RUO · Research Use OnlyFor CognitionKhavinson tripeptideThin evidence+2 more
Pinealon
A short peptide from the Khavinson family of 'bioregulators. We read all 22 studies. The protocol is below.
Updated 03 May 2026Read 10 minEvidence ●○○○○Citations 22
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The Pinealon Report · $19
Everything you need to start: dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict.
One purchase · yours forever
Built from 22 cited studies.
Read this if
- you're cycling Khavinson bioregulators and pinealon is your seasonal cognition pick
- **the studied population is older adults (60+) with cognitive decline + cell-culture work** — if that's you, the lab-internal evidence at least targets your population
- you have post-COVID brain fog and you've already done the basic workup
- you're a tired 50-something who already runs epitalon and wants the daytime cognitive complement
Skip this if
- **you're under 50 and cognitively healthy** — the Khavinson literature studies aged-cell and aged-rat models, not optimization in healthy mid-life. Off-label for you
- you want Western randomized trial data — it doesn't exist
- you're looking for a first-line cognitive intervention before sleep, exercise, and bloodwork
- you have an active neurological diagnosis and aren't being managed by a neurologist
- **you or a first-degree relative has an active cancer history** — the Khavinson tripeptides modulate cell proliferation/anti-apoptotic signaling in their lab work; theoretical interaction with antineoplastic regimens is uncharted, and the conservative read is don't run it
- **you're pregnant or breastfeeding** — zero human data, full stop
The 4 ways you can buy Pinealon
Full breakdown ↓Brand
✗
Not available
Not available (Russian cosmeceutical ~$30–$60)
No FDA-approved Pinealon; Russian retail is not a US-legal channel.
Compounded 503A
✓
Off-label
$80–$200/mo where sold
Mid–high. Few compounders carry; the Khavinson-only evidence base means clinical legitimacy is weak.
RUO (research-only)
✓
Sold 'for research only'
$30–$100/mo
The dominant supply; small tripeptide is cheap to synthesize.
Gray market
✓
Unregulated overseas import
Varies — not on user's vendor list
Available via overseas raws (cheap to synthesize) but Pinealon has limited demand vs Epitalon, so …
Click any lane for the full Sourcing breakdown. Prices and lane availability vary by molecule — this is the per-peptide snapshot, not a generic table.
First 90 days · Pinealon
What we'd actually do
Weeks 1–2
Subjective signal in the first 1–2 weeks if there's going to be one. Cognitive peptides (Selank, Semax) work fast or not at all for a given person.
Weeks 4–8
Either you've noticed a clear, consistent improvement (focus, anxiety reduction, mood stability) or you're imagining it. Track a baseline cognitive task or anxiety scale if you can.
Week 12 — decide
Decide. Cognitive effects are notoriously subject to placebo. If the signal isn't holding without you actively looking for it, it's probably not real.
Quit if
- Paradoxical anxiety, agitation, or sleep disruption.
- Two-week proper-dose trial with no perceived benefit.
- Mood destabilization in either direction.
Identity
What it is.
Pinealon is a tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg) developed by the same Vladimir Khavinson group in St. Petersburg. Within the Khavinson bioregulator family, Pinealon is the brain-and-pineal member — marketed for neuroprotection, cognitive performance, and resilience to oxidative stress in neurons.
The pitch: Pinealon normalizes gene expression in brain tissue, protects against age-related cognitive decline, and supports the pineal gland's role in circadian regulation. It is often grouped with Epitalon, with Pinealon framed as the broader-brain and Epitalon as the more pineal-specific one.
It is sold strictly as a research chemical (RUO) in the US and Europe. There is no version. Dosing follows the Khavinson tradition — short courses (10–20 days), repeated periodically rather than daily continuous use.
TL;DR
TL;DR. 30-second version.
The compressed verdict — what Pinealon actually is, what the human evidence shows, and the watch-for in three bullets. Locked.
Get the report · $19 ↓Mechanism
Mechanism.
Mechanism · in the Pinealon report
How the molecule actually works — receptor profile, downstream signaling, what to expect mechanistically.
Get the report · $19 ↓Evidence
Evidence. What we actually know in humans.
Evidence · in the Pinealon report
The trial breakdown — phase, n, primary endpoint, who funded, what hit, what didn't.
Get the report · $19 ↓Human-Evidence Factbox
Dose
Dose. The actual protocol.
Dose · in the Pinealon report
The specific protocol — dose, titration schedule, cycle pattern, frequency, route.
We read 22 studies to write this report.
Get the report · $19 ↓Sourcing
Sourcing. Where the cohort actually buys.
