Neuroprotection, cognition, memory, brain aging, oxidative stress, gene regulati
Pinealon
A short EDR tripeptide studied for neuroprotection, memory, cognitive aging, oxidative stress, neuronal survival, gene regulation, and adaptation to neurologic and psychological stress.
Administration Reference
Subcutaneous
Source / Evidence Context
Commonly reported use — not established guidance
Dose Information
1mg-2mg
Frequency
Once daily
Duration / Cycle
10–20 days
Off-Cycle
2–4 months; commonly repeated 2–3 times yearly
Timing
Morning or early afternoon
Storage Guidance
Refrigerate after reconstitution and use within approximately 30 days, Freeze for lyophilized powder form
Supplies
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Listings are not a required kit or confirmation of suitability for a particular peptide, formulation, or route. Check the product specifications and intended use.
Syringes & transfer supplies
EasyTouch U-100 Insulin Syringes (31G 0.5cc 5/16″) – 100ct.U-100 Insulin Syringes (31G 0.5cc 5/16") – 100ctInsulin syringes – Polybag, 50 Unit Capacity, 5/16” Needle Length, Bold Markings for Accurate Dosing, Disposable, Box of 100View at AMAZON →
Protective supplies & disposal
CURAD Isopropyl Alcohol Wipes400 Count MEDIUM SIZE PREP PADSINDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL WIPES, PACK OF 4 BOXES, MEDIUM SIZE PREP PADSView at AMAZON →
Inspire Black Nitrile Gloves HEAVY DUTY 6 Mil100ctView at AMAZON →
Square Sharps Container, 2 QuartQTY 1View at AMAZON →
Commonly Reported Uses
Memory and cognitive support; mental performance; age-related cognitive decline; neuroprotection; traumatic-brain-injury recovery research; oxidative-stress regulation; stress resilience; healthy-brain aging; attention and learning; neurodegenerative-disease research.
Commonly Reported Indicators
Improved memory or recall, clearer thinking, better concentration, improved mental stamina, reduced headache burden, improved emotional balance, increased stress tolerance, and improved work performance are reported in the human and community literature. Some users also report changes in sleep quality or dream intensity.
Mechanism Overview
Pinealon is the tripeptide Glu-Asp-Arg (EDR). Experimental research suggests it can enter cell nuclei, interact with DNA, influence gene expression, reduce oxidative stress, alter ERK/MAPK signaling, affect apoptosis and cell-cycle regulation, and modify neuronal pathways involving serotonin and neuroprotective proteins.
Safety
Safety Considerations
Short-duration human studies have generally described Pinealon as well tolerated, but the database is small. A 32-person study reported pro-oxidant activity by chemiluminescence and reductions in circulating CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor-cell markers, illustrating that its biological effects are not uniformly antioxidant or benign.
Reported Adverse Effects
Community reports include headache, altered sleep, temporary fatigue or stimulation, gastrointestinal discomfort with oral use, and injection-site redness, burning, or tenderness. Long-term incidence data are unavailable.
Contraindications & Cautions
Additional caution is appropriate with pregnancy or breastfeeding, active malignancy, significant hematologic disease, severe neurological illness, known peptide hypersensitivity, or concurrent therapies affecting cell proliferation, oxidative signaling, or immune function.
Cancer Considerations
Editorial evidence assessment, not a validated risk score or clearance for use. Unknown risk does not mean low risk; these notes do not establish safety during active cancer or remission.
Cancer Concern Assessment
Theoretical concern
Basis for Concern
Pinealon has reduced necrotic cell death, increased cell viability, modified cell-cycle signaling, influenced apoptosis-related pathways, and demonstrated direct interaction with cellular DNA in laboratory studies. These are potentially relevant to tumor biology, although no evidence currently demonstrates that Pinealon causes or accelerates human cancer.
Active Cancer
Caution due to mechanism
The combination of cell-survival, proliferative, anti-apoptotic, and gene-regulatory effects creates a theoretical concern in established malignancy. There are no oncology-specific human studies demonstrating either harm or safety.
Prior Cancer / Remission
Individualized caution
No recurrence-risk studies or evidence-based remission interval exist. Because Pinealon can influence cell-cycle and apoptosis-related signaling, prior malignancy warrants individualized consideration rather than assuming safety from the absence of reported cancer cases.
Status
Regulatory Status
Pinealon is not FDA approved for cognitive enhancement, neuroprotection, traumatic brain injury, dementia, healthy aging, or any other therapeutic indication in the United States.
