Pinealon
Also known as Glu-Asp-Arg, EDR peptide, Khavinson brain peptide, Pinealon bioregulator
Pinealon is a three-amino-acid Khavinson bioregulator peptide (Glu-Asp-Arg) developed in St. Petersburg for brain aging and cognitive support. It is one of the shortest peptides sold and is taken orally or by injection.
Overview
Pinealon is one of the synthetic short peptides from Vladimir Khavinson's group at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. The original bioregulators were tissue extracts, and the group later identified short sequences that they proposed as the active components. Pinealon is the tripeptide Glu-Asp-Arg, intended to mimic a brain-derived signal. It is sold in Russia as a capsule dietary supplement aimed at older adults with cognitive complaints and as a research powder elsewhere.
The published research is almost entirely from the Khavinson group and its collaborators. In cell culture Pinealon reduced free radical levels, improved viability of neurons under oxidative stress and hypoxia, and changed expression of genes tied to proliferation and apoptosis. In rats it was reported to protect against prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia and hypoxia-induced deficits and to improve learning in aged animals. The group also reports that these tripeptides can enter cells and bind DNA directly, altering transcription.
Human data consists of small, mostly open-label Russian studies in elderly patients reporting improved cognitive scores and quality of life, and these have not been independently replicated. The honest summary is that Pinealon is a low-risk, low-evidence compound. Its effects in the community are generally described as mild, and it is often used as a background add-on during courses of stronger nootropic peptides.
How it works
Khavinson's group proposes that very short peptides like Pinealon are taken up by cells and pass into the nucleus, where they bind specific DNA sequences and influence transcription. For Pinealon the reported targets include genes involved in antioxidant defense, neuronal differentiation, and apoptosis, and the peptide has been shown to reduce reactive oxygen species and caspase-3 activity in neuron cultures under stress. It is also reported to influence serotonin and the expression of the 5-HT receptor in aged brain tissue and to modulate irisin and neurotrophin expression. The DNA-binding hypothesis is unusual and not widely tested outside Russia, so mechanism should be considered proposed rather than established.
What the research shows
- in vitroPinealon reduced reactive oxygen species and improved survival of cultured neurons exposed to oxidative stress and hypoxia.
- rodentIn rats, Pinealon reduced cognitive and neurological deficits caused by prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia.
- in vitroPinealon altered expression of proliferation and apoptosis genes in brain cell cultures from young and old animals.
- human pilotSmall open-label studies in elderly Russian patients reported improved cognitive and functional scores.
Evidence labels: rodent and in vitro mean no human data for that finding. Human pilot means small, often uncontrolled. Human RCT means randomized and controlled. Clinical means an approved drug with regulatory data.
Dose calculator
U-100 insulin syringeUnits are a volume on the syringe, not an amount of peptide. Concentration changes every time you change the water volume. The standalone calculator explains the math.
Dosing and protocol
Injectable community range. Russian oral capsules contain far less peptide per dose, usually in the low hundreds of mcg, so oral and injected numbers are not comparable.
10-20 days, repeated 1-2 times per year
Morning. Oral capsules are taken with food.
| Vial | Suggested water | Concentration | Low dose draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 20 units |
| 20 mg | 2 mL | 10 mg/mL | 10 units |
Lyophilized: fridge or freezer, away from light. Reconstituted: fridge 2-8C, use within 4 weeks. Capsules: room temperature, dry.
Cautions
- ▲Evidence comes almost entirely from one research group in Russia.
- ▲Human studies are small and open-label, so placebo effects cannot be excluded.
- ▲Effects are subtle; many users notice nothing at all.
- ▲The DNA-binding mechanism is a hypothesis, not a confirmed pathway.
- ▲Oral capsules and injectable powder differ by an order of magnitude in dose, so do not copy one protocol onto the other.
Commonly stacked with
Frequently asked
What does Pinealon actually do?
In cells and rodents it protects neurons from oxidative stress and hypoxia and nudges gene expression toward survival and differentiation. In people, the only data are small Russian studies in the elderly reporting modest cognitive improvement. Expect subtle effects at best.
Oral or injectable?
The Russian product is an oral capsule. Injectable powder is a community adaptation and uses much higher doses. Khavinson's group has published on both routes, but there is no head-to-head comparison in humans.
Is Pinealon the same as Epithalon?
No. Both are Khavinson peptides but Epithalon is the tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly aimed at the pineal gland and telomeres, while Pinealon is the tripeptide Glu-Asp-Arg aimed at brain tissue. The names are confusingly similar.
How long until I notice anything?
Russian protocols run 10 to 20 days and report changes at the end of a course. Community users who report benefit usually describe it as slightly clearer thinking after a couple of weeks rather than anything immediate.
References
- Pinealon increases cell viability by suppression of free radical levels and activating proliferative processes. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2011
- Peptide regulation of gene expression: a systematic review. Molecules, 2021
- Peptides and ageing. Neuroendocrinology Letters, 2002