Scientific Reference
Epithalon
Evidence profile: Controlled human evidence
Epithalon, also written epitalon, has one of the shortest sequences in this catalogue: Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, four residues. It was designed as a synthetic stand-in for epithalamin, an extract of bovine pineal tissue that a St Petersburg group had been studying as a regulator of ageing. That group, and collaborators connected to it, produced the large majority of the literature, covering human cells in culture, rodents, fruit flies and some human studies in Russian-language journals. The themes are telomere biology, pineal gland activity and lifespan. Two cautions apply: findings from independent laboratories are scarce, and the human work is thin and comes from the same source.
Mechanism of Action
No receptor has been identified. The best-known claim, from the originating group, is that treated human somatic cells, which usually have little telomerase, switch on the enzyme and lengthen their telomeres. A second proposal is that short peptides slip into the nucleus and interact with DNA or histones, shifting which genes are read; few outside labs have tested it. Animal experiments have looked at pineal melatonin output and circadian markers. In sum, the mechanistic picture stands on a narrow set of research groups.
Molecular Information
- Type: Tetrapeptide
- Molecular weight: 390.35 g/mol
- Molecular formula: C14H22N4O9
- CAS: 307297-39-8
Published Research
Pineal-regulating tetrapeptide epitalon improves eye retina condition in retinitis pigmentosa
Khavinson V et al. · Neuro endocrinology letters · 2002 · Clinical
PMID 12195242 — View on PubMed