Cardiogen

Identity and composition

Cardiogen is a synthetic tetrapeptide of sequence Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg (AEDR), belonging to the Khavinson family of short peptide bioregulators. In preclinical research it is studied in the context of cardioprotection and cellular maintenance. It is offered as a **product for research use.

Reference chemical identity data:

• Molecular formula: C18H31N7O9
• Molecular weight: 489.5 g/mol
• Sequence: Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg (free acid form H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg-OH)
• PubChem CID: 11583989
• Synonyms: AEDR, H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg-OH, tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg

No assigned CAS number is available in authoritative sources, so it is omitted. Precision note: some commercial descriptions label it as the "Ala-Glu-Asp tripeptide", but the verified sources describe a tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg; that is the correct identity.

Mechanism of action

The proposed mechanism for Cardiogen is of the type short peptide bioregulator. In mouse embryonic fibroblast cultures, the tetrapeptide H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg-OH increased the expression of cytoskeletal proteins (actin, tubulin, vimentin) and of nuclear matrix proteins (lamin A and C); the authors attribute its previously reported cardioprotective activity to this activation of protein synthesis, with stimulation of cell proliferation and reduction of apoptosis (PMID 22977870).

At the molecular level, the short peptides of this class —AEDR included— bind site-specifically to the N-terminal tails of histones (H1 and core histones) and to histone-DNA complexes, which is posited as a epigenetic pathway to modulate the state of chromatin and gene activity (PMID 23581987).

It is important to note that direct binding to specific gene promoters that alters transcription is a hypothetical model of this research group, not a demonstrated mechanism for Cardiogen in a peer-reviewed experiment in cardiomyocytes.

Pharmacokinetics

No pharmacokinetic data were located in peer-reviewed indexed sources for this compound. There is no published information on half-life, absorption, distribution or clearance. Therefore, any quantitative pharmacokinetic parameter remains undetermined and cannot be described with figures. This gap is consistent with the preliminary and preclinical nature of the available evidence.

Scientific evidence

The available evidence is limited, preclinical and preliminary, and comes almost entirely from the group of V. Kh. Khavinson (Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology of St. Petersburg). The published experiments used in vitro cell cultures (embryonic fibroblasts) and histone/DNA binding assays, not human trials (PMID 22977870; PMID 23581987). The compound is discussed within the framework of cardioprotection, cardiomyocyte maintenance and antiapoptotic effects, but these framings are largely at the hypothesis level. No registered clinical trials were located (ClinicalTrials.gov) nor does a defined trial phase exist. Claims of specific "cardiomyocyte differentiation" and of myocardial tropism appear in commercial material, but they were not confirmed in the indexed primary literature reviewed here.

Research applications

Use framing: Product for research use, not for diagnostic or therapeutic use.

Ideal for (in research):

• In vitro studies on the expression of cytoskeletal and nuclear matrix proteins in cell models.
• Exploratory research into epigenetic mechanisms of short peptides (peptide-histone/DNA interaction).
• Comparative work within the family of Khavinson peptide bioregulators.

Not applicable for:

• Any form of consumption, human administration, or clinical use.
• Conclusions about cardiovascular efficacy in humans: the evidence does not support it.
• Applications that assume known human pharmacokinetics or safety, since no data exist.

Research protocols

No validated dosing protocols are available for this compound, since the evidence comes from in vitro and molecular-binding assays, not from studies with mg-dose schedules transferable to a protocol. The referenced preclinical work used the tetrapeptide in cell-culture and histone-biochemistry systems (PMID 22977870; PMID 23581987), without defining clinical doses.

The presentation is offered as 20 mg of lyophilized peptide. Any laboratory handling scheme must be defined by the researcher according to their experimental design; no administration guideline is suggested here because there is no support in the reviewed evidence.

Reconstitution

General standard laboratory guide for lyophilized peptides:

• Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water (sterile water with ~0.9% benzyl alcohol), which is the usual option for peptide preparations that will be kept for several days.
• Add the solvent down the wall of the vial, letting it run slowly onto the powder; avoid injecting the stream directly onto the lyophilizate.
• Do not shake; swirl the vial gently until complete dissolution. The solution should remain clear.
• The reconstitution volume is chosen according to the working concentration desired for the 20 mg available.

