Pinealon (EDR, Glu-Asp-Arg): research, side effects and dosage in studies

In short

Pinealon is a synthetic three-amino-acid peptide, Glu-Asp-Arg (EDR), studied almost entirely within one St Petersburg bioregulator research network [1]D [20]. The evidence comes from cell and rat studies and a few small Russian human studies without a placebo group, and pinealon has no marketing authorisation in the EU [16, 18]B [31]regulator.

• Almost all research comes from one school. Most publications are by the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology or groups working with it [1, 7]D [20].
• In cell cultures pinealon reduced free radicals and cell death [1]D, and in rats it improved learning and tolerance of oxygen shortage [11, 12]C.
• There are four small Russian human studies, none with a placebo group. One reports the dose: 100 µg in a capsule twice a day for two weeks [16]B.
• One human study also found a pro-oxidant effect and a fall in blood-forming precursor cells [18]B.
• Pinealon is not named in Annex 1 A of Fimea's medicines list [26]regulator, and it has no marketing authorisation in any EU or EEA country [31]regulator. WADA's list does not name it, but class S0 bans substances without any regulatory approval [28]regulator.

What is pinealon?

Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide, a peptide of three amino acids: glutamic acid, aspartic acid and arginine, abbreviated Glu-Asp-Arg or EDR [1]D. Russian literature calls it a short regulatory peptide or a peptide bioregulator [2]D [21].

Pinealon belongs to the same St Petersburg research tradition as epitalon. Publications from the same network have compared them side by side [2, 3]D [15]C. One of the network's publications describes EDR as a derivative of cortexin, a preparation made from calf cerebral cortex [23]D. In rat skin cell studies the same peptide went by the code T-33 [8]D.

In the Russian human studies pinealon was given as a capsule preparation, and it was also used together with another short peptide, vesugen [16, 17]B. We do not know pinealon's official status in Russia. Basics: What are peptides?. All substances: Peptides A-Z.

Evidence at a glance

Each cell gives the kind of study and its source. The letter is the evidence level, not the result.

"-" = no such study is known.

What is pinealon studied for?

Pinealon is studied above all as a protector of the brain and as a way to slow ageing. No use is approved in the EU [27, 31]regulator.

• Protecting nerve cells during oxygen shortage and oxidative stress: cell studies [1]D and rat studies [9, 12, 15]C.
• Memory and learning: rat studies [11]C and a mouse preprint [24]E, not peer-reviewed.
• Alzheimer's disease: cell cultures and a mouse model [5]D [14]C; according to the network's review, EDR might affect genes that matter for the disease [20].
• Occupational strain and "biological age": small Russian human studies in locomotive crews, truck drivers and people with multiple illnesses [16, 17, 18]B.

A US orthopaedics review lists pinealon among peptides said to support recovery, but notes that clinical trials are lacking [22]. In short: many proposed uses, none of them tested in a randomised human trial.

How does pinealon work?

How pinealon works is not known for certain. The research network's own explanation is that the peptide enters the cell nucleus and regulates gene activity by binding to DNA or to histone proteins [3]D [20].

• Into the cell and the nucleus: labelled pinealon was seen in the cytoplasm, nucleus and nucleolus of HeLa cells, and in the test tube it bound to particular DNA sequences [3]D.
• Binding DNA: according to physical measurements and modelling, EDR can partly fit into a groove of the DNA helix [29]D. In computer modelling it bound to histone H1.3 [23]D.
• Oxidative stress: in nerve cells and white blood cells pinealon reduced the build-up of free radicals in a dose-dependent way [1]D. In another set of experiments it had no direct antioxidant effect, and the level of free radicals inside cells even rose, although fewer nerve cells died [2]D.
• Serotonin: in ageing cultures of cortical cells EDR increased serotonin expression [4]D.

All of these findings come from cells, test tubes or computer models. Their meaning in the human body has not been shown.

Has pinealon been studied in humans?

Barely: we know of four small Russian human studies, published in Russian, and none describes a placebo group or randomisation [16, 17, 18, 19]B. The results come from the English abstracts of the publications.

