Vesugen

Dosing from the Literature

Published for blood vessels: 200 µg a day for a month in older men with atherosclerosis (route not stated), and 100 µg injected daily for 10 days in the developers’ patent; the Russian capsule labels count capsules, not peptide. Not published: a randomized trial in a medical journal.

No FDA-approved dose exists.

What It Is

Vesugen is a synthetic tripeptide (a chain of 3 amino acids) of the sequence Lys-Glu-Asp (KED), marketed within the Vladimir Khavinson short-peptide bioregulator program for vascular endothelial support. It is one of a family of short Khavinson peptides developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, each assigned a tissue-specific target within the framework that short peptides carry "tissue memory" from proteolytic breakdown of specific polypeptide complexes.

Vesugen is not Vesilute, despite the similar name. The Khavinson group lists the two separately: Vesugen as the tripeptide KED, a vasoprotector, and Vesilut as the dipeptide Glu-Asp (ED), a bladder regulator (Khavinson et al., Int J Mol Sci 2022; PMID 35887081). The Khavinson framework claims each short peptide acts on the tissue it is named for; that tissue specificity has not been extensively replicated outside the Khavinson group, so this profile presents the vascular claim as marketed, with that caveat.

Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a central mechanism in atherosclerosis, hypertension, post-stroke recovery, and age-related cardiovascular decline. The endothelium (the lining of blood vessels) is the single-cell layer lining all blood vessels and regulates nitric-oxide production, vascular barrier function, and anti-thrombotic tone. Interventions that preserve endothelial function (statins, some antihypertensives, exercise, omega-3s) are well-validated cardiovascular protections. Vesugen is proposed as an additional lever in this space, acting at the transcriptional (at the gene-switching level) level to normalize endothelial gene programs.

Vesugen is not approved by the FDA or EMA. In Russia it is registered through the Peptide Bioregulation Center under dietary-supplement / bioregulator categories. Outside Russia it is available through research-chemical vendors for laboratory research purposes. St. Petersburg IBG’s product page describes courses of 20–30 days for its capsules, repeated after 4–6 months.

Who Khavinson was, and what his record supports →

Mechanism of Action

The Khavinson group's proposed mechanism for Vesugen / KED centers on direct peptide-DNA interaction and modulation of vascular-endothelial gene expression programs (Khavinson et al., Adv Gerontol 2014; PMID 25051766).

• eNOS (claimed) — The claim that KED raises endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has no published source: no KED paper in PubMed reports eNOS. The vascular-cell papers report Ki-67, p53, E-selectin, endothelin-1, connexin and sirtuin-1 (Khavinson et al., Bull Exp Biol Med 2014; PMID 25408528; Kozlov et al., Adv Gerontol 2016; PMID 28539025).
• Adhesion molecule reduction — The published adhesion-molecule finding is for E-selectin: in vascular cell cultures KED (coded T-38) cut E-selectin synthesis (Khavinson et al., Bull Exp Biol Med 2014; PMID 25408528). No KED paper reports VCAM-1 or ICAM-1.
• Prostacyclin pathway support — No published KED paper on prostacyclin was found; the claim has no source.
• Peptide-DNA binding model — The Khavinson group proposes that short peptides enter the cell nucleus, recognize sequences in gene promoters and so regulate transcription (Khavinson et al., Molecules 2021; PMID 34834147). Its laboratory binding tests used other short peptides, such as ADEL (Khavinson et al., Lung 2014; PMID 25015171); for KED it has published computer docking models, such as KED docked on the promoter of the Ki-67 gene (Khavinson et al., Adv Gerontol 2014; PMID 25051766). No study of KED binding DNA from outside the group was found.
• Oral / sublingual use — The Russian products are capsules and a liquid taken under the tongue (Russian product labeling), and two Russian studies gave the capsules by mouth (Meshchaninov et al., Adv Gerontol 2015; PMID 26390612; Myakotnykh et al., Adv Gerontol 2016; PMID 28539017). No study of how much KED is absorbed by mouth was found.
• Endothelial progenitor cell biology — No KED paper on endothelial progenitor cells or vascular injury models was found; the claim has no source.
• Reactive oxygen species — In cell experiments, Vesugen and three other Khavinson peptides showed no direct antioxidant activity but limited lipid peroxidation of human lipoproteins, and they raised the resting level of reactive oxygen species in neurons while fewer of the neurons died (Kozina et al., Adv Gerontol 2008; PMID 18546826); a study in 32 adults reported prooxidant activity (Meshchaninov et al., Adv Gerontol 2015; PMID 26390612).
• Tight-junction protein expression — No KED paper measures ZO-1 or VE-cadherin. The nearest is a 2015 review that proposes KE, KED and AEDG could restore JAM-A, a tight-junction molecule, without new experiments (Kuznik et al., Adv Gerontol 2015; PMID 28509452).

