A gemini analysis:
A relatively new and comprehensive review from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, revisits one of the most intriguing yet debated molecules in longevity research: Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly). This synthetic tetrapeptide, derived from the bovine pineal gland extract Epithalamin, has been a staple of Russian gerontology for decades but remains on the fringes of Western medicine. The “Big Idea” here is pharmacological biomimicry: Epitalon appears to trick the body’s cells into a “younger” state not by a single pathway, but by orchestrating a systemic reset—reactivating telomerase to lengthen chromosomal caps, modulating melatonin production to restore circadian rhythms, and dampening oxidative stress.
The review consolidates 25 years of scattered data, ranging from rodent lifespan studies to obscure clinical trials, aiming to validate whether this peptide is a legitimate geroprotector or merely a placebo-prone antioxidant. The authors highlight its unique ability to induce chromatin decondensation—essentially “opening up” the DNA library for repair—and its potential to extend maximum lifespan in mice by up to 13.3%. However, the mechanism remains elusive: is it a direct telomerase activator, or does it simply reduce the “noise” of aging (inflammation and oxidation) enough to let the body repair itself? This paper attempts to bridge the gap between Soviet-era observation and modern molecular verification.
Impact Evaluation: The impact score of this journal is 4.9 (JIF 2024), evaluated against a typical high-end range of 0–60+ for top general science. Therefore, this is a [Medium] impact journal. While a Q1 journal in its specific sub-field, it lacks the rigorous, high-rejection scrutiny of “Elite” tier publications like Nature or Cell.
Part 2: The Biohacker Analysis
Style: Technical, Academic, Direct
Study Design Specifications (Based on Review of Primary Data):
- Type: Systematic Review of In Vitro, In Vivo (Murine/Rat), and Clinical Data.
-
Subjects (Key In Vivo Anchor):
- Species/Strain: CBA/Ca female mice; SHR mice; HER-2/neu transgenic mice.
- Dosage: Varying, typically 0.1 µg to 1 µg per mouse (approx. 5–50 µg/kg), administered SC (subcutaneously) 5 times/week.
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Lifespan Data (Primary Efficacy Signals):
- CBA Mice: Treatment with Epitalon extended Maximum Lifespan by 11.9% (oldest survivor 34 months vs. 30.4 months in control).
- SHR Mice: Extended lifespan of the last 10% of survivors by 13.3%.
- Tumor Incidence: Reduced spontaneous tumor incidence in CBA mice (typically by ~30-40% in cited studies).
Mechanistic Deep Dive: The review identifies a multi-modal mechanism of action (MOA) that defies the “one drug, one target” dogma:
- Telomere Maintenance: Epitalon upregulates telomerase activity in somatic cells, leading to telomere elongation (approx. 33.3% increase in human somatic cells in vitro). This suggests a direct countermeasure to replicative senescence (Hayflick limit).
- Epigenetic Remodeling: The peptide induces chromatin decondensation (specifically deheterochromatization) in centromeric regions. This “relaxing” of the genome may facilitate access for DNA repair enzymes and transcription factors (e.g., AP-1, NF-kB) that are otherwise silenced in senescent cells.
- Neuroendocrine Reset: It modulates the pineal gland, though the review notes a critical nuance: it may not directlystimulate melatonin secretion in all contexts but rather sensitizes pinealocytes or regulates the circadian machinery (e.g., Per1, Bmal1 genes).
- Immunomodulation: Increases mRNA levels of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) in splenocytes, suggesting a restoration of T-cell proliferation capacity, often lost with thymic involution.
Organ-Specific Priorities:
- Pineal Gland/Brain: Restoration of circadian hierarchy and neuroprotection against excitotoxicity.
- Thymus: Potential delay of involution (immune senescence).
- Retina: Verified structural preservation in Retinitis Pigmentosa models.
Novelty: This paper challenges the prevailing view that Epitalon is solely a “telomerase activator.” It introduces the concept of “peptide-promoter interaction”—suggesting Epitalon binds directly to specific DNA sequences (e.g., in the telomerase TERT promoter region) to regulate gene expression. It also clarifies the chemical structure debate, dismissing the “double-gamma bonded” variant as a likely error in prior literature.
