The short version of Tetrapeptide fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
Reviewed 2026-05-20. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the amino acid sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly or AEDG. It was developed by the Russian researcher Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues during work on peptide bioregulators derived from the pineal gland. The compound is short enough to be produced by standard solid-phase peptide synthesis and is typically handled as a lyophilized white powder. Its small size distinguishes it from larger pineal peptides such as epithalamin, a complex extract from which the tetrapeptide was conceptually derived.
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.
Epitalon is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9, and its calculated molar mass is approximately 390.35 grams per mole. The compound is a short fragment related to a peptide fraction isolated from bovine pineal gland extracts, and it is normally supplied as a lyophilised powder intended for laboratory research. It is not a registered pharmaceutical product in most countries.
The peptide emerged from research carried out in Saint Petersburg from the late 1980s onward, where investigators searched for shorter active fragments of a pineal preparation known as epithalamin. The name epitalon was chosen to reflect that parent extract. Early reports described effects on neuroendocrine markers and on the lifespan of laboratory animals. Much of that work appeared in Russian-language journals, with English translations following later, which affects how readily the original protocols can be assessed by outside groups.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Amino acid sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly | Tetrapeptide, often abbreviated AEDG |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Free peptide, unmodified termini |
| Molecular weight | ~390.35 Da | Calculated for the free acid form |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typical lyophilized product form |
| Solubility class | Freely soluble in water | Two acidic residues dominate ionic character |
Most experimental work has been carried out in cell culture and animal models. Several reports describe changes in telomerase activity and proliferation in cultured cells, while rodent studies have examined lifespan, melatonin rhythm and reproductive endpoints. Human data remain limited, and much of the published clinical material consists of small trials with incomplete reporting of methods and controls. Whether the cell and animal findings translate into measurable effects in people is an open question, and the mechanistic basis of the reported telomerase changes is not fully established.
Discussions in the literature often conflate three distinct entities: the pineal extract epithalamin, the isolated tetrapeptide AEDG, and commercial preparations sold under similar names. Reviews citing older Russian-language studies sometimes omit detail on purity, route of administration and control groups, which makes cross-study comparison difficult. Researchers working with the compound generally note the need for independent replication, standardized enzyme assays, and clearer reporting of peptide identity. These caveats are relevant when weighing claims that appear in secondary sources rather than in primary reports.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated AEDG. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9 and its calculated monoisotopic mass is approximately 390.35 daltons. The compound does not occur naturally as a free peptide; it is produced by solid-phase peptide synthesis. Because it contains two acidic residues and no basic residues, the neutral form carries a net negative charge at physiological pH. This charge profile influences how the peptide behaves in solution and during chromatographic analysis.
Laboratory-grade epitalon is typically supplied as a lyophilized powder. Purity is commonly assessed with reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, often paired with mass spectrometry to confirm molecular identity. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping can provide additional confirmation of sequence. Certificates of analysis for research materials frequently report purity above 95 percent, although the methods behind such figures vary between suppliers. The absence of a pharmacopeial monograph means that no single standardized assay defines the compound, so reported results depend on the analytical protocol chosen.
Complaints about marketed products must be examined, the causes of quality defects must be investigated, and appropriate measures must be taken with respect to the defective products and to prevent recurrence. Good manufacturing practice is recommended with the goal of safeguarding the health of consumers and patients as well as producing quality products. In the United States, a food or drug may be deemed "adulterated" if it has passed all of the specifications tests but is found to be manufactured in a facility or condition which violates or does not comply with current good manufacturing guideline. GMP standards are not prescriptive instructions on how to manufacture products. They are a series of performance based requirements that must be met during manufacturing. When a company is setting up its quality program and manufacturing process, there may be many ways it can fulfill GMP requirements. It is the company's responsibility to determine the most effective and efficient quality process that both meets business and regulatory needs. Regulatory agencies have recently begun to look at more fundamental quality metrics of manufacturers than just compliance with basic GMP regulations. US-FDA has found that manufacturers who have implemented quality metrics programs gain a deeper insight into employee behaviors that impact product quality.
==== Icy surface bodies of water ==== Cold-start theories presuppose large ice-covered regions. Stellar evolution models predict that the Sun's luminosity was ≈25% weaker than it is today. Fuelner states that although this significant decrease in solar energy would have formed an icy planet, there is strong evidence for the presence of liquid water, possibly driven by a greenhouse effect. This would mean an early Earth with both liquid oceans and icy poles. Ice melts that form from ice sheets or glacier melts create freshwater pools, another niche capable of wet-dry cycles. While surface pools would be exposed to intense UV radiation, bodies of water within and under ice would be shielded, while remaining connected to exposed areas through ice cracks. Impact melting would allow freshwater and meteoritic input, creating prebiotic components. Near-seawater levels of sodium chloride destabilize fatty acid membrane self-assembly, making freshwater settings appealing for early membranous life. Icy environments would trade the faster reaction rates that occur in warm environments for increased stability and accumulation of larger polymers. Experiments simulating Europa-like conditions of ≈20 °C have synthesised amino acids and adenine, showing that Miller-Urey type syntheses can occur at low temperatures. In an RNA world, the ribozyme would have had even more functions than in a later DNA-RNA-protein-world. For RNA to function, it must be able to fold, a process hindered by temperatures above 30 °C.