Development / Research Status
Human research compound
Market Classification
Research-use compound
Status Notes
Pinealon originated within the Russian short-peptide-bioregulator research program and has appeared in oral bioregulator products and clinical research there. In the United States it is primarily encountered as a research-use peptide. It has no FDA-approved pharmaceutical formulation or dosing standard.
Research & Evidence
Evidence Level
Human clinical research
Research Last Reviewed
2026-09-06
Research Overview
Pinealon has a small human evidence base supplemented by animal and cellular research. Human studies have examined occupational stress, biological-aging measures, organic brain disorders, and neurobehavioral outcomes. Mechanistic research is considerably broader and focuses on oxidative stress, neuronal survival, gene regulation, DNA interaction, serotonin expression, and neurodegenerative-disease pathways. Most work originates from a relatively narrow Russian research network.
Human Research
A 2012 occupational study gave locomotive workers one 100 mcg Pinealon capsule twice daily for two weeks and reported improvements in biological-age parameters and measures of adaptive capacity.
Another clinical investigation involving professional truck drivers examined peptide bioregulators in workers with elevated occupational stress and borderline neurobehavioral disorders. Treatment was associated with improved psychoemotional measures and adaptive capacity, with the strongest reported effect from combined Pinealon and Vesugen administration.
A 2015 study evaluated Pinealon and Vesugen in 32 adults aged 41–83 with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome in remission. Researchers reported improvements in CNS-related and biological-aging measures, while also identifying pro-oxidant activity and reduced CD34+ hematopoietic-cell markers.
Published reviews from the originating research program also describe a 72-patient cohort with consequences of traumatic brain injury and cerebrasthenia in which adjunctive Pinealon was associated with improved memory, reduced headache severity and duration, better emotional balance, and improved performance.
Animal Research
In a rat model of prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia, maternal Pinealon exposure was associated with improved cognitive performance in offspring and greater resistance of cerebellar neurons to oxidative stress.
Research in aged rats exposed to hypoxia and hypothermia found changes in behavior, neurotransmitter systems, free-radical processes, and caspase-3 activity after Pinealon administration.
In rats with experimental diabetes, Pinealon has also been investigated for effects on Morris-maze learning and hippocampal NMDA-receptor subunit gene expression.
In Vitro Research
Pinealon reduced reactive-oxygen-species accumulation and necrotic-cell death in cerebellar neurons, neutrophils, and PC12 cells exposed to oxidative stress. It also altered ERK1/2 activation and cell-cycle regulation.
Fluorescently labeled Pinealon has been observed in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and nucleolus of cultured cells, and biochemical studies demonstrate interaction between EDR and DNA, including partial penetration of the DNA major groove.
In aging rat cortical-cell cultures, EDR stimulated serotonin expression and was associated with regulation of tryptophan-hydroxylase-related gene activity.
References
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. PMID 22708445.
Bashkireva AS, Artamonova VG. The peptide correction of neurotic disorders among professional truck-drivers. Adv Gerontol. 2012;25(4):718-728. PMID 23734521.
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. PMID 26390612.
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. DOI 10.3390/molecules26010159.
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. DOI 10.1089/rej.2011.1172.
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. PMCID PMC3342713.
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. DOI 10.1134/S0006297911110022.
Silanteva IA, Komolkin AV, Morozova EA, Vorontsov-Velyaminov PN, Kasyanenko NA. Role of Mono- and Divalent Ions in Peptide Glu-Asp-Arg-DNA Interaction. J Phys Chem B. 2019;123(9):1896-1902. PMID 30762356. DOI 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b10359.
Khavinson VKh, Linkova NS, Tarnovskaya SI, Umnov RS, Elashkina EV, Durnova AO. Short peptides stimulate serotonin expression in cells of brain cortex. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2014;157(1):77-80. PMID 24909721. DOI 10.1007/s10517-014-2496-y.
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. PMID 28509493.
Karantysh GV, Fomenko MP, Menzheritskii AM, et al. Effect of Pinealon on Learning and Expression of NMDA Receptor Subunit Genes in the Hippocampus of Rats with Experimental Diabetes. Neurochem J. 2020;14:314-320. DOI 10.1134/S181971242003006X.
Peptide Dosing Protocols. Pinealon Peptide Protocol Guide: Dosing, Reconstitution & Cycle. Reviewed 2026.
RetaCalc. Pinealon Dosage and Protocol Evidence. 2026.
PeptideDosage.org. Pinealon Dosage Chart, Schedule & Reconstitution Protocol. Reviewed May 21, 2026.