What the Research Shows

• Khavinson foundational framework — Khavinson VKh, Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2002;23(Suppl 3):11-144 (PMID 12374906) — book-length review of short-peptide bioregulation theory.
• Vascular effects of short peptides — Published work from the Khavinson group in Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine describing KED-family vascular-endothelial gene-expression modulation in cell cultures. In cultures of vascular cells, KED (coded T-38) raised the proliferation marker Ki-67, lowered p53 and cut the synthesis of E-selectin, an adhesion molecule involved in plaque formation (Khavinson et al., Bull Exp Biol Med 2014; PMID 25408528). In cultured endothelium modeling atherosclerosis and restenosis, it brought raised endothelin-1 back toward normal and increased connexin and sirtuin-1 (Kozlov et al., Adv Gerontol 2016; PMID 28539025).
• Other cell-culture findings — No KED paper reports eNOS or nitric oxide. In aging skin fibroblasts, KED and three other Khavinson peptides lowered MMP-9 and raised Ki-67 and CD98hc (Lin’kova et al., Bull Exp Biol Med 2016; PMID 27259496).
• General Khavinson gerontology cohort — Khavinson & Morozov, Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2003 (PMID 14523363) — 266 people over 60 given the thymic and pineal gland extracts Thymalin and Epithalamin had lower mortality over 6–8 years than controls. No vascular peptide and no Vesugen was given.
• Western independent replication — Limited. Mainstream Western vascular-biology and cardiology literature has not extensively reproduced the tissue-specific vascular claims of the KED-family peptides. Two KED studies have Western co-authors, a stem-cell lab in Chieti, Italy, working with Khavinson, and they concern stem cells rather than blood vessels: KED raised the neuronal markers GAP43 and nestin in periodontal-ligament stem cells (Caputi et al., Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2019; PMID 30791821) and lowered the senescence markers p16 and p21 in long-cultured oral stem cells (Sinjari et al., Stem Cell Rev Rep 2020; PMID 31677028).
• Ki-67 in aging vessel cells — In vessel tissue cultured from young and old rats and in aging cultures of endothelial cells, Vesugen raised Ki-67, a cell-division marker that falls with age, and in the group’s docking model it bound the promoter of the Ki-67 gene (Khavinson et al., Adv Gerontol 2014; PMID 25051766).
• Comparison to established vascular-protective pharmacology — Statins, ACE inhibitors / ARBs, omega-3s, nitrate-generating dietary interventions, and exercise all have Western RCT-level evidence for endothelial function and CV outcomes. Vesugen's evidence base is not comparable in quality or quantity.

