Pinealon
Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg) from Vladimir Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg, one of their short peptide bioregulators. It has been studied mainly in cell and animal models of neural aging and stress, with evidence mostly from that group.
Most published evidence on Pinealon comes from animal and cell studies. Findings in those models have not been established in people.
Overview
Pinealon is one of several very short synthetic peptides developed by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. The group describes these compounds as peptide bioregulators, proposing that di-, tri- and tetrapeptides can enter cells and influence gene expression in a tissue-specific way. Pinealon was associated with the central nervous system in their work, and is related in concept to their pineal-derived peptide epitalon.
Almost all published research on pinealon comes from the Khavinson group and its collaborators. The studies use cultured neural cells, rodent models of oxidative or hypoxic stress, and models of age-related change. Independent replication is minimal, and no controlled human trials meeting current international standards have been published. Pinealon is not approved by the FDA for any use and was not among the peptides reviewed by the FDA's compounding advisory committee in July 2026.
Compare: Epitalon vs pinealon.
Structure
Pinealon is a linear tripeptide with the sequence Glu-Asp-Arg (EDR), with a free N-terminus and free C-terminal acid. It contains two acidic residues and one basic residue, making it highly polar. The Asp residue can participate in isomerization reactions in solution. Research material is typically supplied as an acetate or trifluoroacetate salt, and because the peptide is so small, the counter-ion represents a large share of the powder mass.
Mechanism
The proposed mechanism for pinealon comes from the developing group, which suggests that it can penetrate cell and nuclear membranes and interact with DNA or histone proteins to influence the expression of genes involved in antioxidant defense, apoptosis and cell proliferation. Their studies also report reduced markers of oxidative stress in cultured neurons. These ideas have not been confirmed by independent laboratories, and no defined receptor or binding target has been established. The mechanism should be regarded as speculative.
Research
Oxidative stress in cultured cells
In-vitro studies from the Khavinson network report that pinealon reduces markers of reactive oxygen species and cell death in cultured neural cells and other cell types exposed to oxidative stressors. These are cell-culture findings from a single research network and do not establish protective effects in whole organisms or people. Concentrations, cell sources and assay methods vary between reports, and independent laboratories have not published comparable experiments.
Animal models of hypoxia and stress
Rodent studies have examined pinealon in models of prenatal hypoxia, oxidative stress and other neural insults, reporting differences in offspring development or behavior. These studies are few, come from the same group, and have not been independently replicated. They are animal findings. Group sizes are often small, and outcome measures differ between reports, which limits the conclusions that can be drawn. Independent confirmation in other laboratories and with standardized protocols has not been published.
Gene expression and aging models
The group has also reported effects of pinealon on the expression of genes related to aging, apoptosis and neuronal function in cell models. These results support the group's broader bioregulator hypothesis but have not been tested by independent laboratories using contemporary transcriptomic methods. Human evidence is absent or limited to small unpublished or regional reports. The underlying data are not generally available in public repositories for reanalysis.
Regulatory status
Pinealon is not approved by the FDA for any use and was not among the substances voted on by the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee in July 2026. Its status in other countries should be checked locally. It is generally handled as a research chemical. For sport, check the current WADA Prohibited List.
Status changes often. See the regulatory tracker for dated updates.
Quality and identity testing
A pinealon certificate of analysis should confirm identity by mass spectrometry against the expected mass shown on this page and report HPLC purity. Because the tripeptide is very small and highly polar, it may elute near the void volume on standard reverse-phase columns, so the method should show adequate retention; hydrophilic interaction chromatography or ion-pairing methods are sometimes used. Salt form and net peptide content are particularly important for such a short peptide, because the counter-ion contributes a large fraction of the mass.
Open Pinealon in the sequence analyzer to see the expected [M+H]+ and multiply charged ions for an MS identity check.
For a walkthrough of each section of a certificate, see how to read a COA.
Storage and stability
Store lyophilized pinealon sealed at -20 °C, protected from moisture and light. Very short polar peptides are often hygroscopic, so allow vials to reach room temperature before opening and reseal promptly. Prepared solutions should be used soon, kept cold, aliquoted and not repeatedly freeze-thawed.
Download the Pinealon data sheet (PDF): sequence, masses, expected MS ions and handling on one printable page.
Latest research
The newest PubMed-indexed papers that mention Pinealon in their title or abstract, retrieved through Europe PMC and refreshed automatically. Inclusion is not an endorsement of a paper's findings.
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Frequently asked questions
Is pinealon FDA approved?
No. Pinealon is not approved by the FDA for any use, and it was not among the peptides reviewed by the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee in July 2026. It is generally handled as a research chemical, and its status in other countries should be checked with local regulators.
What is a peptide bioregulator?
Peptide bioregulator is a term used by Vladimir Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg for very short peptides, typically two to four amino acids, that they propose can regulate gene expression in specific tissues. Epitalon and pinealon are examples. The concept is mainly supported by research from that group and has not been widely tested or adopted by independent laboratories.
What is the difference between pinealon and epitalon?
Both come from the Khavinson group. Epitalon is a tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, derived from work on pineal gland extracts and studied mainly in telomere and aging research. Pinealon is a tripeptide, Glu-Asp-Arg, which the group associated with the central nervous system and studied in neural cell and stress models. The evidence base for both relies largely on the same research network.
Related compounds
- Epitalon
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) developed by Vladimir Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg, based on a pineal gland extract. It is studied in aging and telomere research, with evidence coming mostly from that group.
- Selank
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide developed in Russia, built from the immunomodulatory tetrapeptide tuftsin extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail. It is studied mainly for effects on anxiety-related behavior and immune signaling.
- Semax
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide developed in Russia as an analogue of the adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment ACTH(4-7), extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail. It is studied for neurotrophic signaling and in models of brain injury.
References
- PubMed: all indexed literature on Pinealon
- ClinicalTrials.gov: registered studies mentioning Pinealon
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