Everything below concerns electrospray ionisation. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.
Last reviewed on 2026-06-22. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
(TG:@pojiaai)Epitalon is a synthetic linear tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, abbreviated AEDG. It emerged from work on epithalamin, a peptide fraction prepared from bovine pineal tissue, and was designed as a short, chemically defined analogue of that extract. Early publications came mainly from Russian laboratories studying pineal peptides and aging-related endpoints. The compound appears in the literature under several spellings, including epithalon and epithalone, which complicates systematic searching. Its small size makes solid-phase assembly and routine analytical characterization straightforward.
Chemically, the molecule consists of four amino acid residues joined by three peptide bonds, with a free N-terminal amino group and a free C-terminal carboxyl group. Its molecular formula is C14H22N4O9, and its monoisotopic mass is approximately 390 daltons. The acidic glutamate and aspartate side chains give the peptide a net negative charge near neutral pH, a property that shapes its chromatographic behaviour and solubility profile. No disulfide bridges or other post-translational modifications are present, so the primary sequence alone defines the structure.
Purity assessment of peptide reagents normally relies on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. A gradient of acetonitrile in water with trifluoroacetic acid, paired with a C18 stationary phase, separates the target tetrapeptide from truncated sequences and deletion analogues. Detection at 214 nanometres exploits absorbance of the peptide backbone, since the molecule contains no aromatic residue. Results are expressed as a percentage of total peak area. Values above ninety-five percent are typical for research-grade material, although reporting conventions vary between suppliers.
Identity confirmation uses mass spectrometry, usually electrospray ionisation in positive mode or matrix-assisted laser desorption. The protonated free peptide produces a signal near three hundred and ninety-one daltons, while salt adducts shift that value slightly. Tandem mass spectrometry or amino acid analysis supplies sequence-level confirmation, which a single mass measurement cannot. Peptides containing aspartate can cyclise into succinimide intermediates that hydrolyse to isoaspartate isomers of identical mass. Because those isomers are difficult to separate chromatographically, identity and purity results carry more weight when interpreted together.
Storage practice centres on limiting moisture, oxygen, and repeated temperature cycling. Freeze-dried powder is generally held desiccated at minus twenty degrees Celsius or colder and protected from light. Reconstituted solutions are markedly less stable, and the aspartate-glycine junction is prone to succinimide formation at neutral to mildly alkaline pH. Portioning material into single-use aliquots reduces degradation compared with repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Stability data specific to this tetrapeptide remain scarce, so most handling guidance is extrapolated from general peptide chemistry rather than measured directly.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Linear tetrapeptide | Four residues joined by three peptide bonds |
| Sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly | Commonly abbreviated AEDG |
| Molecular formula | C14H22N4O9 | Free acid form |
| Monoisotopic mass | Approximately 390 Da | Matches values reported from mass spectrometry |
| Net charge near neutral pH | Negative | Contributed by glutamate and aspartate side chains |
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the residue sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. Its monoisotopic mass is approximately 390.35 daltons, and it is usually supplied as a lyophilised trifluoroacetate or acetate salt. The compound was derived from a pineal gland extract called epithalamin, a heterogeneous preparation investigated in the former Soviet Union. Researchers associated with the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology described the tetrapeptide as a constituent fragment of that extract. Commercial material is offered as a laboratory reagent rather than as a finished pharmaceutical product.
Literature searches for this compound must account for several spelling variants. Indexing databases contain epitalon, epithalon, epithalone, and AEDG, and relevant records are scattered across Russian-language and English-language journals that do not consistently cross-cite. Early publications describe the parent extract as a mixture of many peptides, whereas later work addresses the single synthetic tetrapeptide. That shift in nomenclature complicates comparison between studies, because extract data and tetrapeptide data are sometimes cited interchangeably. A search strategy omitting the alternate spellings will return an incomplete set of references.