Human Data

• No Phase 2/3 RCT at modern Western standards — Vesugen specifically has not been subject to a registrational RCT.
• Safety signal — No serious adverse-event signal reported in published Russian clinical experience; tripeptide composition of common amino acids has inherently low acute toxicity.
• Cardiovascular-risk cohort observations — The Khavinson group’s long-term cohort used the gland extracts Thymalin and Epithalamin, not Vesugen (Khavinson & Morozov, Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2003; PMID 14523363); no cohort data on Vesugen and cardiovascular events were found. Methodological constraints limit comparability to modern RCT standards.
• Erectile dysfunction series — A Russian report gave Vesugen alone, 200 µg a day for a month, to 26 men aged 65–82 with atherosclerosis, leg ischemia and erectile dysfunction, and followed 15 untreated men aged 65–80 for comparison; blood flow in the main penile arteries and sexual-function scores improved in the treated men only. The paper describes no randomization (Kitachev et al., Adv Gerontol 2014; PMID 25051774).
• “Biological age” studies — In 32 adults aged 41–83 with several chronic conditions, Vesugen and Pinealon were reported to slow aging on “biological age” scores, Vesugen more than Pinealon; the same study found prooxidant activity and fewer CD34+ blood-forming cells in the blood, which the authors called a significant inhibition of hemopoiesis (Meshchaninov et al., Adv Gerontol 2015; PMID 26390612). A comparison of several anti-aging methods in 110 people reported the largest change in those scores with Vesugen and Pinealon taken together (Myakotnykh et al., Adv Gerontol 2016; PMID 28539017).

Reconstitution & Storage

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Side Effects & Risks

• Tolerability in the reports — In a comparison of anti-aging methods in 110 people, the authors judged massage and the oligopeptides (Vesugen and Pinealon) the safest on biochemical, immune and clinical measures (Myakotnykh et al., Adv Gerontol 2016; PMID 28539017). In the 15 people given Vesugen in a 32-person study, CD34+ blood-forming cells fell by 11% and plasma chemiluminescence, a sign of pro-oxidant activity, rose by 9%, within normal limits (Meshchaninov et al., Adv Gerontol 2015; PMID 26390612).
• Developers’ animal tests — The developers’ patent reports no toxic reactions after single injections of up to 5 mg/kg in mice and no side effects from daily injections of up to 1 mg/kg for 90 days in rats and 6 months in guinea pigs, though the guinea pigs’ white-cell counts rose (Khavinson et al., RU patent 2295970).
• Limited safety data — Every human report found is a small Russian study (Kitachev et al., Adv Gerontol 2014; PMID 25051774; Meshchaninov et al., Adv Gerontol 2015; PMID 26390612; Myakotnykh et al., Adv Gerontol 2016; PMID 28539017); no study of Vesugen in people outside Russia was found, and ClinicalTrials.gov lists no trial of it.
• Pregnancy / lactation — Russian product labeling lists pregnancy and breastfeeding as contraindications; no study in either was found.
• Purity / source quality — Sold outside Russia as a research chemical, it is not held to drug-quality standards.
• WADA status — Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List; its S0 clause covers substances no other section names and no government has approved for human therapeutic use (World Anti-Doping Agency, 2026).
• Drug interaction with PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil) — PDE5 inhibitors block the breakdown of cGMP, the messenger of nitric oxide (Boolell et al., Int J Impot Res 1996; PMID 8858389), the pathway the eNOS claim invokes; an additive blood-pressure effect is a theoretical concern, not a studied one.
• Anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapy — No study with these drugs was found. In the developers’ patent, 12 people aged 70–82 with senile purpura given the peptide by injection had a longer activated partial thromboplastin time, a clotting test, than 11 given saline (58.9 against 48.0 seconds; 32.3 in healthy people), which the patent calls a normalizing effect (Khavinson et al., RU patent 2295970). An added effect with these drugs is a theoretical concern, not a studied one.

Bloodwork & Monitoring

No trial, label or guideline sets monitoring for Vesugen. The Russian reports measured penile-artery blood flow by Doppler ultrasound and quality of life with erectile-function questions (Kitachev et al., Adv Gerontol 2014; PMID 25051774); biological-age indicators, blood biochemistry, plasma chemiluminescence and CD34+ blood-forming cells (Meshchaninov et al., Adv Gerontol 2015; PMID 26390612); and biological age with biochemical and immune measures (Myakotnykh et al., Adv Gerontol 2016; PMID 28539017). The developers’ patent measured skin-capillary fragility with a cuff test and blood clotting times (Khavinson et al., RU patent 2295970).