Critical Limitations:
- Translational Gap: Most robust lifespan data is from murine models (CBA, SHR). Human data cited is often from older, non-standardized Russian trials (Khavinson) with methodological opacity regarding randomization and blinding.
- Dosing Discrepancy: The effective in vivo doses (1 µg/mouse) are micro-doses compared to the “mega-doses” (10 mg/day) used in human biohacking and clinical trials. The review fails to explain this 1000x discrepancy.
- Mechanism Uncertainty: While “antioxidant” effects are cited, direct ROS scavenging by a tetrapeptide at physiological concentrations is stoichiometrically unlikely. The effect is almost certainly indirect (signaling), yet the specific receptor remains unidentified. [Confidence in Direct Mechanism: Low].
In other words, suspected fraud.
Gee, I was getting optimistic about the epitalon/thymalin combo with multiple AI’s giving positive reviews. If anything perhaps it could reset my circadian rhythms and restore natural melatonin cycles? I haven’t seen anything citing high toxicity. It’s been around for a while with a lot of experimentation.
Why?
You think the bastions of know age only come from US and approve by the FDA?
A few of the corrupt pharmaceutical company,
; * Johnson & Johnson: Has accrued significant penalties totaling around $8.4 billion, much of which is related to its role in the opioid crisis and illegal marketing of antipsychotic drugs like Risperdal.
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK):
"Paid a then-record $3 billion settlement in 2012 for promoting common prescription drugs like Paxil and Wellbutrin for unapproved uses, failing to report safety data for Avandia, and paying kickbacks to physicians.’
-
Pfizer
“Accrued around $7.8 billion in financial penalties, with a single 2009 settlement of $2.3 billion for illegal promotion of several drugs, including Bextra, marking the largest criminal fine in U.S. history at the time.”
“These companies have been involved in numerous legal battles and have repeatedly faced penalties, indicating systemic issues with compliance and marketing practices over decades.”
There is nothing wrong with medical compounds /devices from the Russia Federation.
Probably going to just have to agree to disagree on this point.
My perception is that most of the corruption in the US situations, when it comes to pharmaceutical products is related to business, marketing and sales decisions, due to incentive (compensation) structures that encourage the overstatement of benefits, and hiding the side–effects and true costs of the drugs, so as to maximize sales in the short term. There is no such incentive for the scientists doing the research on the drug so I trust the research results more than the marketing and sales materials of pharma companies.
That said, there are still some bad incentive structures in the clinical trial businesses that run the phase 3 and phase 4 trials, These CROs get paid for the study, but are more likely to get repeat business if the study is positive (though this is balanced by the fact that if a study is run poorly and word hits the press, they may lose all their business). Also, for example, pharma companies may choose doses of competitive drugs at higher levels than normal dosing requires, so as to get more side effects. and make their drug look better in a comparison study. There are lots of ways to “fudge” the results.
From what I’ve read about corruption in Russia its endemic at every level of most organizations. Everyone knows that the only way to get financially ahead in Russia is lie, cheat, steal or pressure someone else. I encourage you to read the book " Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice" by Bill Browder.
I remember a friend in the HR department in a startup I worked for in the Silicon Valley shared the story of a secretary they had hired who was a recent immigrant from Russia. The HR department soon started getting feedback from vendors that the Russian secretary was requesting “kickbacks” for guiding the company’s business to those other businesses (e.g. travel services for the execs., etc). They soon fired her, but her response was that this was normal business practice, everyone does it (not realizing that it is not at all the norm in the US business environment).
Bill Browder, primarily through his books Red Notice and Freezing Order , as well as his testimony to various legislative bodies, has documented a systemic pattern of state-sponsored corruption in Russia.1 His findings can be categorized into corporate malfeasance (pre-2005) and the violent criminal conspiracy involving the Russian state (post-2005).