It is available as the following salts, in approximate descending order of frequency of use: bitartrate, phosphate, hydrochloride, tartrate, hydroiodide, methyliodide, hydrobromide, sulfate, and thiocyanate. The salt to free base conversion factors are 0.67 for the bitartrate, 0.73 for the phosphate, and 0.89 for the hydrochloride. Dihydrocodeine is the parent drug of a series of moderately strong narcotics including, among others, hydrocodone, nicocodeine, nicodicodeine, thebaine and acetyldihydrocodeine. It is an original member and chemical base of a number of similar semi-synthetic opioids such as acetyldihydrocodeine, dihydrocodeinone enol acetate, dihydroisocodeine, nicocodeine, and nicodicodeine. Whereas converting codeine to morphine is a difficult and unrewarding task, dihydrocodeine can be converted to dihydromorphine with very high yields (over 95%). Dihydromorphine is widely used in Japan. The dihydromorphine can be quantitatively converted to hydromorphone using potassium tert butoxide. Dihydrocodeine can be presumptively detected by the Froehde reagent.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
But almost everywhere, in one form or another, there was the concept of a "philosopher's stone" – some substance that is able to turn other metals into gold, and when taken internally in small doses, heal all diseases, rejuvenate an old body and even give biological immortality. Alternatively, there were attempts to prepare "pills of immortality". During centuries alchemy gradually transformed to chemistry, in parallel giving birth to many adjacent sciences or enriching them. It is worth noticing the direction of iatrochemistry – a rational direction of alchemy with the main goal of preparing medicinal products. The pioneers of iatrochemistry were Paracelsus (1493–1541), Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580–1644) and Franciscus Sylvius (1614–1672). The converging field of alchemy was transformed into pharmacy. 1513 — searching for the Fountain of Youth is in popular culture thought to be one of the purposes of the expedition of the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León, which lead to the discovery of Florida – however, there is no contemporary evidence of this, and this purpose is considered a myth by historians. 1550 — a Venetian nobleman Luigi Cornaro published the book The Art of Living Long, describing the style of life for the achievement of longevity. The book was translated into many languages. The English version of the book till the 19th century went through more than 50 editions. The main idea of the book: in order to live many years, you need to live in moderation, eat simply and little.
=== May 2003 === In separate incidents, the Royal Military Police declared that Radhi Natna died of a heart attack while in British custody, yet his family reports that he had no heart trouble; and the Black Watch regiment arrested the 17-year-old Ahmad Jabber Kareem Ali in Basra, who then drowned after being ordered to swim across a river despite not being able to swim, according to his friend Ayad Salim Hanoon. Army Reservists abused Prisoners at Camp Bucca, and were later court-martialed. Brigadier General Ennis Whitehead III reported that Master Sergeant Lisa Marie Girman, a state trooper, "repeatedly kick[ed a prisoner] in the groin, abdomen and head, and encouraging her subordinate soldiers to do the same," Lieutenant Colonel Vic Harris reported that Staff Sergeant Scott A. McKenzie who worked at a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections boot-camp-style prison, and Specialist Timothy F. Canjar: held prisoners' legs, encouraged others to then kick them in the groin, stepped on their previously injured arms, and made false sworn statements to the Army Criminal Investigation Division. They received "general under honorable conditions" discharges, were ordered to forfeit two months' salary, and returned to the United States. Sergeant Shawna Edmondson, also involved in the case, received an "other-than-honorable" discharge, after she requested it instead of being court-martialed. Hossam Shaltout said the abuse at Camp Bucca was similar to that at Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, and that his torture included scorpions placed on his body.
== Morphology == Fully submerged aquatic plants have little need for stiff or woody tissue as they are able to maintain their position in the water using buoyancy typically from gas filled lacunaa or turgid aerenchyma cells. When removed from the water, such plants are typically limp and lose turgor rapidly. Those living in rivers do, however, need sufficient structural xylem to avoid being damaged by fast flowing water and they also need strong mechanisms of attachment to avoid being uprooted by river flow. Many fully submerged plants have finely dissected leaves, probably to reduce drag in rivers and to provide a much increased surface area for interchange of minerals and gasses. Some species of plants such as Ranunculus aquatilis have two different leaf forms which changes depending on growing conditions. Leaves are usually fully submerged and form a branch-like pattern that resembles a fan. They may also possess floating leaves that contain 3 to 5 lobes which are flat. Some still-water plants can alter their position in the water column at different seasons. One notable example is water soldier, which rests as a rootless rosette on the bottom of the water body but slowly floats to the surface in late spring so that its inflorescence can emerge into the air. While it is ascending through the water column it produces roots and vegetative daughter plants by means of rhizomes. When flowering is complete, the plant descends through the water column and the roots atrophy.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide composed of four amino acids: alanine, glutamate, aspartate, and glycine. It is written as Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly. The free peptide has a molecular weight of about 390 daltons and is normally supplied as a lyophilized powder.
No. Epitalon is chemically synthesized, not extracted. It was designed as a short synthetic fragment conceptually related to larger pineal peptides studied in the same research tradition, particularly the extract known as epithalamin. The two are distinct materials with different compositions.
The term bioregulator is used in this research tradition for short peptides proposed to influence gene expression or cell function. Epitalon is grouped with other synthetic short peptides under this label. The term reflects a proposed mechanism rather than an established drug classification.
It is a synthetic tetrapeptide built from alanine, glutamate, aspartate and glycine. The four residues are joined by standard peptide bonds, giving a linear chain rather than a branched structure.