Epithalon
A synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) modeled on a naturally occurring pineal gland peptide. Epithalon is one of the longest-running subjects in telomere and cellular aging research.
Four amino acids, fifty years of study.
“Epithalon started with a question about the pineal gland. In the 1970s, researchers at the Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology isolated a peptide fraction from pineal tissue and observed effects on aging in animal models. Epithalon is the synthetic four amino acid sequence (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) distilled from decades of that work.
The finding that made it well known came in 2003, when cultured human fibroblasts exposed to the peptide showed induction of telomerase activity and elongation of telomeres, extending the number of divisions the cells could complete. Telomere length is one of the few genuinely measurable markers of cellular aging, which puts Epithalon in a small category of compounds with a direct read-out.
Research since then has concentrated on melatonin production and circadian rhythm in older subjects, along with long-term observational cohorts. For women’s research specifically, some of the most relevant work involved reproductive aging in animal models, where the peptide was studied for its effect on cycling in aged females.”
The aging question, at the cellular level.
Telomere Research
Circadian & Melatonin Rhythm
Reproductive Aging