Four Russian studies

• Locomotive crews (2012). Railway locomotive crew workers took one 100-microgram pinealon capsule twice a day for two weeks. Biological age measures and measures of adaptation improved. The number of participants and any comparison group are not given [16]B.
• Truck drivers (2012). The study surveyed the mental adaptation of 150 truck drivers and 150 metal workers. Bioregulator peptides are reported to have restored adaptive capacity and improved mental measures, with the best result from pinealon combined with vesugen. How many people received peptides is not known [17]B.
• Multiple illnesses and organic brain syndrome (2015). 32 people aged 41-83 received pinealon or vesugen. According to the authors, biological age measures improved, but vesugen had a clearer effect. A pro-oxidant effect and a fall in blood-forming CD34+ cells in the blood were also found [18]B.
• Comparison of anti-ageing methods (2016). In 110 people of different ages, dry carbon dioxide baths, hyperbaric oxygen, massage and vesugen and pinealon preparations were compared. The combination of the preparations had the clearest effect on biological age measures, and massage and the preparations were the safest [19]B.

What these studies do not tell

In these studies "biological age" is a calculated score, not lifespan or illness. Without a placebo group it is impossible to know how much of the change came from pinealon, from expectations or from other factors. The research network's own reviews say that EDR improves memory in elderly patients [20] and that short peptides have been used clinically in older people [21]. An independent US review, however, states that clinical trials are lacking [22].

Promising, but only in animal and cell studies

These findings look interesting, but none has been tested in humans. Results from animal and cell studies cannot be carried straight over to people, and almost all of them come from the same research network [20].

• Protecting nerve cells during oxygen shortage no human studies

  Pinealon given to pregnant rats improved the offspring's learning and orientation, and the offspring's cerebellar nerve cells had fewer free radicals and dead cells [9]C. In old rats in acute oxygen shortage, pinealon moved results towards nerve cell renewal and less inflammation [12]C. In an oxygen-shortage model pinealon had the strongest effect of the short peptides compared [15]C.

  If it held in humans: the substance might protect the brain from damage caused by oxygen shortage.

  Why it might not translate: the experiments are small and in Russian, and oxygen shortage in an animal model is not the same as a human stroke. In the same rat experiment pinealon also reduced movement and exploration [10]C, and in another the comparison preparation cortexin had a stronger effect on oxidation [13]C.

  Evidence now: several rat studies from two Russian groups, some in collaboration with the St Petersburg institute [9, 12, 13]. No registered human trial is known.

• Memory and learning no human studies

  In young and old rats pinealon improved learning in a water maze more than cortexin [11]C. In another group's mouse experiment pinealon showed only a trend towards better working memory, and no harms were detected over eight weeks [24]E, not peer-reviewed.

  If it held in humans: the substance might support memory with age.

  Why it might not translate: the only independent experiment is a preprint that has not been peer reviewed, and even there the result stayed a trend [24]E, not peer-reviewed. A rat maze test measures something different from everyday human memory.

  Evidence now: one rat study and one mouse preprint [11, 24]. Memory has not been measured in a controlled way in humans.

• Alzheimer's disease no human studies

  In a culture of mouse nerve cells whose connections were damaged by amyloid, EDR increased the number of mushroom-shaped dendritic spines by 71 % and returned it to the normal level [5]D. In a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease EDR is reported to have prevented the loss of dendritic spines [14]C. In nerve cells converted from skin cells of older people, EDR increased dendrite branching and reduced oxidative DNA damage [6]D.

  If it held in humans: the substance might slow the loss of nerve connections in Alzheimer's disease.

  Why it might not translate: a cell culture and a genetically modified mouse do not match the human disease. In nerve cells of human origin EDR had no effect on mitochondria, lysosomes or the ageing marker p16 [6]D. Two of the publications later received corrections [5]D [14]C.

  Evidence now: three cell or animal studies from the same network [5, 6, 14]. No human study in Alzheimer's disease is known.

Who studies pinealon?

Pinealon is studied almost only by the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, whose researchers include V. Kh. Khavinson, and groups working with it [1, 7]D [20].

