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Background And Chemical Identity — Complete Guide

By Editorial Desk · published 2026-06-07 · last reviewed 2026-07-12 · Data

If you have been reading about peptide stability and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.

Updated 2026-07-12. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.

Background and Chemical Identity

Material supplied for laboratory use is normally a lyophilised white to off-white powder that dissolves readily in water and in isotonic saline. Lyophilised cakes are hygroscopic and should be equilibrated to room temperature before opening to limit condensation on the solid. Solutions are typically prepared at milligram-per-millilitre concentrations and divided into single-use aliquots, because repeated freeze–thaw cycles degrade short peptides. Aqueous solutions are far less stable than the dry powder, and identity is usually verified by mass spectrometry alongside purity estimation from reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Epitalon is a synthetic linear tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine–glutamate–aspartate–glycine, abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 and the calculated mass is approximately 390.35 g/mol. The compound is made by solid-phase peptide synthesis rather than extracted from tissue, although early work described it as a short fragment of a peptide fraction obtained from bovine pineal extract. In the research literature the spelling epitalon and the variant epithalone both appear, while AEDG is the standard code used in peptide nomenclature.

Several names circulate for the same molecule, including epitalon, epithalone, epithalamin tetrapeptide, and the sequence code AEDG. A CAS registry number, 307297-39-8, is commonly cited for it, though catalogue entries should be checked against supplier documentation because mislabelled records occur. In its usual form the peptide carries free amino and carboxyl termini and is neither glycosylated nor lipidated. Researchers distinguish the defined tetrapeptide from epithalamin itself, a crude pineal preparation containing many peptides that is not chemically characterised.

Analytical Methods And Handling

Storage practice centres on limiting moisture, oxygen, and repeated temperature cycling. Freeze-dried powder is generally held desiccated at minus twenty degrees Celsius or colder and protected from light. Reconstituted solutions are markedly less stable, and the aspartate-glycine junction is prone to succinimide formation at neutral to mildly alkaline pH. Portioning material into single-use aliquots reduces degradation compared with repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Stability data specific to this tetrapeptide remain scarce, so most handling guidance is extrapolated from general peptide chemistry rather than measured directly.

Documentation accompanying research peptides usually includes a certificate of analysis listing the batch number, purity figure, and test methods applied. Buyers comparing suppliers should check whether the reported purity refers to chromatographic area or to a mass-balance calculation, because the two are not equivalent. Counter-ion content, residual solvents, and water content are sometimes omitted from such certificates even though they affect the actual peptide mass present. Independent verification through a second laboratory is the most direct way to confirm that a supplied material matches its label.

Epitalon at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Amino acid sequenceAla-Glu-Asp-GlyLinear tetrapeptide, also written AEDG
Molecular massAbout 390.35 g/molValue calculated from the sequence
AppearanceWhite to off-white powderLyophilised material forms a loose cake
SolubilityFreely soluble in waterAlso dissolves in isotonic saline
Storage-20 °C, desiccatedAliquot solutions to avoid freeze–thaw cycling

Chemical Identity and Research Background

The compound is described in the literature as a derivative of epithalamin, a preparation obtained from bovine pineal tissue. Work on this peptide family was carried out mainly by a research group in Saint Petersburg beginning in the 1980s, and the substance was later registered for clinical use in Russia under the name Epitalon. Outside that region it is generally treated as a research chemical rather than an approved medicine. Statements about its biological activity rest on a relatively small number of studies, and independent replication remains limited.

In its supplied form epitalon is a white to off-white powder, usually lyophilized and often hygroscopic. It dissolves readily in water and in aqueous buffers, and it is commonly handled as the acetate or trifluoroacetate salt to improve stability during purification and drying. The amide backbone is labile in aqueous media, so solutions are less durable than the dry solid. Handling notes in the chemical literature therefore emphasize keeping the powder dry, cool and shielded from light until it is dissolved.

Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose sequence is alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, written in single-letter code as AEDG. The four residues are joined by three peptide bonds, giving a linear backbone with no branching and no disulfide bridges. Its calculated molecular mass for the free form is approximately 390.3 daltons, a figure that rises when the compound is supplied as an acetate or trifluoroacetate salt. Because the chain is short, the molecule is defined entirely by its residue order rather than by any folded three-dimensional structure.

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Storage, Assay, and Regulatory Framework

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.

