg(s) + CO2(g) → 2 MgO(s) + C(s) Hence, carbon dioxide fuels rather than extinguishes magnesium fires. Burning magnesium can be quenched by using a Class D dry chemical fire extinguisher, or by covering the fire with sand or magnesium foundry flux to remove its air source.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Because of this reduced affinity, the activity of glucokinase, under usual physiological conditions, varies substantially according to the concentration of glucose. Additionally, unlike other hexokinase isozymes, glucokinase is not subject to feedback inhibition by physiological levels of its product, glucose-6-phosphate, allowing for continuing function even under high product production.
In March 1988, the Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party merged to create the Social and Liberal Democrats, renamed the Liberal Democrats in October 1989. Over two-thirds of Liberal members joined the merged party, along with all sitting MPs. Steel and SDP leader Robert Maclennan served briefly as interim leaders of the merged party. A group of Liberal opponents of the merger with the Social Democrats, including Michael Meadowcroft (the former Liberal MP for Leeds West) and Paul Wiggin (who served on Peterborough City Council as a Liberal), continued with a new party organisation under the name of the 'Liberal Party'. Meadowcroft joined the Liberal Democrats in 2007, but the Liberal Party as reconstituted in 1989 continues to hold council seats and field candidates in Westminster Parliamentary elections. Only one of the twelve Liberal candidates in 2024 achieved 5% or more of the votes, resulting in all bar one losing their deposits.
Their work paved the way for the later discovery by Archibald Hill and Otto Fritz Meyerhof that a carbohydrate metabolic cycle supplies the energy used for muscle contraction. In 1912 Hopkins published the work for which he is best known, demonstrating in a series of animal feeding experiments that diets consisting of pure proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and water fail to support animal growth. This led him to suggest the existence in normal diets of tiny quantities of as yet unidentified substances that are essential for animal growth and survival. These hypothetical substances he called "accessory food factors", later renamed vitamins. It was this work that led his being awarded (together with Christiaan Eijkman) the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. During World War I, Hopkins continued his work on the nutritional value of vitamins. His efforts were especially valuable in a time of food shortages and rationing. He agreed to study the nutritional value of margarine and found that it was, as suspected, inferior to butter because it lacked the vitamins A and D. As a result of his work, vitamin-enriched margarine was introduced in 1926. Hopkins is credited with the discovery and characterisation in 1921 of glutathione extracted from various animal tissues. At the time he proposed that the compound was a dipeptide of glutamic acid and cysteine. The structure was controversial for many years but in 1929 he concluded that it was a tripeptide of glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine.
== Regulatory aspects == A transdermal patch is classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a combination product, consisting of a medical device combined with a drug or biological product that the device is designed to deliver. Prior to sale in the United States, any transdermal patch product must apply for and receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration, demonstrating safety and efficacy for its intended use.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== History == 2000: Four scientists from what was then the Agricultural University of Norway (NLH), now the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) had the idea of replacing traditional date-stamping with something that can give a more correct indication of remaining shelf life for temperature sensitive products, such as food and pharmaceuticals. 2001: The fundamental principles for a shelf-life indicator were verified in the laboratory. The company TimeTemp AS, now Keep-it Technologies, was founded in 2001 to develop the technology into a commercial product. 2003: TimeTemp comes in second place in DNB’s national innovation competition. 2003-2007: The technology is tested and developed in the university's laboratories, and a working laboratory prototype is created. Keep-it Technologies is granted a patent in a number of different countries, including the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 2007-2009: With support from the Research Council of Norway, Keep-it Technologies initiates an R&D project to develop the technology from laboratory prototype to an industrial prototype, and test it on real products through a professional cold chain. 2010-2011: The company raises new investment capital and initiates an IFU project that develops the first consumer version of the indicator. The indicator is tested on the first products in the Norwegian grocery market. 2012: Keep-it indicator is commercialized in Norway with the Norwegian retailer, Rema 1000. 2018: Keep-it has indicators on 30 different fresh products at Rema 1000, Kolonial.no and Oslo University Hospital.
For some substances, such as carbon and arsenic, sublimation from solid state is much more achievable than evaporation from liquid state and it is difficult to obtain them as liquids. This is because the pressure of their triple point in its phase diagram (which corresponds to the lowest pressure at which the substance can exist as a liquid) is very high. Sublimation is caused by the absorption of heat which provides enough energy for some molecules to overcome the attractive forces of their neighbors and escape into the vapor phase. Since the process requires additional energy, sublimation is an endothermic change. The enthalpy of sublimation (also called heat of sublimation) can be calculated by adding the enthalpy of fusion and the enthalpy of vaporization.
Compared with most other classes of natural compounds, alkaloids are characterized by a great structural diversity. There is no uniform classification. Initially, when knowledge of chemical structures was lacking, botanical classification of the source plants was relied on. This classification is now considered obsolete. More recent classifications are based on similarity of the carbon skeleton (e.g., indole-, isoquinoline-, and pyridine-like) or biochemical precursor (ornithine, lysine, tyrosine, tryptophan). However, they require compromises in borderline cases; for example, nicotine contains a pyridine fragment from nicotinamide and a pyrrolidine part from ornithine and therefore can be assigned to both classes. Alkaloids are often divided into the following major groups:
Stimulates the uptake of glucose – Insulin decreases blood glucose concentration by inducing intake of glucose by the cells. This is possible because Insulin causes the insertion of the GLUT4 transporter in the cell membranes of muscle and fat tissues which allows glucose to enter the cell. Increased fat synthesis – insulin forces fat cells to take in blood glucose, which is converted into triglycerides; decrease of insulin causes the reverse. Increased esterification of fatty acids – forces adipose tissue to make neutral fats (i.e., triglycerides) from fatty acids; decrease of insulin causes the reverse. Decreased lipolysis in – forces reduction in conversion of fat cell lipid stores into blood fatty acids and glycerol; decrease of insulin causes the reverse. Induced glycogen synthesis – When glucose levels are high, insulin induces the formation of glycogen by the activation of the hexokinase enzyme, which adds a phosphate group in glucose, thus resulting in a molecule that cannot exit the cell. At the same time, insulin inhibits the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase, which removes the phosphate group. These two enzymes are key for the formation of glycogen. Also, insulin activates the enzymes phosphofructokinase and glycogen synthase which are responsible for glycogen synthesis.