Quick Compare — Vesugen vs Vesilute vs Cardiogen vs GHK-Cu

Vesugen beside a near-namesake, Vesilute, and two peptides it is often compared with:

• Vesugen vs Vesilute — Different peptides with similar names: Vesugen is the tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp (mass about 390), Vesilute the dipeptide Glu-Asp (about 262), sold for the bladder (Khavinson et al., Int J Mol Sci 2022; PMID 35887081). A lab report’s mass tells them apart.
• Vesugen vs Cardiogen — Distinct sequences. Vesugen targets endothelial cells; Cardiogen targets cardiac myocytes in the Khavinson framework.
• Vesugen vs GHK-Cu — Different biology entirely. GHK-Cu has substantially better independent evidence (particularly in cosmetic / wound-repair applications) and clearer molecular mechanism (copper coordination).

→ See Vesilute profile  •  → See Cardiogen profile  •  → See GHK-Cu profile

Supportive Nutrition & Adjuncts

Vesugen has no cardiovascular outcome trial; the approaches below have been tested in large ones.

• Omega-3 — Mixed outcome evidence: 4 g a day of icosapent ethyl (purified EPA) cut major cardiovascular events from 22.0% to 17.2% in 8,179 statin-treated patients with raised triglycerides (REDUCE-IT; Bhatt et al., N Engl J Med 2019; PMID 30415628), while 1 g a day of fish oil did not lower major cardiovascular events in 25,871 adults without heart disease (VITAL; Manson et al., N Engl J Med 2019; PMID 30415637).
• Mediterranean diet — In 7,447 adults at high cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts was followed by fewer major cardiovascular events than a reduced-fat diet (3.8% and 3.4% against 4.4%), in a trial republished in 2018 after problems with its randomization (PREDIMED; Estruch et al., N Engl J Med 2018; PMID 29897866).

Practical User Notes

• Product identity confirmation — Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp) and Vesilute (Glu-Asp) are different peptides with similar names. A lab report’s mass tells them apart: about 390 for Vesugen, about 262 for Vesilute.

Commonly Stacked With

The pairing with a published basis is Pinealon: St. Petersburg IBG’s product page lists the two together for the nervous system, and in a Russian comparison of anti-aging methods, 23 people took Vesugen and Pinealon by turns and showed the largest change in biological-age scores of any group (Myakotnykh et al., 2016). No study or listing found pairs Vesugen with Cardiogen, GHK-Cu or Epithalon.