Identity and purity are checked by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, usually with ultraviolet detection near 214 nanometres, where the peptide bond absorbs. Mass spectrometry confirms the expected mass and reveals whether truncation products or adducts are present. Acid hydrolysis followed by amino acid analysis gives the residue ratio, which should approximate one alanine, one glutamate, one aspartate and one glycine. Counter-ions such as acetate or trifluoroacetate remain in the dried product and lower net peptide content, so a stated purity figure on a label does not by itself describe how much peptide a vial holds.

Further detail

=== Silver Medal at 1948 Summer Olympics === Yugoslavia began their football campaign by defeating Luxembourg 6–1, with five different players scoring the goals. In the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, they would take out Turkey and Great Britain by the same score of 3–1. In the final though, they would lose to Sweden.

Lithium carbonate is an inorganic compound, the lithium salt of carbonic acid with the formula Li2CO3. Lithium carbonate is an important industrial chemical. It is a precursor to compounds used in lithium-ion batteries. Glasses derived from lithium carbonate are useful in ovenware. Lithium carbonate is a common ingredient in both low-fire and high-fire ceramic glaze. It forms low-melting fluxes with silica and other materials. Its alkaline properties are conducive to changing the state of metal oxide colorants in glaze, particularly red iron oxide (Fe2O3). Cement sets more rapidly when prepared with lithium carbonate, and is useful for tile adhesives. When added to aluminium trifluoride, it forms LiF which yields a superior electrolyte for the processing of aluminium.

Based on a White supremacy campaign that returned Democrats to dominance, in 1900 the state legislature passed a new constitution, with a suffrage amendment that raised barriers to voter registration, resulting in the disenfranchisement of most Black citizens and many poor White citizens. Loss of the ability to vote also disqualified Black men (and later women) from sitting on juries and serving in any office—local, state or federal. The rising Black middle-class in Raleigh and other areas was politically silenced and shut out of local governance, and the Republican Party was no longer competitive in the state. It was not until after federal civil rights legislation was passed in the mid-1960s that the majority of Black citizens in North Carolina would again be able to vote, sit on juries and serve in local offices. By that time, many African Americans had left the state in the Great Migration to northern industrial cities for more opportunities. No African American was elected to Congress from North Carolina until 1992.

=== Problems === There have been relatively few campaigns aimed at ending the practice of reusing needles. For standard preventative practice, a vaccination within the first 24 hours after birth is considered the best way to prevent the disease from spreading from mother to child. But it was not until 1992 that China included it as part of a routine immunization program. Even then, the price was relatively high compared with other postnatal vaccinations, and families had to pay for it privately. Many have suffered and their families, especially in the poor countryside, decided to go without. According to China's Ministry of Health website, in 2005 the PRC government belatedly passed a regulation making the vaccination free. The PRC government has set a goal of reducing the overall hepatitis B infection rate to less than 7% over the next five years, and the rate of infection for children younger than 5 to less than 1%. It has been said by medical observers of prevention programs in the country that the program can be a viable model for other developing countries trying to stop the spread of diseases (including hepatitis B) that can be prevented by vaccines. But a study of some campaigns shows that more than 1 million Chinese babies born each year in the area covered by the government initiated programs are not receiving the vaccination.

== Adverse effects == The adverse effects of synthetic drugs are hard to determine as they usually contain other chemicals with variable concentrations and human studies are limited. Synthetic cannabinoids can cause cardiovascular problems such as tachyarrhythmia, seizures, psychological disorders and potential carcinogenic effects. Addiction and withdrawal symptoms which are linked to chronic use of synthetic cannabinoid include cognitive disturbances (e.g. difficulties in thinking), 'profuse sweating', central nervous system and gastrointestinal disturbances (e.g. nausea and vomiting). The adverse effect of Phenethylamines depends on the type of the drug. 'D series' cause more long-lasting effects than other phenylethylamines such as tachycardia. At high doses, '2C series' produce hallucinogenic and entactogenic effects. Alprazolam can cause central nervous system disturbances and thoughts of suicide.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Supporting material

O-GlcNAc (short for O-linked GlcNAc or O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine) is a reversible enzymatic post-translational modification that is found on serine and threonine residues of nucleocytoplasmic proteins. The modification is characterized by a β-glycosidic bond between the hydroxyl group of serine or threonine side chains and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). O-GlcNAc differs from other forms of protein glycosylation: (i) O-GlcNAc is not elongated or modified to form more complex glycan structures, (ii) O-GlcNAc is almost exclusively found on nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins rather than membrane proteins and secretory proteins, and (iii) O-GlcNAc is a highly dynamic modification that turns over more rapidly than the proteins which it modifies. O-GlcNAc is conserved across metazoans.