• St Petersburg: cell and mechanism studies and reviews were done mainly at the institute or with it [1, 4, 6, 7, 8]D [20].
• Rostov: a group at the Southern Federal University did rat studies, three of them with a researcher from the St Petersburg institute [11, 12, 13]C.
• Yekaterinburg: researchers at the Ural State Medical University carried out the comparison of anti-ageing methods [19]B; V. N. Meshchaninov of the same group is also first author of the study in people with multiple illnesses [18]B.
• Others: physicists at St Petersburg State University studied how EDR interacts with DNA [29]D. The only animal experiment we found from an entirely different group is a mouse preprint from 2026 that has not been peer reviewed [24]E, not peer-reviewed.

When nearly all the evidence comes from one school, the results have not been independently replicated. The same applies to epitalon on this site.

Who wrote this page: the editorial team

This page was written by the Molecular Recovery editors. The draft was made with the help of AI, and the claims were checked against the sources (AI policy). The page has not been medically reviewed. How we work: About us.

What is the half-life of pinealon?

Nobody knows: the half-life of pinealon in people is unpublished. We know of no data on absorption from the gut or on blood levels either, in humans or in animals.

The closest data come from cell studies and modelling: labelled pinealon reached the nucleus of HeLa cells [3]D, and in computer modelling EDR bound well to the cells' amino acid and peptide transporters LAT1, LAT2 and PEPT1 [30]D. The modelling does not tell whether a peptide taken as a capsule is absorbed intact.

What side effects does pinealon have?

There are no systematic data on pinealon's harms in humans. In the small Russian studies, with one exception, the abstracts describe no harms [16, 17, 18]B. On peptide side effects more broadly: side effects in studies.

Harmful changes that were observed

• In humans: in the study of 32 people with multiple illnesses, pinealon and vesugen showed a pro-oxidant effect and a fall in circulating CD34+ cells, which the authors interpreted as significant inhibition of blood formation [18]B.
• In rats: pinealon given before the carotid arteries were closed reduced movement, exploration and motivated behaviour and increased sleep, and the activity of the enzyme caspase-3 in the brain rose slightly [10]C.
• In cells: in one set of experiments the level of free radicals in cells rose [2]D.

What the studies tell us

In the comparison of anti-ageing methods, the vesugen and pinealon preparations were rated, together with massage, as the safest [19]B. In mice no harms were detected in an eight-week experiment [24]E, not peer-reviewed. There are no long-term safety data.

With injectable peptides bought online, contamination and wrong contents are risks too. Fimea warns against using them [25]regulator.

Interactions and who has no data

There are no research data on interactions between pinealon and medicines. Nor are there data on pregnancy, breastfeeding, children or seriously ill people. In rats pinealon was given to pregnant mothers [9]C, but that says nothing about safety in human pregnancy.

Because CD34+ cells in the blood fell in one human study [18]B, there is not enough information on pinealon's effect on blood formation.

What speaks against it and what is unknown

The evidence for pinealon comes mostly from one school's cell and rat studies, and the human studies lack a placebo group [16, 17, 18, 19]B [20].

Counter-evidence

• In a rat pineal gland culture EDR did not increase the cell division protein Ki-67, unlike epitalon's peptide AEDG, and did not affect a marker of cell death [7]D.
• In skin tissue cultures from old rats EDR (T-33) did not clearly increase cell division; only another tripeptide had a clear effect [8]D.
• In the test tube pinealon had no direct antioxidant effect, and the level of free radicals in cells rose [2]D.
• In rat studies the comparison preparation cortexin had a stronger effect than pinealon on oxidation in the brain and on caspase-3 [13]C.
• In humans vesugen slowed biological age measures more clearly than pinealon, and pinealon showed a pro-oxidant effect and a fall in blood-forming precursor cells [18]B.
• In the only experiment from another group, the improvement in mouse working memory stayed a trend [24]E, not peer-reviewed.

