What is vesugen?
Vesugen is the name used in the St Petersburg short-peptide literature for the synthetic tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp, abbreviated KED (Khavinson et al., 2012). Some papers from the same group call it T-38 (Voicekhovskaya et al., 2012).
It belongs to the series developed at the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology alongside epitalon, pinealon and cardiogen, and the group links it to cardiovascular regulation (Khavinson et al., 2021). The literature is small and comes almost entirely from that institute and its collaborators. Disguised Alpha supplies vesugen as a lyophilized powder for laboratory research use only. Nothing on this page is guidance for use in people.
Vesugen reference data
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Vesugen |
| Aliases | Lys-Glu-Asp and T-38 (both filed with vesugen in NLM MeSH record C533570), KED peptide; spelled vezugen in some Russian-language abstracts |
| Sequence in the literature | Lys-Glu-Asp (L-lysyl-L-glutamyl-L-aspartic acid, PubChem CID 87571363) |
| Peptide class | Tripeptide |
| Molecular formula | Not stated on the product page. PubChem gives C₁₅H₂₆N₄O₈ for the free peptide |
| Molecular weight | Not stated on the product page. PubChem gives 390.39 g/mol for the free peptide; a salt form weighs more |
| CAS number | Not stated on the product page. PubChem lists the registry number 204271-66-9 among the synonyms |
| Name search | PubChem returns no record for "vesugen"; the compound is filed under Lys-Glu-Asp |
| Form | Lyophilized powder |
| Size carried | 20MG |
| Testing | Third-party tested, with the certificate for each lot published on the product page and in the COA portal |
Name, size, form and storage are from the vesugen product page, which states no sequence, formula, weight or CAS number; those come from PubChem and the MeSH record, so the sources do not conflict. Note that vesugen and epitalon (C₁₄H₂₂N₄O₉) share a nominal mass of 390, with monoisotopic masses only about 0.036 Da apart, so a low-resolution mass reading alone does not tell them apart. Confirm identity and measured content against your lot's certificate.
What the research covers
Published work falls into five areas, and each summary below states the model used. A PubMed search for the name, its spellings, the T-38 code and the sequence returns about 40 relevant records once unrelated hits and longer Lys-Glu-Asp tetrapeptides are removed. More than 30 list V. Kh. Khavinson as an author or an affiliation with his institute or the Pavlov Institute of Physiology, nearly every primary study has a co-author from that network, about half are in Russian, and many test the tripeptide alongside other peptides.
Explant cultures from young and old rats
In splenic explants, the peptide at 0.05 ng/mL enlarged the growth zone, and with cyclophosphamide in the medium the cytostatic's inhibition did not appear (Chalisova et al., 2008). In skin explants, four of five related tripeptides stimulated proliferation in tissue from young rats, but only this one had a marked effect in tissue from old rats, linked by the authors to less p53-associated apoptosis (Voicekhovskaya et al., 2012). In pineal cultures it raised Ki-67 without changing the apoptosis marker AIF (Khavinson et al., 2011).
Vascular cell cultures
The vascular label rests on a few cell studies. In organotypic and dissociated vascular cell cultures, T-38 and a dipeptide tested with it raised Ki-67, lowered p53 and reduced synthesis of the adhesion molecule E-selectin (Khavinson et al., 2014). A Russian-language study reported normalized endothelin-1 and higher connexin and sirtuin-1 expression in endothelial cultures modeling atherosclerosis and restenosis (Kozlov et al., 2016). Neither has been repeated elsewhere.
Immune, fibroblast and stem cell cultures
In human cortical thymocytes, it and a related tripeptide shifted differentiation towards regulatory T cells and lowered apoptosis (Khavinson et al., 2011), and in human prostatic fibroblasts it stimulated two differentiation factors, more strongly in aged cultures (Khavinson et al., 2012).
In fetal mesenchymal stem cells it was one of three peptides that raised IGF1 expression 3.5 to 5.6 times, and it lowered FOXO1 1.6 to 2.3 times, while its effect on TNKS2 ran in opposite directions in two aging models (Ashapkin et al., 2020). In human oral stem cells at passage 25, it lowered p16 and p21 messenger RNA 1.82 to 3.23 times (Sinjari et al., 2020).
Neuronal models
In mouse hippocampal neurons exposed to amyloid beta, 200 ng/mL raised mushroom spine numbers by 20 percent, against 71 percent for pinealon (Kraskovskaya et al., 2017). In cortical neurons transdifferentiated from elderly donors' skin fibroblasts, it was one of three peptides that increased dendrite number and length, with no change in mitochondrial or lysosomal activity or p16 (Kraskovskaya et al., 2024).
In 5xFAD mice given the peptide systemically each day from two to four months of age, neuroplasticity measures tended to rise and dendritic spine loss was prevented (Khavinson et al., 2021). A 2025 correction replaced two confocal figures in that paper that had been published as the same image; the authors state the conclusions are unaffected (PMID 39861198).
