Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells.

Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2003.

Organ: pineal-circadian · Type: in-vitro · Peptides: Epitalon

Short in-vitro communication: the authors report that Epithalon induced telomerase catalytic-subunit expression, enzymatic activity, and telomere elongation in telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts.

Editorial summary of a 2003 short communication. Public pages cite PubMed only. Read the paper: PMID 12937682.

Methods

In-vitro work in a culture of telomerase-negative human fetal fibroblasts. The authors added the tetrapeptide Epithalon (also spelled Epitalon) to that culture. The paper is a short communication in Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, June 2003, volume 135, pages 590–592. Protocol details beyond that sentence belong in the primary text; this page does not reprint the publisher PDF.

Findings

The authors report that adding Epithalon induced expression of the telomerase catalytic subunit, enzymatic telomerase activity, and telomere elongation. They interpret this as possible reactivation of the telomerase gene in somatic cells, and as suggesting a possible effect on the lifespan of a cell population and of the organism.

This is a single in-vitro communication from the Khavinson group. It is not a clinical trial, not a dosing guide, and not a product claim. Independent replication and human evidence are separate questions; they are not answered by this paper alone. Follow the PMID.