Some mammals are omnivores and display varying degrees of carnivory and herbivory, generally leaning in favor of one more than the other. Since plants and meat are digested differently, there is a preference for one over the other, as in bears where some species may be mostly carnivorous and others mostly herbivorous. They are grouped into three categories: mesocarnivory (50–70% meat), hypercarnivory (70% and greater of meat), and hypocarnivory (50% or less of meat). The dentition of hypocarnivores consists of dull, triangular carnassial teeth meant for grinding food. Hypercarnivores, however, have conical teeth and sharp carnassials meant for slashing, and in some cases strong jaws for bone-crushing, as in the case of hyenas, allowing them to consume bones; some extinct groups, notably the Machairodontinae, had saber-shaped canines. Some physiological carnivores consume plant matter and some physiological herbivores consume meat. From a behavioral aspect, this would make them omnivores, but from the physiological standpoint, this may be due to zoopharmacognosy. Physiologically, animals must be able to obtain both energy and nutrients from plant and animal materials to be considered omnivorous. Thus, such animals are still able to be classified as carnivores and herbivores when they are just obtaining nutrients from materials originating from sources that do not seemingly complement their classification. For example, it is well documented that some ungulates such as giraffes, camels, and cattle, will gnaw on bones to consume particular minerals and nutrients.

Like other TCAs, doxepin is highly toxic in cases of overdose. Mild symptoms include drowsiness, stupor, blurred vision, and excessive dryness of mouth. More serious adverse effects include respiratory depression, hypotension, coma, convulsions, cardiac arrhythmia, and tachycardia. Urinary retention, decreased gastrointestinal motility (paralytic ileus), hyperthermia (or hypothermia), hypertension, dilated pupils, and hyperactive reflexes are other possible symptoms of doxepin overdose. Management of overdose is mostly supportive and symptomatic, and can include the administration of a gastric lavage so as to reduce absorption of the doxepin. Supportive measures to prevent respiratory aspiration is also advisable. Antiarrhythmic agents may be an appropriate measure to treat cardiac arrhythmias resulting from doxepin overdose. Slow intravenous administration of physostigmine may reverse some of the toxic effects of overdose such as anticholinergic effects. Haemodialysis is not recommended due to the high degree of protein binding with doxepin. ECG monitoring is recommended for several days after doxepin overdose due to the potential for cardiac conduction abnormalities.

=== Legal status === On 16 December 2021, and on 24 February 2022, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Padcev, intended for the treatment of adults with urothelial cancer. The applicant for this medicinal product is Astellas Pharma Europe B.V. Enfortumab vedotin was approved for medical use in the European Union in April 2022.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Notes from published material

From a total of around 7,000 species, only about 150 species are widely distributed around the world. These are the peregrine or cosmopolitan earthworms. Of the 308 taxa of earthworms found in the United States and Canada, 70 (23%) are introduced species.

Laminated bars consist of different layers to reduce the weight of the bar. Solid bars are solid steel, intended for professional use. They commonly have an exchangeable nose, since the sprocket at the bar nose wears out faster than the bar. Safety bars are laminated bars with a small sprocket at the nose. The small nose reduces the kickback effect. Such bars are used on consumer saws.

== Replication == Replication of the R1 plasmid begins at the oriRI site on the plasmid. RepA is the plasma-encoded initiator protein that binds to oriRI in order to initiate replication. RepA needs a 188-bp region of DNA at minimum in order to bind. Initiation of the leading strand, primed by DnaG, occurs at a G-type priming signal. This signal is located 400 bp downstream of the RepA-binding sequences. A newly synthesized RepA protein is used by an oriR on the same template that it was synthesized on, a cis-specific action.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

Is epitalon a natural substance?

It is a synthetic tetrapeptide. Its sequence was derived from research on peptide fractions of bovine pineal extract, and the intact AEDG sequence has not been demonstrated as an abundant free peptide in human tissue.

What does the abbreviation AEDG mean?

AEDG is the one-letter code for the four amino acids alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine in that order. The same molecule is written in three-letter form as Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly.

How is the identity of epitalon confirmed in a laboratory?

Identity is normally confirmed by mass spectrometry against the calculated mass of roughly 390.35 g/mol. Purity is then estimated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection.

How is purity of this peptide measured?

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection at 214 nanometres is the usual approach. Peak area percentage provides a purity figure relative to other components in the sample. Mass spectrometry is then applied to confirm identity.

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