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EpAnimal studies only

Epitalon protocol

Epitalon (Epithalon) is a four-amino-acid synthetic peptide designed from an extract of the pineal gland called Epithalamin. Most of what I found is lab and animal work, plus small reports from one Russian research group.

Not approved: no approved product foundNo controlled human trial of Epitalon alone found; human evidence is limited to small reports and the older extract Epithalamin
ProtocolMixingResultsSide effectsHow it worksSources

The protocol at a glance

No human dose is established. Animal studies gave it under the skin or by mouth. A 2026 aging-clock trial (NCT07888595) lists epitalon only as one of several skin-serum peptides.

ItemFinding
Human doseNot established
Studied inMice (under the skin, from 6 months of age to death), old rats (by mouth, 1 month), human cell cultures
Human reportsOlder adults in Russian-group studies; amounts not given in the abstracts
NCT07888595 (listed, not yet started)Epitalon in a topical serum at about 1-3 mg per mL, with other peptides

Sources listed below. The 266-person report used the older extract Epithalamin (with Thymalin), not synthetic Epitalon. Most papers I found come from one St. Petersburg research group, with little independent replication I could verify.

Community reports

Community reports commonly describe 0.5-1 mg under the skin daily for 10-20 days; older Epithalamin extract studies are often cited.

What people say they do, collected from community discussions. Not tested in a trial; shown so you can compare it with the evidence above.

Mixing

No mixing table here: this one is used as a capsule, nasal spray or skin product, or has no human amount to calculate from. The general mixing calculator works for any vial.

What the trials found

There are no controlled human results for Epitalon itself, so these are evidence facts:

266Older adults followed 6-8 years in a Russian-group report on the extract Epithalamin (and Thymalin), not Epitalon
1.6-1.8xLower death rate with Epithalamin than control in that report (study design not clear from the abstract)
10 extraCell divisions in aged human lung fibroblasts in the lab with Epithalon (34 vs 44 passages)
UpLifespan in female CBA mice, with fewer spontaneous tumors

Khavinson V, Morozov V. Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2003 (PMID 14523363); Khavinson 2004 (PMID 15455129); Anisimov VN et al., Ross Fiziol Zh 2001 (PMID 11227856). Treat these as unreplicated.

Side effects

  • The Russian group reports no side effects in older adults (PMID 17969590), but I found no independent safety data.
  • In mice, the injections did not change weight, food intake or behavior.
  • Long-term human safety is unknown.

How it works

Telomerase in lab cells

In cultured human cells, Epithalon switched on telomerase and lengthened telomeres. This has not been shown to work in people.

Melatonin rhythm

In old monkeys and some older adults, it was reported to raise night-time melatonin.

Sources

  • Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life. Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2003, PMID 14523363
  • Epithalon induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells, Bull Exp Biol Med 2003, PMID 12937682
  • Peptide promotes overcoming of the division limit in human somatic cell, Bull Exp Biol Med 2004, PMID 15455129
  • Effect of pineal peptide on biological age and life span in mice, Ross Fiziol Zh 2001, PMID 11227856
  • Normalizing effect of pineal peptides on melatonin rhythm, Adv Gerontol 2007, PMID 17969590
  • ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07888595 (aging-clock trial listing Epitalon in a topical serum)