Sourcing · in the Pinealon report
Sourcing breakdown — vendor methodology, red flags, our published test results, COA checklist.
We read 22 studies to write this report.
Get the report · $19 ↓Safety
Safety. Side effects.
Safety · in the Pinealon report
The watch-for list — contraindications, drug interactions, monitoring labs, when to stop.
Get the report · $19 ↓Editorial Position
Editorial position.
Editorial Position · in the Pinealon report
Our editorial position — explicit yes / no / depends, with the reasoning behind it.
Get the report · $19 ↓Citations
Citations.
- 01Rahman OF, et al. Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews. 2026;10(1). PMID: 41490200.
- 02Khavinson V, et al. Pinealon increases cell viability by suppression of free radical levels and activating proliferative processes. Rejuvenation research. 2011;14(5):535-41. PMID: 21978084.
- 03Arutjunyan A, et al. Pinealon protects the rat offspring from prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia. International journal of clinical and experimental medicine. 2012;5(2):179-85. PMID: 22567179.
- 04Mendzheritsky AM, et al. [Pinealon and Cortexin influence on behavior and neurochemical processes in 18-month aged rats within hypoxia and hypothermia]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2015;28(3):532-539. PMID: 28509493.
- 05Mendzheritskiĭ AM, et al. [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]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2014;27(1):94-7. PMID: 25051764.
+Show all 22 citationsShow fewer citations
- 06Meshchaninov VN, et al. [EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ON AGING OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC POLYMORBIDITY AND ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN REMISSION]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2015;28(1):62-7. PMID: 26390612.
- 07Fedoreyeva LI, et al. 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. Biokhimiia. 2011;76(11):1210-9. PMID: 22117547.
- 08Kozina LS. [Investigation of antihypoxic properties of short peptides]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2008;21(1):61-7. PMID: 18546825.
- 09Nazimko VA, et al. [Analysis of some parameters of biological age and adaptation possibilities of workers of locomotive brigades]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2012;25(1):57-62. PMID: 22708445.
- 10Myakotnykh VS, et al. [Comparative analysis of different methods of geroprotective]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2016;29(4):594-601. PMID: 28539017.
- 11Mendzheritskiĭ AM, et al. [Effects of introduction of short peptides before carotid artery occlusion on behaviour and caspase-3 activity in the brain of old rats]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2011;24(1):74-9. PMID: 21809624.
- 12Bashkireva AS, et al. [The peptide correction of neurotic disorders among professional truck-drivers]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2012;25(4):718-28. PMID: 23734521.
- 13Mendzheritski AM, et al. [Effect of peptide geroprotectors on the navigation system learning and caspase-3 in brain structures in rats of different age]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2013;26(2):252-257. PMID: 28976148.
- 14Umnov RS, et al. [Neuroprotective effects of peptides bioregulators in people of various age]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2013;26(4):671-8. PMID: 24738258.
- 15Khavinson V, et al. EDR Peptide: Possible Mechanism of Gene Expression and Protein Synthesis Regulation Involved in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). 2020;26(1). PMID: 33396470.
- 16Silanteva IA, et al. Role of Mono- and Divalent Ions in Peptide Glu-Asp-Arg-DNA Interaction. The journal of physical chemistry. B. 2019;123(9):1896-1902. PMID: 30762356.
- 17Kozina LS, et al. [Biological activity of regulatory peptides in model experiments in vitro]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2008;21(1):68-73. PMID: 18546826.
- 18Khavinson VKh, et al. Short peptides stimulate serotonin expression in cells of brain cortex. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2014;157(1):77-80. PMID: 24909721.
- 19Khavinson VKh, et al. Effect of short peptides on expression of signaling molecules in organotypic pineal cell culture. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2011;152(1):138-41. PMID: 22803060.
- 20Voicekhovskaya MA, et al. Effect of bioregulatory tripeptides on the culture of skin cells from young and old rats. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2012;152(3):357-9. PMID: 22803085.
- 21Jiang Y, et al. Optimization of Jiuzao protein hydrolysis conditions and antioxidant activity in vivo of Jiuzao tetrapeptide Asp-Arg-Glu-Leu by elevating the Nrf2/Keap1-p38/PI3K-MafK signaling pathway. Food & function. 2021;12(11):4808-4824. PMID: 33876788.
- 22Bashkireva AS, et al. [Assessment of work ability index in evaluation of small peptides geroprotective effect]. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii. 2015;28(3):510-512. PMID: 28509489.
The Pinealon Report · $19
Everything you need to start.
Dose, sourcing, safety, our verdict. One purchase. Yours forever.
Built from 22 cited studies.
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