The following is a list of the specific corrupt practices documented by Browder:
I. Corporate Asset Stripping & Malfeasance (1996–2005)
Before his expulsion from Russia, Browder’s firm, Hermitage Capital, engaged in “shareholder activism” to expose how oligarchs and state officials were looting majority-state-owned companies.2
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Transfer Pricing & Asset Stripping (Gazprom): Browder documented how Gazprom management transferred massive gas reserves to a company called Itera (owned by relatives and friends of management) for a fraction of their market value.3
- Specific Example: Gazprom sold 49% of its subsidiary Purgaz to Itera for a nominal sum, despite Purgaz holding billions of dollars in reserves.4
- Result: The theft was so brazen that the market valued Gazprom at a 99% discount relative to its Western peers (e.g., ExxonMobil) due to the assumption that all assets would be stolen.5
- Share Dilution (Sberbank): Browder exposed a scheme at Sberbank (Russia’s largest savings bank) where management attempted to issue new shares at a price significantly below market value to insiders, thereby diluting minority shareholders (including foreign investors) and transferring wealth to themselves.
- Non-Transparent Governance (Surgutneftegas): Documented a “circular ownership” structure where the company was effectively owned by its own pension fund and subsidiaries, allowing management to vote the shares and remain unaccountable while siphoning profits.
II. The $230 Million Tax Refund Fraud (The “Hermitage Scheme”)6
This is the central crime Browder exposed, which led to the death of his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky. It involved a collaboration between the Klyuev Group (organized crime) and Russian Interior Ministry officials.
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Corporate Raiding (Reiderstvo):
- On June 4, 2007, Lt. Col. Artem Kuznetsov of the Interior Ministry raided Hermitage’s Moscow offices.
- Corrupt Practice: Police seized corporate seals, articles of association, and tax certificates for three Hermitage investment companies (Mahaon , Parfenion , and Rilend ).7 These documents were not evidence for a crime but were required to legally transfer ownership of the companies.
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Fraudulent Re-registration:
- The seized documents were used to fraudulently transfer the ownership of these three companies from Hermitage (HSBC) to a shell company (“Pluton”) owned by a convicted murderer, Viktor Markelov , effectively stealing the companies.8
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Fabrication of Liabilities:
- The stolen companies were then sued by other shell companies controlled by the Klyuev Group for fake debts (breach of non-existent contracts).9
- Judicial Corruption: Lawyers appointed by the criminals (posing as Hermitage lawyers) appeared in court and immediately pled guilty to the fake debts.10 Judges, complicit in the scheme, issued judgments requiring the companies to pay nearly $1 billion.11
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The Tax Theft:
- The criminals used these court judgments to file amended tax returns.12 They claimed that because the companies now had massive “losses” (the fake debts), the $230 million in capital gains taxes Hermitage had paid in 2006 should be refunded.13
- Official Complicity: On December 24, 2007 , the heads of Moscow Tax Offices No. 25 and No. 28 (including Olga Stepanova ) approved the $230 million refund in a single day.14 The money was wired to Universal Savings Bank , a small bank owned by the crime boss Dmitry Klyuev .15
III. Money Laundering & The “Russian Laundromat”
Browder’s team traced the proceeds of the $230 million theft through a global network of shell companies.
- The Prevezon Case: Traced funds from the tax theft into New York real estate bought by Prevezon Holdings , owned by Denis Katsyv (son of a Russian transportation official).16
- Banking Complicity: Identified the use of major Western banks (e.g., Danske Bank, Credit Suisse) and shell companies in jurisdictions like Moldova, Cyprus, and the BVI to wash the funds before they entered the legitimate financial system.
- Kickbacks to Officials: Documented that Olga Stepanova (the tax official) and her husband, Vladlen Stepanov, received millions of dollars in offshore accounts shortly after approving the refund, which they used to buy luxury property in Dubai and Montenegro.17
IV. State-Sponsored Violence & Judicial Persecution
When the fraud was exposed, the Russian state apparatus did not target the perpetrators but rather the whistleblowers.
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Retaliatory Arrest & Torture:
- Sergei Magnitsky testified against officers Kuznetsov and Karpov for their role in the theft.18
- In retaliation, he was arrested by the very subordinates of the officers he implicated.
- He was held for 358 days without trial, moved between prisons to pressure him, denied medical treatment for pancreatitis and gallstones, and physically beaten by guards with rubber batons shortly before his death on November 16, 2009 .19
- Posthumous Prosecution: In a legal precedent, the Russian state put Sergei Magnitsky on trial after his death, finding him guilty of the very tax fraud he had exposed.