Stacking this? Read the receipt →

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Legal Status

Related Compounds

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Next Steps

References

1. Khavinson VKh. Peptides and Ageing. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2002;23 Suppl 3:11-144. PMID: 12374906.
2. Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2003;24(3-4):233-240. PMID: 14523363.
3. Khavinson VKh, Malinin VV. Gerontological Aspects of Genome Peptide Regulation. Karger, Basel, 2005. DOI: 10.1159/isbn.978-3-318-01193-7.
4. Anisimov VN, Khavinson VKh. Peptide bioregulation of aging: results and prospects. Biogerontology. 2010;11(2):139-149. PMID: 19830585.
5. Khavinson VKh, Linkova NS, Tarnovskaya SI. Short peptides regulate gene expression. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016;162(2):288-292. PMID: 27909961.
6. Khavinson VK, Lin’kova NS, Umnov RS. Peptide KED: Molecular-Genetic Aspects of Neurogenesis Regulation in Alzheimer’s Disease. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2021;171(2):190-193. PMID: 34173097. (KED review by the same three authors.)
7. Khavinson VKh, Popovich IG, Linkova NS, Mironova ES, Ilina AR. Peptide regulation of gene expression: a systematic review. Molecules. 2021;26(22):7053. PMID: 34834147.
8. Khavinson VKh, Tendler SM, Vanyushin BF, Kasyanenko NA, Kvetnoy IM, Linkova NS, et al. Peptide regulation of gene expression and protein synthesis in bronchial epithelium. Lung. 2014;192(5):781-791. PMID: 25015171.
9. Linkova NS, Drobintseva AO, Orlova OA, Kuznetsova EP, Polyakova VO, Kvetnoy IM, Khavinson VKh. Peptide regulation of skin fibroblast functions during their aging in vitro. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016;161(1):175-178. PMID: 27259496.
10. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List. Section S0 (non-approved substances). wada-ama.org.
11. FDA. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act (503A categories list), versions updated April 15, April 22 and May 14, 2026. fda.gov/media/94155/download. Read October 3, 2026. (Notice that 12 peptides would leave Category 2 because their nominations were withdrawn; their removal; GHK-Cu, except injectable, back in Category 1.)
12. Khavinson VKh, Lin’kova NS, Evlashkina EV, Durnova AO, Kozlov KL, Gutop OE. Molecular aspects of anti-atherosclerotic effects of short peptides. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2014;158(1):159-163. PMID: 25408528. (The tripeptide is coded T-38; the group’s papers identify T-38 as Lys-Glu-Asp.)
13. Kozlov KL, Bolotov II, Linkova NS, Drobintseva AO, Khavinson VK, Dyakonov MM, Kozina LS. [Molecular aspects of vasoprotective peptide KED activity during atherosclerosis and restenosis]. Adv Gerontol. 2016;29(4):646-650. PMID: 28539025. (In Russian.)
14. Caputi S, Trubiani O, Sinjari B, Trofimova S, Diomede F, Linkova N, et al. Effect of short peptides on neuronal differentiation of stem cells. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2019;33:2058738419828613. PMID: 30791821.
15. Sinjari B, Diomede F, Khavinson V, Mironova E, Linkova N, Trofimova S, et al. Short Peptides Protect Oral Stem Cells from Ageing. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2020;16(1):159-166. PMID: 31677028.
16. Khavinson VKh, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin’kova NS, Guton EO, Elashkina EV. [Epigenetic aspects of peptidergic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during aging]. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(1):108-114. PMID: 25051766. (In Russian.)
17. Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL, Petrov KIu, Sliusarev AS, Khavinson VKh. [The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people]. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(1):156-159. PMID: 25051774. (In Russian; despite the title, the abstract reports 41 men with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction.)
18. Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva IuE. [Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the central nervous system in remission]. Adv Gerontol. 2015;28(1):62-67. PMID: 26390612. (In Russian.)
19. Myakotnykh VS, Torgashov MN, Egorin KV, Meshchaninov VN, Gavrilov VI, Borovkova TA, et al. [Comparative analysis of different methods of geroprotective]. Adv Gerontol. 2016;29(4):594-601. PMID: 28539017. (In Russian.)
20. Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvadó J, Covas MI, Corella D, Arós F, et al. Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(25):e34. PMID: 29897866.
21. Khavinson VKh, Grigoriev EI, Malinin VV, Ryzhak GA. Peptide enhancing capillary resistance, pharmaceutical composition based on it and method of its use. Russian patent RU 2295970 C1; March 27, 2007 (filed May 23, 2006). US counterpart: US 7,851,449 B2, December 14, 2010. patents.google.com/patent/RU2295970C1. Read October 3, 2026. (In Russian; the developers’ patent on the tripeptide H-Lys-Glu-Asp-OH.)
22. St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. [Cytogens] and [How to take], product pages. old.gerontology.ru/pills/cytogens/ and old.gerontology.ru/pills/intake/. Read October 3, 2026. (In Russian; lists Vesugen’s state registration certificate, No. 77.99.23.3.У.9172.8.06, and gives one dosing scheme for all its Cytogen and Cytomax capsules.)
23. RLS (Register of Medicines of Russia). [Vesugen] and [Vesugen lingual]: registration data of the biologically active supplements. rlsnet.ru/baa/vezugen-30388 and rlsnet.ru/baa/vezugen-lingval-66640. Updated August 8, 2022. Read October 3, 2026. (In Russian; capsules 0.2 g, tablets 0.16 g and 0.3 g, and a sublingual liquid.)

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