What is Bronchogen?
Bronchogen is the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu (AEDL), one of the short peptide bioregulators from V. Kh. Khavinson's program at the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. The group's 2022 review table labels it a bronchoprotector (Khavinson et al., 2022). Seven indexed papers name bronchogen in the title or abstract, and several more use only the sequence. Most come from Khavinson's program or laboratories that published with it, often in Russian journals or their English editions, and nearly all are explant, cell, DNA or plant work.
The two studies in live rats that name it come from a St Petersburg pulmonology institute with no Khavinson co-author (Kuzubova et al., 2015; Titova et al., 2017). No human study is indexed. Disguised Alpha does not currently list bronchogen; this page is a literature reference for laboratory researchers. Nothing on this page is guidance for use in people.
Bronchogen reference data
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Bronchogen |
| Also called | Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu; AEDL (one-letter code) |
| Structure or sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu: L-alanyl-L-glutamyl-L-aspartyl-L-leucine, with a free N-terminal amine and a free C-terminal acid |
| Compound class | Synthetic tetrapeptide; one of the Khavinson group's short peptide bioregulators (the group's own label, not a drug class) |
| Molecular formula | C₁₈H₃₀N₄O₉ |
| Molecular weight | 446.5 g/mol |
| PubChem CID | 11690869 |
Name, sequence, formula and weight come from PubChem CID 11690869, filed under the name Bronchogen with all four residues in the L form; the group's 2022 table gives the same sequence (Khavinson et al., 2022).
Some papers write Ala-Asp-Glu-Leu (ADEL), with the middle residues swapped, including a 2011 DNA study that names bronchogen (Monaselidze et al., 2011) and the group's 2014 bronchial cell paper (Khavinson et al., 2014). PubChem files ADEL as a separate compound (CID 11247825) with the same formula and weight. No format or certificate is quoted, because this compound is not in the Disguised Alpha catalog.
What the research covers
The work falls into four areas, each with its model named below.
Lung explants and bronchial epithelial cells
At 0.05 ng/mL, bronchogen had a stimulating effect on lung explants from 3-week-old and 18-month-old rats compared with control explants (Zakutskii et al., 2006). In human embryonic bronchial epithelial cells, it raised the differentiation factors CXCL12 and Hoxa3, more so in aged, late-passage cultures, where both had fallen (Khavinson et al., 2012). A 2014 study of the same cell type, which writes the peptide as ADEL, at passages 1, 7 and 14 reported changes in Ki67, Mcl-1, p53, CD79 and NOS-3, with the strongest activation of proliferation, read through Ki67 and Mcl-1, in the oldest cultures.
It also regulated the differentiation genes NKX2-1, SCGB1A1, SCGB3A2, FOXA1 and FOXA2 and raised MUC4, MUC5AC and SFTPA1 expression (Khavinson et al., 2014). A follow-up proposed promoter methylation as one cause of the age- and peptide-related changes in NKX2-1 and SCGB1A1 expression (Ashapkin et al., 2015). Models: rat explants, human embryonic bronchial cell cultures.
DNA binding
Three laboratory papers with Khavinson as an author measured binding to purified DNA or oligonucleotides. In fluorescence-quenching assays, bronchogen bound oligonucleotides containing CNG sites and preferred CTG-containing sequences, where epitalon, testagen and pinealon preferred CAG (Fedoreyeva et al., 2011).
By microcalorimetry, it raised the melting temperature of calf thymus and mouse liver DNA by 3.1°C at peptide-to-base-pair ratios of 0.01 to 0.055, binding both strands with no AT or GC preference (Monaselidze et al., 2011). The 2014 study added spectrophotometry, viscometry and circular dichroism that placed the binding in the major groove, at guanine N7 (Khavinson et al., 2014). Models: purified DNA and oligonucleotides.
A rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
The only indexed work in live animals comes from the Research Institute of Pulmonology at Pavlov First St Petersburg State Medical University. Rats were exposed intermittently to nitrogen dioxide for 60 days to model chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A one-month bronchogen course was reported to eliminate the remodeling seen in the model (goblet cell hyperplasia, squamous metaplasia, lymphocytic infiltration and emphysema), restore ciliated cells and raise secretory IgA, with less neutrophilic inflammation in the bronchoalveolar space (Kuzubova et al., 2015).
A Russian-language paper from the same team and model reported normalized lavage cell composition, cytokines and enzymes, with more secretory IgA and surfactant protein B (Titova et al., 2017). Neither abstract gives group sizes. Model: male rats.