- Abuse of Interpol: Russia repeatedly requested Interpol “Red Notices” for Bill Browder to have him arrested internationally, a practice Interpol eventually rejected as politically motivated.20
V. Key Individuals Implicated (The “Untouchables”)
Browder’s investigations specifically named the following individuals as central to the corrupt practices:
- Dmitry Klyuev: Mastermind of the Klyuev Organized Crime Group; owner of Universal Savings Bank.21
- Artem Kuznetsov & Pavel Karpov: Interior Ministry officers who orchestrated the raid and seizure of documents.22
- Olga Stepanova: Head of Moscow Tax Office No. 28 who authorized the illegal refund.23
- Andrei Pavlov: Lawyer/Consigliere for the Klyuev group who facilitated the legal mechanics of the fraud.
All I have read about Khovanson and all this so-called “Institution of Gerontology” stuff convinced me that its all scam. Complete useless scam. All their peptides, all their studies. Everything is rigged.
Here is another prompt I did on Google Gemini:
Can you identify or list reports or examples of corruption in the scientific fields in Russia?
Gemini Response:
Corruption in Russian scientific fields is systemic, ranging from petty academic fraud to multi-billion dollar embezzlement in state aerospace and biotech projects.
Below are documented reports and specific examples of corruption across various scientific sectors in Russia.
I. The “Dissernet” Revelations: Industrialized Plagiarism
Dissernet is a volunteer community of scientists that uses software to analyze Russian doctoral theses for plagiarism.Their findings exposed that the Russian degree-granting system is effectively a marketplace where titles are sold to politicians and businessmen.
- Scale of Fraud: By 2025, Dissernet had identified over 14,000 plagiarized dissertations .
- The “Reputation Laundromat”: The investigation revealed that 1 in 9 members of the State Duma held academic degrees based on substantially plagiarized or ghostwritten theses.
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Medical & STEM Fraud: While many fake degrees are in economics/law, the corruption extends to medicine and technical sciences.
- Example: Yelena Skrynnik (former Minister of Agriculture) and various hospital chief physicians were found to have plagiarized their medical/technical dissertations.
- Predatory Journals: Russian science journals retracted over 800 papers in recent years after investigations revealed they were selling authorship slots to researchers who needed to meet publication quotas for state grants.
II. The “Innovation” Grift: Embezzlement in State Corporations
The Russian government created massive state corporations to foster “innovation” in biotech and nanotechnology. These became primary vehicles for skimming state budget funds.
1. Rusnano (Nanotechnology)
Rusnano was tasked with developing a nanotechnology industry. Instead, it became a sinkhole for state funds with few commercial products to show for it.
- The Findings: In 2024–2025, Russian authorities (after the flight of former CEO Anatoly Chubais) began arresting top executives.
- The Scam: Deputy Chairman Oleg Kiselev and others were charged with embezzling 1.67 billion rubles ($20M+) via shell companies in Cyprus.
- “Plastic Tablet” Fiasco: A famous example of “Potemkin science” where Rusnano presented a “flexible e-ink tablet” for Russian schools to Putin. It turned out to be a re-badged, inferior Chinese product that never went into mass production, despite millions in funding.
Pseudoscience & Political Patronage (The Petrik Affair)
Corruption often manifests as state protection of charlatans who bypass peer review through political connections.
- Viktor Petrik: A former convict (fraud/extortion) who claimed to have invented “nanotechnology filters” that could turn radioactive waste into drinking water.
- The Scheme: He was championed by Boris Gryzlov (then Speaker of the Duma), who sought to bypass the Academy of Sciences and award Petrik a $500 billion ruble state program called “Clean Water.”
- Scientific Debunking: The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) tested his filters and found they were not only ineffective but dangerous (they sometimes made water more toxic). Despite this, Petrik retained high-level political protection for years, illustrating how political loyalty overrides scientific fact.
