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Pinealon: quick citable summary
Pinealon is listed by PeptaHub as a cognitive peptide with a research only legal-status classification. The page summarizes mechanism, research context, common routes, safety notes, and references for writers and AI answer engines.
PeptaHub. “Pinealon: Mechanism, Research Context, Safety.” peptahub.com, 2026. https://peptahub.com/peptides/pinealon. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. Link back to https://peptahub.com/peptides/pinealon.
What is Pinealon?
Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg) from Khavinson's bioregulator research, isolated from Cortexin. Its verified findings are in mouse neurons and 5xFAD mice, where it prevented dendritic spine loss under amyloid stress. Human evidence is minimal.
Overview
Pinealon is a short synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg) developed by Professor Vladimir Khavinson at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It was isolated as an active fraction of Cortexin, a bovine cortex polypeptide extract. Pinealon is studied as a brain-specific bioregulator targeting neuroprotection, cognitive performance, and pineal gland function in aging models.
Mechanism of action
Like other Khavinson short peptides, Pinealon is hypothesized to act as an epigenetic regulator by entering the nucleus and interacting with double-stranded DNA to influence transcription. The frequently repeated claim that EDR upregulates nestin, GAP-43 and superoxide dismutase overstates the actual result: Khavinson's group used molecular modeling and docking to predict that EDR has binding sites in the promoter regions of CASP3, NES, GAP43, APOE, SOD2, PPARA, PPARG and GDX1. Those are computational predictions of where the peptide could bind, not measurements of gene or protein expression going up. The measured effect in that line of work is on dendritic spine morphology, not on apoptosis, the cholinergic system or melatonin synthesis, for which no supporting study was located.
Reported study ranges
| Purpose | Route | Reported range | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| neuroprotection and cognitive support (research) | subcutaneous | 1–2 mg | once daily | Range quoted in supplier material, not established by any published study. The rodent work used 200 ng/ml in cell culture and 400 mcg/kg intraperitoneally in mice, neither of which translates to a human dose. Not for human use outside authorized research. |
Reported ranges are for research context only. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before using any peptide.
Convert Pinealon research-range units
Need to convert mg to mcg, dose volume, or U-100 syringe units? The Pinealon dose calculator is preloaded with these ranges, or use the general dose unit converter.
Research summary
The best-characterized Pinealon findings are about dendritic spines. In primary culture of mouse hippocampal neurons under amyloid synaptotoxicity, EDR at 200 ng/ml raised the number of mushroom spines by 71%, back to normal levels (Bull Exp Biol Med 2017). In 5xFAD transgenic mice, EDR and the related peptide KED prevented dendritic spine loss (Pharmaceuticals 2021). Note what those studies did not show: no reduction in amyloid pathology and no increase in neuronal survival was reported, so claims to that effect are not supported. Human data is thin and Russian-language: a 2013 Adv Gerontol report on neuroprotective effects of peptide bioregulators across age groups, a 2015 report on synthetic peptides in patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome, and a study of antihypoxic properties of short peptides. Specific cognitive endpoints such as memory, attention or reaction-time gains could not be verified from these sources. No double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Pinealon has been conducted anywhere.[1][2][3][4][5]
Evidence grading
Each claimed benefit is graded by the strength of available evidence. Grades reflect study quality, not effect size.
Strong = multiple RCTs · Moderate = limited trials or observational · Preliminary = animal or in vitro only · Insufficient = anecdotal or no published data
Side effects
Side effects vary by individual. This is not an exhaustive list. Report unusual symptoms to a healthcare professional.
Common stacks
Peptides commonly paired with Pinealon for synergistic effects.
Legal status
Not approved by FDA or EMA as a drug. Available from peptide research suppliers in the US as a research compound. Not scheduled as a controlled substance. Legal gray area for human use outside of clinical research settings.
Sourcing & access
Research compound
Pinealon is classified as a research compound. Regulatory status varies by jurisdiction. Always verify current legal status and source from vendors providing third-party certificates of analysis (COA).
Frequently asked questions
Pinealon is a short synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg, or EDR) developed by Professor Vladimir Khavinson. It was isolated as an active fraction of Cortexin, a bovine cortex polypeptide extract, and is studied as a brain-specific bioregulator for cognitive performance and pineal gland function in aging.
Pinealon is hypothesized to act as an epigenetic regulator that enters the nucleus and interacts with DNA. Molecular docking predicts binding sites in the promoters of genes including NES, GAP43 and SOD2, but that is a computational prediction, not a measured increase in their expression. The measured effect is on dendritic spines: in mouse hippocampal neuron culture under amyloid stress, EDR restored mushroom spine numbers.
Human safety data is essentially absent. Reported side effects are anecdotal and include injection site reactions, headache, and transient fatigue. No double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Pinealon has been conducted anywhere. It is not approved by the FDA or EMA.
No human dose has been established. The 1-2 mg subcutaneous range and 10-20 day cycles quoted for Pinealon come from supplier material, not from a study that tested them. The published rodent work used 200 ng/ml in neuron culture and 400 mcg/kg intraperitoneally in mice, which does not convert to a human dose.
Research references
- Tripeptides Restore the Number of Neuronal Spines under Conditions of In Vitro Modeled Alzheimer's DiseasePubMed
- Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's DiseasePubMed
- [Neuroprotective effects of peptides bioregulators in people of various age] (Russian-language)PubMed
- [Investigation of antihypoxic properties of short peptides] (Russian-language)PubMed
- [Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the CNS in remission] (Russian-language)PubMed