Verification of a sample usually begins with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, which resolves the peptide from truncated sequences and other impurities and expresses purity as a percentage of total peak area. Mass spectrometry by electrospray ionisation or matrix-assisted laser desorption supplies an independent check, because the measured mass can be compared against the theoretical value for AEDG. Amino acid analysis or tandem mass spectrometry sequencing can confirm residue order. Each of these methods answers a different question: a purity figure does not establish identity, and an identity match does not establish how much of the material is intact peptide.
The molecule is a short, linear, hydrophilic peptide that dissolves readily in water or aqueous buffer. Its principal chemical liabilities are hydrolytic rather than oxidative, since it contains no cysteine, methionine, or tryptophan residues. The aspartate–glycine step is a recognised site for aspartimide formation under mildly acidic or basic conditions, generating isoaspartate and succinimide-related products over time. Desiccated lyophilised powder held at −20 °C is comparatively stable, whereas dilute solutions degrade faster and are best frozen as single-use aliquots rather than thawed repeatedly.
Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide whose sequence is alanine–glutamate–aspartate–glycine, commonly abbreviated AEDG. It was developed in Russia during the 1980s and 1990s by investigators associated with the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, who studied short peptides as regulators of gene expression and tissue function. The alternative spelling epithalon appears interchangeably in the literature, and the two names refer to the same molecule. Outside Russia it is encountered chiefly as a research chemical rather than a licensed medicine, and it holds no approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency.
The peptide is a synthetic analogue of epithalamin, a preparation extracted from bovine pineal glands. Investigators sought a short, chemically defined molecule that would reproduce some of the endocrine and gerontological observations attributed to the glandular extract. Proposed mechanisms centre on induction of telomerase activity, an effect reported in cultured human somatic cells in the early 2000s, together with influences on melatonin secretion and neuroendocrine regulation. Those mechanisms remain incompletely characterised, and the reported telomerase response has not been consistently reproduced by independent groups working in comparable systems.
The most widely cited claim is that epitalon activates telomerase and thereby extends telomere length. Supporting evidence comes largely from cultured human cells, where treatment was associated with increased telomerase activity and delayed replicative senescence. Telomerase activation is a biologically consequential effect, since the enzyme is largely silenced in most somatic cells. However, the route by which a short peptide would reach and act on the enzyme's regulatory machinery has not been established. Independent replication in human trials is scarce, so the link between cell-culture observations and whole-body aging remains an open question.
Human data are limited to small studies, often without the randomization, blinding, or control groups expected in contemporary clinical research. Reported outcomes have included changes in melatonin levels, immune markers, and subjective measures, but sample sizes were generally too small to support firm conclusions. Some reviews treat the peptide as promising while noting methodological weaknesses; others question whether the observed effects are specific. The compound is frequently discussed in longevity-focused communities, where enthusiasm often outpaces the published evidence. Separating established findings from speculation is therefore important when reading summaries of this research.
The Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden of Academy of Sciences, founded in 1945, is the largest in Europe. This garden covers 3.61 square kilometers (1.39 sq mi) next to the All-Russia Exhibition Center; it contains a live exhibition of more than 20,000 species of plants from around the world, as well as a lab for scientific research. The garden contains a rosarium (with 20,000 rose bushes), a dendrarium, and an oak forest (whose average tree age exceeds 100 years). In addition, the garden contains a greenhouse occupying more than 5,000 square meters (53,820 square feet). The All-Russian Exhibition Center (Russian: Всероссийский выставочный центр) was formerly known as the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV) and later the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNKh), though it was officially called a "permanent trade show". This center is a prominent example of Stalinist-era monumental architecture. In this large recreational park, there are scores of pavilions, each representing one of two things: a branch of Soviet industry and science, or a Soviet republic. During the 1990s, the center was—and to some extent still is—misused as a shopping center. (Most pavilions are rented to small businesses.) Nevertheless, the center retains most of its architectural landmarks, including two monumental fountains (Stone Flower and Friendship of Nations) and a 360-degree panoramic cinema. In 2014, the park reverted to the name Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy; that same year, a large renovation project was started.