Full report here: https://gemini.google.com/share/82119b6aaff4
Please lets remember that we are simply primates after all. Our cultures and governments are simply constructs of the primate male brain. The high status apes - Putin and Oligarchs in Russia are after the same thing as the high status apes - Tech bro billionaires in the USA. They are all after a few extra years of high status life style of numerous copulations and lavish lifestyle. I would totally trust their longevity technology. Sure they cheat, but so do we whenever possible i.e… Lance Armstrong vs the Sochi Olympics. Impressive stuff.
Evolution is a bumpy road with mistakes usually leading to breakthroughs. Almost every western longevity intervention being used now is “off label” mistakenly found to increase longevity. Is it the same way in Russia or do they just openly research longevity via Putin?
How we say here - do not judge people by yourself.
Leaders like Putin don’t even think about such a puny categories like “number of copulations” and another simple fruits of life)
Its like thinking that a monk just want to do nothing, and want people feed him and give money for just words.
You won’t become an oligarch or president (if you are not in Africa ofcourse) if you don’t have higher principles.
I think that Gemini based on biased info, shit in, shit out.
My thoughts that Khovanson is a scummer based not on the idea how Russia is corrupted (its not, at least no more than any other country). He is just scammer, fake scientist. In a fake institution.
Don’t you remember resveratrol scandal, “University of Connecticut resveratrol researcher Dipak Das was accused of serious scientific misconduct.” and so on?..Same thing. Money and vanity.
Don’t think Putin uses peptides. I bet on PCC-1 and senolitics. Have you heard of a conversation between Xi and Putin in Beijing? They spoke about 150 years lifelong. And at the same days there was an info about some senolitics breakthru, PCC-1 maybe…
And gene therapy, for many millions of bucks. Liz Parrish looks outstanding in her 53 or whatever…
People here are free to believe whatever they want, but for the people here who tend to put high value in good scientific research, it helps to identify the types of fraud or exaggerations that tend to be associated with different sources of data.
I put this prompt into Gemini Pro, Deep Search to better understand the issue:
What is the rate of academic fraud in the scientific communities in the USA, Canada, and European countries compared to Russia, China, India?
Role: You are a Longevity Research Analyst and Science Journalist.
Your audience consists of scientifically literate longevity biohackers, biotech investors, and clinicians.
Output Constraints:
Use Markdown formatting (Headers, Bold, Lists).
Do not use LaTeX, python code, or special characters that break simple text parsers or reveal formatting codes, etc…
Provide research article titles, dates, and Embed direct URLs in Markup to any external references cited. Double check the accuracy and accessibility of all sources and weblinks included in your response to validate that they are the papers you are saying they are.
Tone: Objective, critical, “Tell it like it is.” No hype.
Here are some key points that Gemini makes (feel free to do your own research):
Global Asymmetries in Scientific Integrity: A Comparative Analysis of Academic Fraud in the Longevity and Biomedical Sciences
Table 1: Comparative Retraction Statistics and Fraud Risk Profiles (2023-2024 Data)
| Metric | China | USA / Canada | India | Western Europe (EU) | Russia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Retractions (Est.) | > 17,000 | ~3,000 | ~3,000 | ~1,500 | High (Undertracked) |
| Retraction Rate | Very High (>15 per 10k) | Low (< 2 per 10k) | High (~9 per 10k) | Low (< 2 per 10k) | Moderate-High |
| Primary Mechanism | Paper Mills, Fake Peer Review | Data Falsification, Misconduct | Plagiarism, Image Duplication | Contract Cheating, Plagiarism | |
| Systemic Driver | Promotion Quotas, Cash Incentives | “Publish or Perish,” Grant Cycle | Career Advancement, Predatory Journals | State Ranking Mandates (Project 5-100) | |
| Impact on Longevity Field | High (Pollution of basic biology data) | High (Misdirection of clinical funding) | Moderate (Supply chain integrity) | Moderate (Clinical trial data integrity) |
Data synthesized from Retraction Watch database 1, Sebo et al. (2025) 5, and Nature analysis.
The Iron Curtain of Data (Russia)
If China is a factory of fake data, Russia has become a black box. The geopolitical isolation following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine has severed the Russian scientific community from global oversight, creating a unique “Sovereign Science” risk profile.