This is a general laboratory-handling guide and does not constitute an indication for use in humans.

Stability and storage

Handling and stability in accordance with standard laboratory practices for short peptides:

• Lyophilized (powder): is the most stable form; it keeps better frozen (for example, at -20 °C or below), protected from light and moisture. Under proper storage, the lyophilized powder tolerates prolonged periods.
• Reconstituted (in solution): store refrigerated (2-8 °C) and use within a short time; the stability in solution is lower than that of the lyophilizate. The use of bacteriostatic water helps to limit microbial growth during that period.
• Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles; it is advisable to aliquot before freezing.

These are general handling guidelines; no specific published stability data exist for this compound.

Safety profile

No safety, toxicology, or adverse event data in humans were found in peer-reviewed and indexed sources. Safety in humans is not established.

Therefore:

• It must be treated strictly as a compound for research use only, with the general precautions for handling laboratory reagents (protective equipment, avoiding contact and inhalation).
• Clinical contraindications cannot be listed because no clinical information is on record; their absence should not be interpreted as an absence of risk.
• There is no known profile of effects in people, so no claim of human tolerability is appropriate.

Comparative context

Cardiogen is part of the family of short peptide bioregulators by Khavinson, which share the proposed epigenetic mechanism of interaction with histones and DNA. In comparative prose:

• Cardiogen (AEDR, Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg): tetrapeptide associated in research with the cardiovascular/cardioprotective context.
• Epitalon (AEDG, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly): pineal peptide, studied in the framework of pineal gland regulation and aging.
• Cortagen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro): derived from cerebral cortex, investigated in a neural context.
• Vilon (Lys-Glu): dipeptide from the same bioregulatory family.

The difference between them lies in the amino acid sequence and in the tissue/study context; all share the hypothetical model of chromatin modulation characteristic of this research group.

History and development

Cardiogen originated in the line of work of V. Kh. Khavinson and colleagues at the Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology in St. Petersburg, within the program of short bioregulator peptides. Its published characterization corresponds to preclinical studies: the identification of the tetrapeptide H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg-OH and its effect on cytoskeletal and nuclear matrix proteins in fibroblasts (PMID 22977870), and the study of the interaction of short peptides with histones and histone-DNA complexes as the basis of the proposed epigenetic mechanism (PMID 23581987).

The development has remained in the domain of basic research: no registered clinical trials or a defined phase were identified, and several claims of specific cardiological application come from commercial material rather than from the indexed primary literature.

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Scientific references (7)

Peer-reviewed literature on Cardiogen, with its PubMed identifier when available:

• Tumor-modifying effect of cardiogen peptide on M-1 sarcoma in senescent rats (Levdik, et al. · Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · 2009) PMID 20396706.
• The effect of the amino acids and cardiogen on the development of myocardial tissue culture from young and old rats (Chalisova, et al. · Advances in Gerontology · 2009) PMID 20210190.
• Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype of Cardiovascular System Cells and Inflammaging: Perspectives of Peptide Regulation. (Khavinson V, et al. · Cells · 2022) PMID 36611900.
• Feasibility of Transport of 26 Biologically Active Ultrashort Peptides via LAT and PEPT Family Transportrs. (Khavinson VK, et al. · Biomolecules · 2023) PMID 36979488.
• [The tissue-specific effect of synthetic peptides-biologic regulators in organotypic tissues culture in young and old rats]. (Zakutskiĭ AN, et al. · Adv Gerontol · 2006) PMID 17152728.
• Interaction of short peptides with FITC-labeled wheat histones and their complexes with deoxyribooligonucleotides. (Fedoreyeva LI, et al. · Biochemistry (Mosc) · 2013) PMID 23581987.
• [Peptidergic regulation of the expression of signal factors of fibroblast differentiation in the human prostate gland in cell aging]. (Kheĭfets OV, et al. · Adv Gerontol · 2010) PMID 20586252.

Guides and articles about Cardiogen

Lecturas del blog de EXOMA que la editorial asoció a este compuesto:

• Khavinson Bioregulators: Complete Guide to Cytomax Peptides

Other related research peptides

• Cartalax
• Chonluten
• Cortagen
• Crystagen
• Livagen
• Ovagen
• Pancragen
• Prostamax
• Testagen
• Thymalin