=== Phase 2 === Aildenafil (methisosildenafil) – phosphodiesterase PDE5 inhibitor – erectile dysfunction [10] AN-788 (IP-2018; IP2018; NSD788; NSD-788) – serotonin–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (SDRI) – erectile dysfunction [11] Apomorphine intranasal (AL-101; intranasal apomorphine) – non-selective dopamine receptor agonist, other actions – erectile dysfunction, female sexual dysfunction [12] Autologous mesenchymal stem cell therapy (autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy; Cellgram; Cellgram-ED; Cellgram-LC; Cerecellgram-spine; Hearticellgram-AMI; Immunocellgram; Impocellgram; Livercellgram; Lungcellgram; MSC-1; MSC-2) – cell replacement – erectile dysfunction [13] Botulinum toxin A (AboBoNT-A; AbobotulinumtoxinA; Alluzience; Azzalure; BoNT-A; BTX-A-HAC; BTX-A-HAC NG; Clostridium botulinum toxin type A haemagglutinin complex; Dysport; Dysport NG; Dysport RU; Dysport Solution; Dysport Next Generation; Reloxin) – acetylcholine release inhibitor and neuromuscular blocking agent – vulvodynia [14] Bupropion/trazodone (Lorexys; Orexa; S1P-104; S1P-205; SIP-104; trazodone/bupropion) – combination of bupropion (norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), other actions) and trazodone (serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI), various actions) – erectile dysfunction, female sexual dysfunction, male sexual dysfunction [15] Buspirone/testosterone (Lybridos; testosterone/buspirone) – combination of buspirone (serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist, other actions) and testosterone (androgen) – female sexual dysfunction [16] BZ-371A (PnPP-19) – nitric oxide stimulant – erectile dysfunction, female sexual dysfunction [17] Cligosiban (IX-01; PF-3274167) – oxytocin receptor antagonist – premature ejaculation [18] Estetrol (Donesta; E4) – estrogen (estrogen receptor agonist) – atrophic vaginitis, female sexual dysfunction [19] Estriol vaginal ring (VR-102; VR102; long-acting estriol vaginal ring) – estrogen (estrogen receptor agonist) – atrophic vaginitis [20] Fadanafil (XZP-5849) – phosphodiesterase PDE5 inhibitor – erectile dysfunction [21] FKW-00GA (FKW00GA; TGW-00AA; TGW00AA; TGWOOAA; TGW-OOAA) – serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist, serotonin 5-HT2A receptor antagonist – sexual function disorders [22] Onabotulinum toxin A (BoNTA; Botox; botulinum toxin A injectable; GSK-1358820; GSK1358820; OnabotA X; OnabotulinumtoxinA X; Vistabel; Vistabex) – acetylcholine release inhibitor and neuromuscular blocking agent – premature ejaculation [23] OPK-88004 (LY-2452473; TT701) – selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) – erectile dysfunction [24] Pudafensine (IP2015; IP-2015) – serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (SNDRI) – erectile dysfunction, vulvodynia, female sexual dysfunction [25] Sildenafil/testosterone (Lybrido; testosterone/sildenafil) – combination of sildenafil (phosphodiesterase PDE5 inhibitor) and testosterone (androgen) – female sexual dysfunction [26] Sildenafil topical – phosphodiesterase PDE5 inhibitor – female sexual dysfunction [27] Testosterone intranasal (low-dose) (MPP-14; Noseafix; TBS-2; Tefina) – androgen (androgen receptor agonist) – anorgasmia, decreased libido [28] TGFK-09SD (TGFK09SD) – serotonin 5-HT1A receptor agonist – female sexual dysfunction [29] Volufralin (LIB-01; LIB01; DIC-2024; DIC2024; Libiguin) – indirect melanocortin MC4 receptor potentiator – erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation [30]
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Mass spectrometry provides the identity check, because the observed mass is compared with the theoretical mass of the AEDG sequence. Chromatography separates and quantifies impurities but does not by itself prove which peptide is present. The two techniques are normally used together.
Yes. Trifluoroacetate and acetate ions remain associated with the peptide after purification, so a weighed quantity of powder contains less peptide than the nominal mass suggests. Certificates that report net peptide content rather than raw weight are more directly comparable between suppliers.
Dilute aqueous solutions are less stable than the dry powder and are usually aliquoted and frozen to avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles. Lyophilised material is best stored desiccated at −20 °C, protected from light. Working solutions are typically prepared fresh from a frozen aliquot.
It is a four-amino-acid peptide built from alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine in that order. Its formula is C14H22N4O9, and it is made by chemical synthesis rather than extracted from tissue. The synthetic peptide is a single defined molecule, unlike the pineal extracts it is often compared with.