What the evidence does not support

• "Pinealon improves memory": memory has not been measured in humans in a placebo-controlled way. The claim rests on rat studies [11]C and on the network's own review [20].
• "Pinealon slows ageing": in the small studies a calculated biological age score changed, not lifespan or illness [16, 18, 19]B.
• "Pinealon repairs genes": gene regulation rests on cell cultures and computer modelling [3, 4, 23]D.
• "Pinealon has been studied a lot": there are about twenty studies, and nearly all come from the same network [20].

It is not known whether pinealon is safe for people in long-term use, whether a peptide taken as a capsule is absorbed, or whether the results hold up in other research groups [22] [24]E, not peer-reviewed.

Pinealon dosage in studies

Pinealon has no approved dosage, because it has no marketing authorisation in the EU [31]regulator. Below are the amounts used in studies. They are not recommendations.

What the numbers do not tell you. In the three other human studies no dose is given in the English abstracts [17, 18, 19]B. The only human dose comes from a study without a described comparison group, and it does not tell what amount is effective or safe [16]B. A concentration in a cell culture is not a dose in the body. More: pinealon doses in studies. Why the vial calculator does not cover this substance: pinealon and the calculator.

Pinealon vs epitalon: what is the difference?

Pinealon and epitalon are different peptides from the same St Petersburg school. Pinealon is the three-amino-acid EDR, epitalon the four-amino-acid AEDG [3]D.

• Focus: pinealon is studied mainly as a protector of nerve cells [1]D [9]C, epitalon for telomeres and lifespan.
• Direct comparisons: in an oxygen-shortage model pinealon had a stronger effect than epitalon [15]C. In a rat pineal gland culture epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) and Lys-Glu-Asp increased the expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67, and only epitalon increased a marker of pineal cell secretion [7]D. In nerve cells of human origin both increased dendrite branching, but only EDR reduced oxidative DNA damage [6]D.
• Human studies: pinealon has only small Russian studies without a placebo group [16, 18]B, and epitalon's human studies come from the same school.

The same research tradition has other short peptides, such as vesugen, which was used alongside pinealon in human studies [17, 18, 19]B. Other brain-related peptides on this site are Semax and Selank, which the US review covers in the same article [22].

Combinations and blends

Pinealon has been studied in humans together with vesugen, and in two Russian studies the combination had the clearest effect according to the authors [17, 19]B. The studies had no placebo group, so a benefit of the combination has not been shown.

In rat studies pinealon was compared with cortexin, made from calf cerebral cortex [10, 11, 13]C. For other combinations, for example with DSIP or epitalon, we know of no published study. On blends in general: blends.

Is pinealon legal in Finland?

Pinealon has no marketing authorisation in Finland or elsewhere in the EU or EEA [31]regulator, so it may not be sold or marketed as a medicine. It is not named in Annex 1 A of Fimea's medicines list [26]regulator.

• Medicines list. Annex 1 A of the Finnish medicines list (230/2025), which covers medicine analogues and prohormones classified as medicines, includes epitalon among others, but pinealon is not named [26]regulator. Fimea can still classify an individual product as a medicine; classification is done product by product based on composition and intended use [32]regulator.
• Marketing authorisation. EMA's data on centrally authorised medicines did not include pinealon on 14 Oct 2026 [27]regulator, and EMA's Article 57 database showed pinealon in no EU or EEA country (data as of 9 Oct 2026) [31]regulator.
• Fimea's warning of 29 Jun 2026. Fimea warned against injectable peptides bought online. According to Fimea, the label "for research use only" means the product is not intended for humans [25]regulator.
• Import. Ordering medicines from outside the EU is covered on the page Peptides and the law in Finland. Bringing them back from travel: Travelling with peptides.

This is not legal advice. Disclaimer.

Is pinealon a doping substance?

Pinealon is not named on the Prohibited List. Class S0 of WADA's 2026 list bans at all times any pharmacological substance not covered by the other classes and without approval by any regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use [28]regulator. Pinealon has no marketing authorisation in EU or EEA countries [31]regulator. We do not know its status elsewhere, for example in Russia. Athletes should check with the Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (SUEK).

How should the quality of a pinealon product be assessed?

