Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg, abbreviated “EDR”) from the Khavinson “bioregulator” family, marketed as a neuro/pineal-gland-support supplement and research peptide. Most published research on EDR comes from animal studies (largely rodent) and lab cell-culture work by one Russian research group and its collaborators, with no completed human clinical trial identified. It is not an approved drug anywhere and should not be confused with the better-known pineal-associated peptide Epitalon, which is a different, longer sequence.
Research snapshot
| Peptide category | Khavinson-family short “bioregulator” tripeptide, marketed for neuro/pineal-gland support |
| Primary research interest | Brain/central nervous system and pineal gland support |
| Highest available evidence | Tier 3/4 — mostly animal (largely rodent) and lab cell-culture work from one Russian research group and its collaborators; no completed human clinical trial identified |
| Human research available | No — no completed human clinical trial identified |
| Development status | Not in formal pharmaceutical development; sold as an oral capsule/research peptide |
| Regulatory status | Not an approved drug anywhere |
| Last reviewed | September 2026 |
Technical identity
| Primary name | Pinealon |
| Alternative names | EDR (from its Glu-Asp-Arg sequence). Not to be confused with Epitalon, a different, longer pineal-associated peptide |
| Peptide sequence | Glu-Asp-Arg (“EDR”) |
| Amino-acid length | 3 (tripeptide) |
| Molecular formula | Not independently re-verified in this pass |
| Molecular weight | Not independently re-verified in this pass |
| CAS Registry Number | Not independently re-verified in this pass |
| PubChem CID | Not independently re-verified in this pass |
| Peptide class | Khavinson-group “bioregulator” peptide line (Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology) |
| Primary biological target | Proposed to influence gene-expression patterns in brain/CNS tissue; not established via receptor-level human data |
| Developer or originator | Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology (Khavinson group) |
| Development status | Not an approved or registered pharmaceutical anywhere identified in this review |
What it is
Pinealon is one of the Khavinson-group short synthetic peptides, developed at the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as part of a broader program studying tissue-specific “bioregulator” peptides believed to help restore youthful gene-expression patterns in a corresponding organ system — here, the brain and pineal gland/central nervous system generally, rather than melatonin production specifically. The tripeptide sequence is glutamic acid-aspartic acid-arginine (Glu-Asp-Arg, “EDR”).
EDR has been studied mainly in rodent models of prenatal stress, hyperhomocysteinemia, and diabetes, and in cultured neurons and neuron-like cells, where it has been examined for effects on cell viability, oxidative stress markers, and markers relevant to Alzheimer’s-disease pathology, generally alongside sister peptides such as KED (Lys-Glu-Asp) and AEDG (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly). It has not been evaluated in a registered human clinical trial identified in this review, and there is no independent Western regulatory or academic body that has verified its claimed mechanisms outside the originating research group and its close collaborators.
How does it work?
Plain-English explanation
The proposed idea is that this small peptide can help nerve cells cope better with age- and stress-related damage — for example, by reducing oxidative stress and helping neurons keep or regrow their branching structure (dendrites) as they age. This has mostly been shown in rodent brains and lab-grown human neurons, not in people.
Technical explanation
In a 2024 study using fibroblast-derived induced neurons from elderly human donors, EDR was reported to reduce oxidative DNA damage and, together with KED and AEDG, to promote dendritic arborization (more primary processes and greater total dendrite length) (Kraskovskaya et al., 2024, Int J Mol Sci, PMID 39518916, PMC11546785, DOI 10.3390/ijms252111363). Earlier rodent work from the Khavinson group and collaborators (e.g., Karantysh, Mendzheritskii) reported that EDR administration was associated with protection of offspring cognitive function after prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia and with maintained learning/retention in diabetic rat models, and with increased cell viability via suppression of free-radical levels in in vitro systems, per the group’s published Russian-language and English-abstract literature (Advances in Gerontology and related journals, 2008-2020). No pharmacokinetic data (half-life, bioavailability, blood-brain-barrier penetration in humans) were identified.
Potential benefits and research applications
Neuroprotection against age-related and oxidative changes
What is being investigated: whether EDR reduces oxidative DNA damage and supports dendritic structure in aging neurons. How the effect might occur: proposed antioxidant and gene-expression-modulating activity. Evidence: human cell-culture (induced neuron) study and prior rodent work from an overlapping research group. Strength: preliminary, laboratory and animal tier, limited independent replication. Limitation: the human evidence is restricted to an in vitro reprogrammed-cell model, not living human brain tissue or clinical outcomes.
Cognitive protection in models of metabolic/prenatal stress
What is being investigated: whether EDR protects learning and memory function in rodent models of prenatal hyperhomocysteinemia and diabetes. How the effect might occur: proposed reduction of oxidative and metabolic stress on developing or aging neurons. Evidence: published animal studies, primarily from the Khavinson-affiliated research group. Strength: preliminary/animal tier only. Limitation: no human cognitive trial has been conducted; rodent stress models do not necessarily translate to human cognitive aging or neurodegenerative disease.