4.1 The Failure of Project 5-100
Russia’s current crisis has roots in the failed “Project 5-100” initiative (2013–2020), which aimed to place five Russian universities in the global top 100. To meet the aggressive publication quotas attached to this funding, Russian universities incentivized faculty to publish in “predatory” journals—outlets that charge fees for publication with minimal peer review. Unlike the sophisticated paper mills of China, Russian fraud often took the form of “contract cheating”—brokerage agencies buying articles wholesale from international predatory journals and reselling authorship slots to Russian academics. This created a generation of “hollow” researchers whose CVs are filled with paid-for publications.
4.2 The War Economy and Clinical Opacity
Since 2022, the transparency of Russian biomedical research has collapsed, posing severe risks for any assessment of Russian “longevity” technologies.
- Clinical Trial Exodus: Major global pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Novartis, etc.) have halted new clinical trials in Russia. This has removed the external auditing layer provided by Western CROs and auditors.
- Import Substitution and Quality Waivers: To combat drug shortages caused by sanctions, the Russian government issued Decree No. 593, allowing for the “fast-track” registration of drugs and analogues. This decree permits the waiver of certain clinical data requirements and allows the use of data from “friendly” countries without local verification.
- The “Chestny ZNAK” Illusion: Russia touts its “Chestny ZNAK” (Honest Sign) track-and-trace system as a guarantee of drug quality. However, this is a supply chain tool (tracking boxes) rather than a clinical quality tool (verifying efficacy). It ensures the box is real, but says nothing about whether the data behind the pill was fabricated.
- Bioweapons Narratives: The Kremlin’s propaganda narratives regarding “biolabs” in Ukraine have politicized biological research to an extreme degree. In this environment, scientific data is often treated as a state secret.
Analyst Note: Historically, Russia has been a center for “Cosmist” and immortalist thought, and it retains strong talent in bioinformatics. However, under current conditions, any claim of a “Russian longevity breakthrough” must be treated as unverifiable. The infrastructure for independent validation simply no longer exists.
The “Geographic Discount”
Investors must apply a “geographic discount” to data based on its origin, reflecting the systemic risks of that region.
Table 2: Longevity Research Risk Matrix (2025)
| Risk Factor | USA / Europe (Prestige Risk) | China (Industrial Risk) | India (Quality Risk) | Russia (Opacity Risk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Credibility | High, but prone to “too good to be true” manipulation in elite labs. | Low. Assume fabrication in ncRNA/stem cell papers until independently replicated. | Low. Systemic CRO fraud makes clinical data suspect. | Zero. Data is unverifiable due to isolation. |
| Manufacturing | High quality, high cost. | Variable. Paper mill pollution affects chemical suppliers. | High Risk. Systemic DI issues in generic supply chain. | Domestic focus, low export reliability. |
| Regulatory Oversight | Strict (FDA/EMA). Enforcement is active (DOJ/SEC). | Erratic. Periodic purges followed by business as usual. | Inconsistent. CDSCO is reactive, not proactive. | Non-existent for external observers. |
| Longevity Specifics | Risk of “Biomarker Hacking” to boost valuations. | Risk of “National Champion” hype (e.g., SRCs). | Risk of “Herbal/Ayurvedic” predatory publishing. | Risk of “Sovereign Science” unverifiability. |
See here for the full Gemini Analysis (Deep Search): https://gemini.google.com/share/82a1743b4b48
Well, a lot more scientific!)
LOOKS like))
Wow, it looks like India comes up as a high risk for manufacturing. Good thing that’s where I trust getting all my meds. One love 
︎. We’re all in this together.
And not only India.
That is really too bad about the fear of fraud by Russian scientists, we need more reliable data on this. Just came across this paper on pineal gland sénescence, and it sure looks like epithalon would help here.
The paper : Pineal gland senescence: an emerging ageing-related pathology? | Hormones
Also there is a HUGE misconception regarding dosing this one.
Extracts are not “purely” active. Most extracts provide a percent indicator of active ingredient. Fistein extract 50% or refined 98% for example. This is a VERY important thing for anyone using supplements and other kinds of extracts to understand.
10mg of an extract is NOT the same as 10mg of the active ingredient.
Epithalamine, the extract is not clearly defined as to percent active.
Epitalon or Epithalon, the synthetic peptide based on the active ingredient is 98%
There is another thread on this exact topic when one of the members here contacted one of the Russian researchers and she confirmed this important detail.