There is no way to be sure what a pinealon product contains. No laboratory analyses of pinealon products have been published, and according to Fimea an unauthorised product may contain a different substance from what the package says [25]regulator.

In a three-amino-acid peptide the order matters: Glu-Asp-Arg is a different substance from a peptide made of the same amino acids in another order [1]D. That is why a purity percentage alone is not enough. A certificate of analysis (COA) should include HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity. More: How to read a COA. On handling: Mixing and handling.

FAQ

Read the research yourself: sources

Every source opens the original publication or the regulator's page. The level shows what the source itself reports.

1. Khavinson V, Ribakova Y, Kulebiakin K, et al. Pinealon increases cell viability by suppression of free radical levels and activating proliferative processes. Rejuvenation Res. 2011;14(5):535-541. PMID 21978084 D
2. Kozina LS, Arutiunian AV, Stvolinskiĭ SL, Khavinson VKh. Biological activity of regulatory peptides in model experiments in vitro. Adv Gerontol. 2008;21(1):68-73. (In Russian.) PMID 18546826 D
3. Fedoreyeva LI, Kireev II, Khavinson VKh, Vanyushin BF. Penetration of short fluorescence-labeled peptides into the nucleus in HeLa cells and in vitro specific interaction of the peptides with deoxyribooligonucleotides and DNA. Biochemistry (Mosc). 2011;76(11):1210-1219. PMID 22117547 D
4. Khavinson VKh, Lin'kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI, et al. Short peptides stimulate serotonin expression in cells of brain cortex. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2014;157(1):77-80. PMID 24909721 D
5. Kraskovskaya NA, Kukanova EO, Lin'kova NS, et al. Tripeptides restore the number of neuronal spines under conditions of in vitro modeled Alzheimer's disease. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2017;163(4):550-553. PMID 28853087 D
6. Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Sakhenberg E, et al. Short peptides protect fibroblast-derived induced neurons from age-related changes. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(21):11363. PMID 39518916 D
7. Khavinson VKh, Linkova NS, Chalisova NI, et al. Effect of short peptides on expression of signaling molecules in organotypic pineal cell culture. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2011;152(1):138-141. PMID 22803060 D
8. Voicekhovskaya MA, Chalisova NI, Kontsevaya EA, Ryzhak GA. Effect of bioregulatory tripeptides on the culture of skin cells from young and old rats. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2012;152(3):357-359. PMID 22803085 D
9. Arutjunyan A, Kozina L, Stvolinskiy S, et al. Pinealon protects the rat offspring from prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2012;5(2):179-185. PMID 22567179 C
10. Mendzheritskiĭ AM, Karantysh GV, Ivonina KO. Effects of introduction of short peptides before carotid artery occlusion on behaviour and caspase-3 activity in the brain of old rats. Adv Gerontol. 2011;24(1):74-79. (In Russian.) PMID 21809624 C
11. Mendzheritski AM, Karantysh GV, Abramchuk VA, Ryzhak GA. Effect of peptide geroprotectors on the navigation system learning and caspase-3 in brain structures in rats of different age. Adv Gerontol. 2013;26(2):252-257. (In Russian.) PMID 28976148 C
12. Mendzheritskiĭ AM, Karantysh GV, Ryzhak GA, Dem'ianenko SV. Regulation of content of cytokines in blood serum and of caspase-3 activity in brains of old rats in model of sharp hypoxic hypoxia with Cortexin and Pinealon. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(1):94-97. (In Russian.) PMID 25051764 C
13. Mendzheritsky AM, Karantysh GV, Ryzhak GA, Prokofiev VN. Pinealon and Cortexin influence on behavior and neurochemical processes in 18-month aged rats within hypoxia and hypothermia. Adv Gerontol. 2015;28(3):532-539. (In Russian.) PMID 28509493 C
14. Khavinson V, Ilina A, Kraskovskaya N, et al. Neuroprotective effects of tripeptides-epigenetic regulators in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021;14(6):515. PMID 34071923 C