=== Environmental and health hazards === Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) and aminic antioxidants have potential human and environmental health hazards. SPAs are common in indoor dust, small air particles, sediment, sewage, river water and wastewater. They are synthesized from phenolic compounds and include 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone (BHT-Q), 2,4-di-tert-butyl-phenol (DBP) and 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA). BHT can cause hepatotoxicity and damage to the endocrine system and may increase the carcinogenicity of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine exposure. BHT-Q can cause DNA damage and mismatches through the cleavage process, generating superoxide radicals. DBP is toxic to marine life if exposed long-term. Phenolic antioxidants have low biodegradability, but they do not have severe toxicity toward aquatic organisms at low concentrations. Another type of antioxidant, diphenylamine (DPA), is commonly used in the production of commercial, industrial lubricants and rubber products and it also acts as an additive for automotive engine oils.
Many secondary metabolites produced by plants have potential therapeutic medicinal properties. These secondary metabolites contain, bind to, and modify the function of proteins (receptors, enzymes, etc.). Consequently, plant derived natural products have often been used as the starting point for drug discovery.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Ebola === In October 2015, the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) announced preclinical results that remdesivir had blocked the Ebola virus in Rhesus monkeys. Travis Warren, who has been a USAMRIID principal investigator since 2007, said that the "work is a result of the continuing collaboration between USAMRIID and Gilead Sciences". The "initial screening" of the "Gilead Sciences compound library to find molecules with promising antiviral activity" was performed by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a result of this work, it was recommended that remdesivir "should be further developed as a potential treatment." Remdesivir was rapidly pushed through clinical trials due to the West African Ebola virus epidemic of 2013–2016, eventually being used in people with the disease. Preliminary results were promising; it was used in the emergency setting during the Kivu Ebola epidemic that started in 2018, along with further clinical trials, until August 2019, when Congolese health officials announced that it was significantly less effective than monoclonal antibody treatments such as ansuvimab and atoltivimab/maftivimab/odesivimab. The trials, however, established its safety profile.
As minor planet discoveries are confirmed, they are given a permanent number by the IAU's Minor Planet Center (MPC), and the discoverers can then submit names for them, following the IAU's naming conventions. The list below concerns those minor planets in the specified number-range that have received names, and explains the meanings of those names. Official naming citations of newly named small Solar System bodies are approved and published in a bulletin by IAU's Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN). Before May 2021, citations were published in MPC's Minor Planet Circulars for many decades. Recent citations can also be found on the JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB). Until his death in 2016, German astronomer Lutz D. Schmadel compiled these citations into the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (DMP) and regularly updated the collection. Based on Paul Herget's The Names of the Minor Planets, Schmadel also researched the unclear origin of numerous asteroids, most of which had been named prior to World War II. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: SBDB New namings may only be added to this list below after official publication as the preannouncement of names is condemned. The WGSBN publishes a comprehensive guideline for the naming rules of non-cometary small Solar System bodies.
From the late nineteenth century until the early 1930s, light therapy was considered an effective and mainstream medical therapy in the UK for conditions such as varicose ulcer, 'sickly children' and a wide range of other conditions. Controlled trials by the medical scientist Dora Colebrook, supported by the Medical Research Council, indicated that light therapy was not effective for such a wide range of conditions.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence alanine-glutamate-aspartate-glycine, often abbreviated AEDG. The molecule is linear and contains no modified residues, so it is fully described by its sequence.
The compound came out of work on epithalamin, a peptide preparation derived from pineal tissue, conducted largely in Russian laboratories. Later studies in other countries examined it mainly in cell cultures and animal models.
The tetrapeptide sequence is a synthetic construct rather than a described circulating peptide. It was derived by analogy to peptide fractions obtained from tissue extracts, not isolated from blood or tissue as such.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection at 214 nanometres is the usual approach. Peak area percentage provides a purity figure relative to other components in the sample. Mass spectrometry is then applied to confirm identity.