Alzheimer’s-disease-relevant gene expression
What is being investigated: whether EDR and related peptides influence expression of genes implicated in Alzheimer’s pathology. How the effect might occur: proposed DNA-binding/transcriptional modulation, similar to other short Khavinson peptides. Evidence: laboratory/mechanistic, largely reviewed rather than tested in disease models specific to EDR. Strength: has not been established as a treatment effect; this remains an early mechanistic hypothesis.
What dosage information circulates?
Figures in this section summarize amounts and schedules reported in published research or circulating online. Their inclusion documents what is reported and does not establish that a regimen is verified, safe, effective, or appropriate.
Amounts studied in human research
No completed, published human clinical trial with a specific dosing regimen for Pinealon/EDR was identified. Not consistently reported.
Amounts studied in animal research
Published rodent studies from the Khavinson-affiliated literature generally describe intraperitoneal or intranasal administration of EDR in the microgram-per-kilogram range over multi-day courses in prenatal-stress and diabetes models, but exact figures vary by study and were not independently re-extracted from primary Russian-language sources for this entry. Cell-culture work used nanomolar peptide concentrations applied directly to cultures, which is not convertible into a human dose.
Practitioner and community-reported protocols
Longevity/biohacking vendors selling Pinealon as an oral capsule or nasal-spray-reconstituted product commonly describe roughly 10-20 mg per day (oral) or small intranasal amounts for 10-20 day courses, consistent with the general Khavinson-line “bioregulator” course template used across this peptide family. This pattern is widely repeated online, but its original source could not be verified as tracing to any dedicated clinical dosing study of Pinealon.
Explanation of the reported figures
The oral/intranasal 10-20 mg, 10-20 day figure appears templated across essentially the entire Khavinson bioregulator product line, not derived specifically from Pinealon research — the same numbers appear on vendor pages for unrelated organ-specific peptides in this family. The animal studies that exist use injectable or intranasal micro-dosing in rodents, which cannot be reliably converted into a human oral capsule dose because no human pharmacokinetic or bioavailability data exist for EDR. No figure in this section should be read as clinically validated dosing.
What circulates E5
Vendors and longevity/biohacking communities commonly describe oral Pinealon capsule use at roughly 10-20 mg per day for a 10-20 day course, or small intranasal amounts, mirroring the generic Khavinson-line "bioregulator" course template used across this whole peptide family. This is widely repeated online, but its original source could not be verified, and it does not correspond to any human pharmacokinetic or dosing study — published animal work used injectable/intranasal micro-dosing in rodents, and published cell-culture work used nanomolar concentrations in vitro, neither of which converts into a validated human oral dose. Treat any specific "X mg/day" figure for Pinealon as community/vendor-tier information only.
Recorded as an observation about what is published elsewhere. No figure here is a dose, a protocol, or a recommendation, and nothing in this section is evidence that any amount is safe or effective.
Side effects, risks, and limitations
No human trial exists to characterize side effects in people. Animal studies did not commonly report significant adverse findings at studied doses, but this cannot be extrapolated to human safety. As with other unregulated peptide products, purity, accurate labeling, contamination, and correct concentration are not guaranteed for vendor-sold Pinealon. Long-term effects, drug interactions, and appropriate human dosing have not been established.
Regulatory and developmental status
Pinealon has no drug approval in the United States, European Union, or Russia identified in this review. It is sold as an oral “bioregulator” supplement and research peptide, not as a registered pharmaceutical, and has not entered a recognized clinical trial pipeline. Status verified as of the date below.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pinealon?
A short synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg, “EDR”) from the Khavinson bioregulator family, studied mainly in rodents and cultured human neurons for neuroprotective and antioxidant effects.
Is Pinealon the same as Epitalon?
No. Both are Khavinson-group peptides sometimes associated with the pineal gland in marketing, but they are chemically distinct sequences studied in different contexts; they should not be treated interchangeably.
Has Pinealon been studied in humans?
A human cell-based (induced neuron) laboratory model has been studied, but no completed human clinical trial with living participants was identified.
What dosage circulates online?
Vendors commonly describe roughly 10-20 mg oral or small intranasal courses over 10-20 days, but this figure is widely repeated without an identifiable original clinical source.
Is Pinealon approved anywhere?
No. It is not an approved medicine in any jurisdiction identified in this review.
What remains unknown?
Whether any oral or intranasal human dose reaches the brain in meaningful concentrations, and whether the antioxidant/neuroprotective signals seen in rodents and cultured cells translate into any measurable human cognitive benefit.
Bottom line
Pinealon (EDR) has a genuine, if modest, base of published animal and human-cell laboratory evidence — mostly from one closely affiliated Russian research network — suggesting antioxidant and neuroprotective activity relevant to brain aging. It has not been tested in a published human clinical trial, and the oral capsule dosing that circulates commercially is a marketing-level template rather than a studied clinical protocol. It remains an unapproved research/supplement peptide, not a validated neuroprotective therapy.