15. Kozina LS. Investigation of antihypoxic properties of short peptides. Adv Gerontol. 2008;21(1):61-67. (In Russian.) PMID 18546825 C
16. Nazimko VA, Morgul' EV, Petrova OA, et al. Analysis of some parameters of biological age and adaptation possibilities of workers of locomotive brigades. Adv Gerontol. 2012;25(1):57-62. (In Russian.) PMID 22708445 B
17. Bashkireva AS, Artamonova VG. The peptide correction of neurotic disorders among professional truck-drivers. Adv Gerontol. 2012;25(4):718-728. (In Russian.) PMID 23734521 B
18. Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, et al. Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the central nervous system in remission. Adv Gerontol. 2015;28(1):62-67. (In Russian.) PMID 26390612 B
19. Myakotnykh VS, Torgashov MN, Egorin KV, et al. Comparative analysis of different methods of geroprotective. Adv Gerontol. 2016;29(4):594-601. (In Russian.) PMID 28539017 B
20. Khavinson V, Linkova N, Kozhevnikova E, Trofimova S. EDR peptide: possible mechanism of gene expression and protein synthesis regulation involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. Molecules. 2020;26(1):159. PMID 33396470 (review)
21. Umnov RS, Lin'kova NS, Khavinson VKh. Neuroprotective effects of peptides bioregulators in people of various age. Adv Gerontol. 2013;26(4):671-678. (In Russian.) PMID 24738258 (review)
22. Rahman OF, Lee SJ, Seeds WA. Therapeutic peptides in orthopaedics: applications, challenges, and future directions. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2026;10(1):e25.00236. PMID 41490200 (review)
23. Kuznik BI, Davydov SO, Popravka ES, et al. Epigenetic mechanisms of peptide-driven regulation and neuroprotective protein FKBP1b. Mol Biol (Mosk). 2019;53(2):339-348. (In Russian.) PMID 31099784 D
24. Marín-Jerez E, Rueda-Carrasco J, Meléndez-Rodríguez F, et al. Short-term performance assay identifies functional benefits and early toxicity of longevity interventions in mice. Research Square preprint, 16 Jun 2026 (also bioRxiv, 26 Feb 2026). Not peer reviewed. Research Square E, not peer-reviewed
25. Fimea. Fimea warns: do not use injectable peptides purchased online (29 Jun 2026). Fimea regulator
26. Finland. Lääkeluettelo (Fimea medicines list), 230/2025, annex 1 A: pinealon is not named. Finlex regulator
27. European Medicines Agency. Medicine data (data set of 14 Oct 2026): no medicine with pinealon. EMA regulator
28. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, class S0 Non-approved substances (in effect from 1 Jan 2026). WADA regulator
29. Silanteva IA, Komolkin AV, Morozova EA, et al. Role of mono- and divalent ions in peptide Glu-Asp-Arg-DNA interaction. J Phys Chem B. 2019;123(9):1896-1902. PMID 30762356 D
30. Khavinson VK, Linkova NS, Rudskoy AI, Petukhov MG. Feasibility of transport of 26 biologically active ultrashort peptides via LAT and PEPT family transporters. Biomolecules. 2023;13(3):552. PMID 36979488 D
31. European Medicines Agency. Article 57 product data (EMA/518502/2018 Rev.90, data as of 9 Oct 2026): no product with pinealon in any EU/EEA country. EMA regulator
32. Fimea. Classification (Luokittelu): basis for classifying a product as a medicine (page updated 3 Apr 2025). Fimea regulator

Research sources read on 15 Oct 2026 from the publications' abstracts; for Russian-language articles, the English abstract. Regulatory sources checked on 15 Oct 2026.

Evidence levels: A = randomised human trial or meta-analysis · B = observational human study or case series · C = animal study · D = cell or laboratory study · E = not peer-reviewed · regulator = a regulator's assessment or decision, not research evidence. The marker official means official product information (summary of product characteristics or label); it is not research evidence. For a review, the level shows what kind of research the statement rests on. No level: statements that something has not been studied, reviews' interpretations, named hypotheses and the general rules in our certificate-of-analysis guide.

Content is general information about research, not medical advice. If you have symptoms, contact a healthcare professional.