Guide
Epithalon (Epitalon): A Research Peptide Overview
Epithalon is a four-residue synthetic peptide with an unusually specific history: it was designed to reproduce the amino-acid composition of a bovine pineal extract. This overview covers what it is, the cell-based research it is used in, how it is handled as a reference material, and why batch-level purity matters for such a small molecule. It is written strictly for laboratory research context.
What Epithalon is
Epithalon (also spelled epitalon) is a synthetic tetrapeptide with the sequence Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (AEDG). It was developed in St. Petersburg, Russia, modelled on the amino-acid composition of epithalamin, a peptide extract of bovine pineal gland. It carries CAS number 307297-39-8, the molecular formula C14H22N4O9, and a molecular weight of 390.35 g/mol.
As a research reference material it is supplied as a lyophilized powder and characterised by HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity.
Why it is studied
In the laboratory, Epithalon is used as a short-peptide model in telomerase-activity and telomere-length assays in cell culture, and in gene-expression and chromatin-interaction studies, where its small size and charged residues are the features of interest.
It also appears in short-peptide stability and enzymatic-degradation research and serves as an analytical reference standard. These are in vitro research applications only, and no medical claims are made here.
Handling and storage
Lyophilized peptides are generally kept cold, dry, and out of light to preserve stability. Epithalon is stored long-term at -20°C (-4°F), protected from moisture and direct light, with original labeling retained so the batch stays traceable.
This overview does not cover preparation or use of any kind. That falls outside laboratory research reference use, and we do not provide that guidance.
Why purity and identity matter
A four-residue peptide is small enough that a single deletion or a swapped residue produces a molecule of nearly the same size and behaviour on a chromatogram. Purity by HPLC and identity by mass spectrometry answer two different questions, and a serious report carries both, for a peptide this short, the mass confirmation is doing most of the work.
This is why a per-batch Certificate of Analysis, one tied to the exact lot you receive, is more useful than a generic brand-level document.
How to verify an Epithalon batch
Before relying on any batch, confirm three things: purity (an HPLC percentage), identity (a mass-spectrometry confirmation), and a traceable lot number with a test date. If the supplier lets you look up that batch’s report, you can match the documentation to the vial in hand.
See our guide on how to read a peptide COA for a field-by-field walkthrough.
Regulatory status: common questions
Is Epithalon FDA approved? No. Epithalon is not an approved drug in the United States. It is supplied strictly as a laboratory research reference material, and nothing on this site is medical guidance.
Is Epithalon legal in the US? Epithalon is not a scheduled substance under the Controlled Substances Act. It is lawfully supplied as a reference material for laboratory research, and for no other purpose; nothing on this site should be read as a claim otherwise.
Epithalon versus epithalamin? Epithalamin is the original pineal-gland extract, a complex mixture. Epithalon is the defined synthetic tetrapeptide modelled on it, a single molecule with a single mass, which is what makes it a usable reference material and what identity testing confirms.
Why a lyophilized vial and not another format? Reference material is quantified by mass and stability-characterised in lyophilized form, which is what a per-batch certificate can actually describe. Other formats fall outside laboratory reference use, so we do not offer them.