Other reports, including reports in people
Russian-language papers list the tripeptide among four short peptides with antihypoxic activity in a hypobaric hypoxia model, where pinealon had the strongest effect (Kozina, 2008). About seven Russian-language reports describe it given to adults, such as 41 patients assessed before and after receiving it following vascular surgery (Kitachov et al., 2013) and 32 people followed on markers of biological age (Meshchaninov et al., 2015).
None of the abstracts reports randomization, blinding or a placebo group, and the second also recorded pro-oxidant activity and a fall in circulating CD34-positive cells. None has been repeated outside that network, and the peptide is not an approved drug in the United States.
Key studies
- Chalisova NI, et al. "Protective effect of tripeptide in the presence of cyclophosphamide on the growth of cultured lymphoid tissue from rats of different age." Bull Exp Biol Med. 2008. PMID 19110568. DOI 10.1007/s10517-008-0189-0. Rat splenic explants.
- 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 cell cultures; names vesugen as Lys-Glu-Asp.
- Khavinson VKh, et al. "Molecular aspects of anti-atherosclerotic effects of short peptides." Bull Exp Biol Med. 2014. PMID 25408528. DOI 10.1007/s10517-014-2713-8. Vascular cell cultures.
- Kraskovskaya NA, et al. "Tripeptides Restore the Number of Neuronal Spines under Conditions of In Vitro Modeled Alzheimer's Disease." Bull Exp Biol Med. 2017. PMID 28853087. DOI 10.1007/s10517-017-3847-2. Mouse hippocampal neurons.
- Ashapkin V, et al. "Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides." Mol Biol Rep. 2020. PMID 32399807. DOI 10.1007/s11033-020-05506-3. Fetal mesenchymal stem cells.
- Khavinson V, et al. "Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease." Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021. PMID 34071923. DOI 10.3390/ph14060515. 5xFAD mice plus docking; corrected in 2025.
Handling and storage of lyophilized vesugen
General laboratory practice for this material:
- Store the lyophilized powder at -20°C, protected from light (storage guidance on the product page), and let the sealed vial reach room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense on the powder.
- Two basic groups (the N-terminal amine and the lysine side chain) against three acidic ones (glutamate, aspartate and the C-terminus) give a net charge near -1 at neutral pH. The peptide is highly water soluble; prepare stock in water or a neutral buffer and record the pH.
- Published concentrations run from 0.05 ng/mL in explants to 200 ng/mL in neuronal culture, so match the model you are reproducing and make fresh intermediate dilutions at the low end.
- After reconstitution, keep solutions at 2 to 8°C, protected from light, in single-use aliquots, and avoid freeze/thaw cycles.
- Record the lot number with every solution and take concentrations from the measured content on the certificate, not the label mass.
Frequently asked questions
What is vesugen?
The tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp, also written KED or coded T-38, from the short peptides developed in St Petersburg (Khavinson et al., 2012), studied mainly in explant, cell-culture and rodent models.
Is vesugen a bioregulator?
In its originating literature, yes: the group files it among its "bioregulatory tripeptides" (Voicekhovskaya et al., 2012). Bioregulator is that group's term for peptides it proposes act on specific tissues, not a regulatory or pharmacological class.
How is vesugen related to epitalon, pinealon, cardiogen and thymalin?
All come from the same programme. Vesugen shares a Glu-Asp core with pinealon (Glu-Asp-Arg), epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) and cardiogen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg) (Khavinson et al., 2021). Thymalin is a calf thymus extract rather than one sequence (Morozov and Khavinson, 1997). See the epitalon, pinealon, cardiogen and thymalin research guides.
Is vesugen the same as vesugen acetate?
It is the same peptide with acetate as the counter-ion. Peptides made by solid-phase synthesis are often isolated as trifluoroacetate salts, and that counter-ion can be exchanged for acetate (Roux et al., 2008). The product page states no salt form and PubChem lists only the free peptide, so 390.39 g/mol applies to the free peptide; use your certificate for molar work.
How strong is the published evidence?
Limited: about 40 records, more than 30 tied to one institute and its collaborators, about half in Russian, and reports in people without randomization, blinding or placebo. We found no primary study clearly independent of that network.
How should vesugen powder be stored?
At -20°C, protected from light. After reconstitution, at 2 to 8°C, protected from light, avoiding freeze/thaw cycles, as listed on the product page.
Where can researchers buy vesugen?
Disguised Alpha sells it for laboratory research, third-party tested with the certificate published on the product page: Vesugen (20MG).
Related compounds and guides
- Pinealon and its research guide
- Epitalon and its research guide
- Cardiogen and its research guide
- Thymalin and its research guide
- Cartalax: the tripeptide Ala-Glu-Asp from the same literature
- COA portal: every published certificate, by lot
This product is for research use only. It has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness in humans. Not for human consumption. All products are intended for laboratory research purposes only.