Epithalon and Pinealon are two of the best-known “peptide bioregulators,” very short synthetic peptides developed by the same research network in St. Petersburg. Epithalon is a four-residue peptide designed as a stand-in for a pineal gland extract. Pinealon is a three-residue peptide that, despite its name, is studied mainly in connection with the brain and nervous tissue. This guide compares them side by side and links to the full research overview for each.
All compounds discussed are sold for laboratory research use only. This page summarizes published research and is not guidance for human or veterinary use.
At a glance
| Epithalon | Pinealon | |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | Epitalon, AEDG | EDR |
| Sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (4 residues) | Glu-Asp-Arg (3 residues) |
| Molecular weight | 390.35 g/mol (C14H22N4O9) | 418.4 g/mol (C15H26N6O8) |
| Charge character | Two acidic residues, no basic residue | Two acidic residues plus a strongly basic arginine |
| Origin | Synthetic analog of epithalamin, a bovine pineal extract | Synthetic peptide linked to nervous-tissue extracts |
| Main research areas | Pineal physiology, gene expression in stem-cell cultures, oxidative stress, lifespan models in flies and rodents | Oxidative stress in cultured cells, prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia in rats, serotonin expression in cortical cultures |
| Identified receptor | None | None |
| Regulatory status | Not FDA approved for any use | Not FDA approved for any use |
| Full overview | Epithalon research | Pinealon research |
The same program, two different targets
Both peptides came out of a program led by Vladimir Khavinson’s group that began with crude organ extracts from pineal, thymus and brain tissue. Extracts are hard to standardize, so the group looked for di-, tri- and tetrapeptides that might reproduce each extract’s reported activity in a defined form (Araj et al., 2025). Epithalon was proposed as the pineal counterpart. Pinealon was one of the peptides associated with nervous tissue.
That shared origin explains why the two are so often grouped together. It also explains a shared weakness: most of the published work on both comes from one network of collaborating laboratories.
Epithalon: the pineal tetrapeptide
Epithalon is four common L-amino acids with no terminal modifications. Its research covers pineal and melatonin studies in rats, lifespan experiments in fruit flies (Khavinson et al., 2000) and gene expression in human stem-cell cultures, where it was associated with higher expression of neurogenesis-associated markers such as nestin and doublecortin (Khavinson et al., 2020). A more recent cell-culture study used retinal pigment epithelial cells in high glucose and reported lower reactive oxygen species and restored scratch-wound closure (Gatta et al., 2025).
Read the full Epithalon research overview or view Epithalon.
Pinealon: the nervous-tissue tripeptide
Pinealon is one residue shorter and ends in arginine, which gives it a strongly basic group that Epithalon lacks. Its research centers on oxidative stress: in cultured cells challenged with oxidants, it was associated with lower reactive oxygen species and higher cell viability (Khavinson et al., 2011). In rats, offspring of dams with induced high homocysteine were assessed for brain oxidative-stress markers and behavior (Arutjunyan et al., 2012), and cortical cell cultures were used to measure serotonin expression (Khavinson et al., 2014).
Read the full Pinealon research overview or view Pinealon.
Where their research overlaps
- The DNA-binding hypothesis: For both peptides, the developers propose that a molecule this small can enter the nucleus and bind specific DNA sequences or histone proteins, changing gene expression. The case rests largely on molecular modeling and indirect expression data (Khavinson et al., 2020, for each peptide).
- Oxidative stress: Both have been studied in cell models with reactive oxygen species as a main readout (Khavinson et al., 2011; Gatta et al., 2025).
- Nervous tissue: Epithalon’s stem-cell work measured neurogenesis markers, and Pinealon’s work focuses on cortical cells and brain tissue in rat models.
How researchers choose between them
- Studying pineal physiology or lifespan models: Epithalon is the peptide with the pineal and invertebrate lifespan literature.
- Studying oxidative stress in nervous-tissue cells: Pinealon has the more direct cell-viability and brain-tissue data.
- Testing the short-peptide gene-regulation hypothesis: running both, with scrambled-sequence controls, can show whether an effect depends on the specific sequence.
What the research does not show
Everything published on both peptides is preclinical: cell culture, invertebrate and rodent models, and computer modeling. Almost all of it comes from one network of laboratories, and independent replication is scarce. The proposed mechanism, direct binding of a tri- or tetrapeptide to DNA in the nucleus, has not been confirmed by structural studies in cells. Older Epithalon work often used the extract epithalamin rather than the synthetic peptide, and several Pinealon reports test it alongside other short peptides. None of these findings establishes any effect in people or describes the research material sold here.
Verify what you’re working with
Epithalon and Pinealon are tiny peptides that share two of their residues, so identity testing matters. Every Rogue batch is tested by an independent, ISO 17025 accredited U.S. lab, and the QR code on each vial opens that batch’s report on the lab’s own website. See how to read a peptide COA or browse the COA Library.
View Epithalon on Rogue Compounds
References
- Khavinson V, et al. Effect of epitalon on the lifespan increase in Drosophila melanogaster. Mech Ageing Dev. 2000;120(1-3):141-149. PMID 11087911
- Khavinson V, et al. AEDG peptide (Epitalon) stimulates gene expression and protein synthesis during neurogenesis: possible epigenetic mechanism. Molecules. 2020;25(3):609. PMID 32019204
- Araj SK, et al. Overview of Epitalon, highly bioactive pineal tetrapeptide with promising properties. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(6):2691. PMID 40141333
- Gatta M, et al. The antioxidant tetrapeptide epitalon enhances delayed wound healing in an in vitro model of diabetic retinopathy. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2025;21(6):1822-1834. PMID 40493162
- Khavinson V, et al. Pinealon increases cell viability by suppression of free radical levels and activating proliferative processes. Rejuvenation Res. 2011;14(5):535-541. PMID 21978084
- Arutjunyan A, et al. Pinealon protects the rat offspring from prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2012;5(2):179-185. PMID 22567179
- Khavinson VKh, et al. Short peptides stimulate serotonin expression in cells of brain cortex. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2014;157(1):77-80. PMID 24909721
- Khavinson V, et al. EDR peptide: possible mechanism of gene expression and protein synthesis regulation involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Molecules. 2020;26(1):159. PMID 33396470
Research use only. Rogue Compounds products are sold strictly for laboratory research. They are not for human or veterinary use, and nothing in this article is medical advice. The studies cited here describe published research, not this product or any use of it.
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