Instead of the highly speculative 10mg dose of the peptide typically sold, the research person indicated that 100mcg was the true dose of this synthetic peptide Epitalon. She indicated that using more would not provide a better benefit as any excess would be metabolized.
The problem with epithalon that its more likely do nothing at all. In any dosage, in any ecxtracts. Because all of this thing with “Geroscience institution” and Khovanson “as a scientist” is a scam.
I can definitely see the confusion with the Russians using 10 mg of the extract in their research vs the current widely available pure synthetic - epitalon. Thank goodness for synthetics. I would never trust extracts. I have huge paranoia of prions. Anything that is sourced from natural bovine sources worries me. That even includes the collagen I put in my tea in the morning, strictly marine based collagen with no threat of prions.
Another of these Khavison peptides that has both the extract and the synthetic on the market is testagen vs testovluten. AI assures me that testovluten would be safe due to the extraction technique getting rid of prions, but it also says a small mistake could lead to contamination.
I find these DNA repair and gene modulation peptides fascinating. Of course the effects of these are going to be far less tangible then current trend in peptide use that gives pretty observable results. The only way to know if a bi yearly cycle of epitalon is helpful would to have telomeres checked.
The toxicity of these peptides seems pretty low. Possibly worth the small inconvenience and bit of $.
Regarding dosage of epitalon. I’ve been consulting Grok more than any other AI for this. Here is what it says about Epitalon dosage. Regarding the 100 mcg dose vs the 1 mg dose for 10 days
Recommended Dosage for Synthetic Epitalon (Epitalon/Epithalon, AEDG)
The confusion arises because early research focused on Epithalamin (crude pineal extract), while modern off-label/clinical use involves pure synthetic Epitalon. Studies show synthetic Epitalon reproduces or exceeds Epithalamin’s effects at much lower doses due to higher purity and potency (often 100–1000x more effective per weight in animal models).
Evidence-Based Adjustment
- Animal studies (e.g., old monkeys): Epitalon at 10 µg/animal/day restored melatonin, comparable to Epithalamin at 5 mg/animal/day → ~500x potency difference.
- Rodent cancer/lifespan models: Synthetic Epitalon effective at 0.1–1 µg/mouse/day (chronic or cycled).
- Human telomere/melatonin trials: Often used Epithalamin or mixed, but direct comparisons show synthetic Epitalon achieves similar telomere elongation and geroprotection.
Practical Dosages for Synthetic Epitalon (Off-Label/Research Protocols)
Most current peptide therapy sources align on milligram-range cycles for humans, extrapolated from Khavinson’s work and clinic experience (not microgram daily, as that’s animal-scaled).
| Protocol/Source | Daily/Per Dose | Cycle Duration | Total per Cycle | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common/Standard (Clinics & Reviews) | 5–10 mg/day (split or once) | 10–20 days | 50–100 mg | 1–2x/year | Most widely used; based on human-equivalent from extract studies + potency boost. |
| Russian-Style Intensive | 10 mg/day | 10 days | 100 mg | 1–2x/year | Khavinson-derived; intensive for telomerase activation. |
| Lower/Conservative | 1–5 mg/day | 10–20 days | 10–50 mg | Every 6–12 months | For maintenance; some report good results (e.g., sleep/longevity). |
| Microgram Debate (Less Common) | 100–500 µg/day | 10 days | 1–5 mg | Rarely | From direct animal extrapolation; debated as potentially under-dosed for humans. |
- Why mg, not µg? Pure synthetic is potent, but human body size and sustained effects require higher absolute amounts than rodents/monkeys. Milligram protocols dominate clinics (e.g., 5–10 mg/day cycles) with reported benefits in longevity markers, without added gain from higher doses.
- Administration: Subcutaneous injection (preferred for bioavailability); some use intranasal/oral with lower efficacy.
- Cycling: Short bursts (effects last months); avoid continuous use.
Synthetic Epitalon is not FDA-approved—research-grade only. Start low, cycle sparingly, and consult a specialist for monitoring (e.g., telomeres, melatonin). Results vary by age/goals; older individuals often see stronger effects.