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.
Reviewed by the amino101 editorial team. , first published .
Quick start
What people commonly do. Not a prescription.- Typical dose
- 1 to 5 mg injected; oral capsules contain far less, in the low hundreds of mcg
- How often
- once daily during a course
- Where
- Subcutaneous, belly or thigh; or oral capsules with food
- Timing
- morning; with food if taken orally
- Effects timeline
- nothing acute; if anything is noticed it is slightly clearer thinking after about 2 weeks
- Storage
- fridge 2 to 8 C once mixed, use within 4 weeks; capsules at room temperature, dry
- Cycle length
- 10 to 20 days
- Break between
- repeated 1 to 2 times per year, so several months between courses
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.
Where the research stands
Age related cognitive declineEmerging
- Cognitive scores in elderly patients. Small open-label Russian studies reported improved cognitive and functional scores; no blinded or independent trial exists.
- Learning in aged rats. Rodent work from the Khavinson group reported better learning in old animals.
Neuroprotection under oxidative stress and hypoxiaEmerging
- Neuron survival in culture. In vitro; Pinealon lowered reactive oxygen species and caspase-3 activity and improved viability under stress.
- Prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia model. Rodent; reduced cognitive and neurological deficits in offspring.
General brain aging and bioregulationWeak or mixed
- DNA binding and gene expression. A hypothesis from one research group, supported by cell culture data, with no testing outside Russia.
- 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.
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.
Levels over time
Modeled from the half-life. Illustrative, not measured.A half-life of 6 min against dosing every 24 h means each dose has cleared before the next. Nothing stacks; you start from zero every time, and the tissue effect is what carries over.
Rapid clearance means any effect comes from repeated daily exposure across a 10 to 20 day course rather than sustained blood levels, which is how the Russian protocols are structured.
Pinealon dosage and protocols
One 10 to 20 day course at a fixed daily dose, repeated once or twice a year. No loading or taper. It is often run alongside Epithalon or as a background compound during a Semax course.
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard injected course | 1 to 2 mg | once daily for 10 to 20 days | Subcutaneous |
| Higher injected course | 3 to 5 mg | once daily for 10 to 20 days | Subcutaneous |
| Russian oral product | per capsule label, in the low hundreds of mcg | once or twice daily with food | Oral |
| Background during a Semax course | 1 to 2 mg | once daily | Subcutaneous, morning |
Morning. Oral capsules go with food. Timing relative to other peptides does not matter; it is usually injected at the same time as Epithalon during a combined course.
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.
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.
| 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 |
How to reconstitute Pinealon
- 1
Wash your hands and wipe the work surface. Swab both vial stoppers with alcohol and let them dry.
- 2
Pick the water volume with the calculator above and write it on the vial. The concentration means nothing without it.
- 3
Draw the bacteriostatic water into a mixing syringe.
- 4
Insert at an angle and let the water run down the inside wall. Never squirt it straight onto the powder.
- 5
Swirl gently or leave it to dissolve. Do not shake.
- 6
Label with the date and water volume. Store in the fridge at 2 to 8 C and use within about 4 weeks.
- 7
Unmixed vials keep for months in the fridge and longer in the freezer, sealed and out of light.
- Full walkthrough with syringe reading and site rotation: reconstitution guide.
- ✓White, fluffy cake
Lyophilized powder should look like a small white puck or fluffy cake at the bottom of the vial. That is a proper freeze-dry.
- ✓Clear after mixing
Once dissolved the solution should be water-clear with nothing floating in it.
- !Slight clumping
Small clumps that dissolve with gentle swirling are fine. Shipping compacts powder.
- ✕Collapsed or melted
Powder stuck to the sides, glassy, or shrunken means it got hot in transit. Contact the vendor.
- ✕Cloudy or particles
Persistent cloudiness or visible particles after mixing means degraded or contaminated product. Do not use it.
- Week 1
Nothing noticeable beyond the injection itself; that is normal for this compound.
- Week 2 to 3
Some people report slightly clearer thinking or better recall; many report nothing.
- After the course
No rebound; wait several months before repeating, since that is the only pattern with any data.
Interactions and stacking
Epithaloncompatible
The Khavinson protocols pair brain and pineal bioregulators in one course; no controlled data on the combination.
Semaxcompatible
Pinealon as a low-intensity base while Semax handles acute focus; no known overlap.
Selankcompatible
No mechanistic overlap and no interaction expected.
DSIPcompatible
Sometimes run together in sleep and aging stacks; no combined data.
Prescription medicationscompatible
No interaction studies exist, and the tripeptide has no known enzyme or receptor target that would predict one; that is an absence of data, not proof of safety.
Safety
- ▲Injection site redness or tenderness
- ▲Mild headache, reported rarely and anecdotally
- ▲No effect at all for many users
- ▲No compound-specific side effects have been documented in the published studies
- ▲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.
- ■Any injection site infection or allergic reaction
- ■Two full courses have produced nothing you can notice
- ■You are using it instead of getting real cognitive decline evaluated
Community poll
Self-reported by visitors. Not clinical evidence.Pinealon: 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