Tobacco plant studies
Since 2022, every new laboratory study we found on the sequence is a plant study from a Moscow agricultural biotechnology institute. In a 2017 paper with Khavinson as a co-author, that group reported that bronchogen and epitalon at 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻⁹ M increased tobacco callus growth and leaf formation in regenerated plants, and that these peptides and vilon changed expression of CLE, KNOX1 and GRF family genes (Fedoreyeva et al., 2017).
Without him, it reported that AEDL at 10⁻⁷ M elongated seedling roots, kept root development normal under 150 mM salt, lowered reactive oxygen species and gathered mainly in the elongation and root hair zones (Fedoreyeva et al., 2022). A 2025 paper added autophagy and programmed cell death in root cells (Lazareva et al., 2025). Model: tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum).
Key studies
- Khavinson VKh, et al. "Peptides tissue-specifically stimulate cell differentiation during their aging." Bull Exp Biol Med. 2012. PMID 22808515. DOI 10.1007/s10517-012-1664-1. Human embryonic bronchial epithelial cells: CXCL12 and Hoxa3.
- Khavinson VKh, et al. "Peptide regulation of gene expression and protein synthesis in bronchial epithelium." Lung. 2014. PMID 25015171. DOI 10.1007/s00408-014-9620-7. Bronchial cells at three passages, gene panel, DNA binding; writes ADEL.
- Monaselidze JR, et al. "Effect of the peptide bronchogen (Ala-Asp-Glu-Leu) on DNA thermostability." Bull Exp Biol Med. 2011. PMID 21240358. DOI 10.1007/s10517-011-1146-x. DNA melting by microcalorimetry.
- Kuzubova NA, et al. "Modulating Effect of Peptide Therapy on the Morphofunctional State of Bronchial Epithelium in Rats with Obstructive Lung Pathology." Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015. PMID 26468022. DOI 10.1007/s10517-015-3047-x. Rats after 60 days of nitrogen dioxide; one-month course.
- Fedoreyeva LI, et al. "Elongating Effect of the Peptide AEDL on the Root of Nicotiana tabacum under Salinity." Plants (Basel). 2022. PMID 35631778. DOI 10.3390/plants11101352. Tobacco seedlings at 10⁻⁷ M, with and without salt.
Handling and storage of lyophilized bronchogen
General laboratory practice for a freeze-dried tetrapeptide, covered in the peptide storage guide and the reconstitution guide:
- Keep the sealed powder at -20°C, dry and protected from light. Let a cold vial reach room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense on it.
- With two acidic residues and no basic one, bronchogen is an acidic peptide, which by the reconstitution guide's rule dissolves best in basic rather than acidic solutions. Test a small portion in water first and record the pH.
- The papers work at very low concentrations (0.05 ng/mL, 10⁻⁷ M), where dilution error dominates. Make fresh serial dilutions, split stock into single-use aliquots at 2 to 8°C, and avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
- Mass alone cannot tell AEDL from ADEL, since both are 446.5 g/mol. Confirm the sequence by MS/MS fragmentation or against a reference standard.
Frequently asked questions
What is bronchogen?
The synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu (AEDL), which Khavinson's St Petersburg group labels a bronchoprotector (Khavinson et al., 2022). PubChem files it as CID 11690869.
Is bronchogen Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu or Ala-Asp-Glu-Leu?
PubChem, the group's table and most papers give Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu. Some papers write Ala-Asp-Glu-Leu, including a 2011 DNA study and the group's 2014 bronchial cell paper (Monaselidze et al., 2011; Khavinson et al., 2014). They are different compounds with the same mass, so check which one a paper or a lot used.
Has the bronchogen peptide been tested in animals?
Yes, in two indexed rat studies that name it, both using a nitrogen dioxide model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and both from one St Petersburg pulmonology institute (Kuzubova et al., 2015; Titova et al., 2017). Neither abstract gives group sizes.
Has bronchogen been tested in people?
No human study is indexed in PubMed. The human material in its record is embryonic bronchial cells grown in culture (Khavinson et al., 2012). Bronchogen has no Drugs@FDA record and is not an approved drug in the United States (openFDA search, 12 October 2026).
How strong is the evidence on bronchogen?
Weak for the lung label. It rests on one explant study, a few cell-culture papers from Khavinson's group, DNA-binding assays and two rat papers from one institute. We found no independent replication of the cell findings and no human study.
Does Disguised Alpha sell bronchogen?
Not currently. Related bioregulators in the catalog: Cartalax (Ala-Glu-Asp, its first three residues), Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) and Cardiogen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg).
Related compounds and guides
- Peptide bioregulators list, A to Z
- Peptide bioregulators explained
- Cartalax research guide and product page
- Epitalon research guide and product page
- Cardiogen research guide and product page
- Peptide storage and reconstitution guides
All Disguised Alpha products are for laboratory research only and are not for human consumption.