peptidechats
Research information only. Not medical advice. 18+ only. Not FDA-approved for human therapeutic use.

Vesugen

Also known as: Vezugen, KED, Lys-Glu-Asp, T-38, tripeptide T-38

Short regulatory tripeptide / cytogen / geroprotector

Ask about Vesugen in chat →

What it is

Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp; KED) is a short regulatory tripeptide that exerts tissue-specific effects through epigenetic gene regulation. It has been shown to interact with the promoter region of the MKI67 gene (encoding Ki-67) via molecular docking, stimulating proliferation-associated protein expression in vascular endothelial cells. It normalizes endothelin-1 expression elevated during atherosclerosis and restenosis, restores connexin-mediated cell interactions, and increases sirtuin-1 expression involved in DNA repair. Vesugen stimulates expression of differentiation factors CXCL12 and WEGC1 in prostatic fibroblasts in a tissue-specific manner. In aging skin fibroblast cultures, KED (vesugen) inhibits MMP-9 synthesis, enhances Ki-67 and CD98hc expression, and reduces age-related changes. In neuronal contexts, KED stimulates serotonin expression in brain cortex cells via epigenetic regulation of the tryptophan hydroxylase gene, promotes dendritic arborization, and regulates genes involved in neurogenesis, apoptosis, and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis including p16, p21, NES, GAP43, SUMO, APOE, and IGF1. KED also modulates IGF1, FOXO1, TNKS2, and NFκB gene expression in mesenchymal stem cells at nanomolar concentrations. In organotypic cultures, KED stimulates Ki-67 and inhibits p53 in pineal gland cells, modulating proliferation and apoptosis. In vivo, vesugen demonstrated antihypoxic properties in a rat model of hypobaric hypoxia and vasoprotective effects in elderly patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction related to atherosclerosis.

Class: Short regulatory tripeptide / cytogen / geroprotector

What it's studied for

  • Geroprotection / biological age reduction Human observational
    • In 32 patients aged 41–83 years with polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome, vesugen demonstrated a more visible geroprophylactic effect than pinealon, improving CNS activity and slowing biological age indicators; prooxidant activity detected by chemiluminescence; no effect on chromatin condensation. PMID 26390612 Meshchaninov et al., Advances in gerontology (2015)
    • In a comparative study of 110 participants across age groups, combined use of oligopeptide complexes (including vezugen and pinealon) produced the most pronounced positive impact on biological age indicators; oligopeptide drugs were among the safest interventions assessed. PMID 28539017 Myakotnykh et al., Advances in gerontology (2016)
    • Combined application of peptide geroprotectors (cytogens) restored and enhanced adaptive resources, corrected work ability, and maintained health in occupationally hazarded workers. PMID 28509489 Bashkireva & Kachan, Advances in gerontology (2015)
  • Vasculogenic erectile dysfunction / peripheral arterial insufficiency Human observational
    • In 41 male patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction as a manifestation of atherosclerosis, monotherapy with vasoactive tripeptide Vezugen significantly improved blood flow through the main penile arteries by both clinical and objective (Doppler duplex) indicators. PMID 25051774 Kitachev et al., Advances in gerontology (2014)
  • Vasoprotection / atherosclerosis and restenosis Mixed
    • KED peptide normalized endothelin-1 expression elevated in atherosclerotic and restenotic endothelium in vitro, restored connexin expression for cell interaction, and increased sirtuin-1 expression involved in DNA repair. PMID 28539025 Kozlov et al., Advances in gerontology (2016)
    • Short peptides T-38 (KED/vesugen) and RR-1 activated cell renewal in vascular cell cultures during aging by increasing Ki-67 expression and reducing p53 synthesis, and reduced E-selectin synthesis involved in atherosclerotic plaque formation. PMID 25408528 Khavinson et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2014)
  • Neuroprotection and neurogenesis support Mixed
    • KED peptide promoted arborization of the dendritic tree (increased primary processes and total dendrite length) in fibroblast-derived induced neurons from elderly donors; EDR reduced oxidative DNA damage; tripeptides had no effect on mitochondrial/lysosomal activity or p16 in induced neurons. PMID 39518916 Kraskovskaya et al., International journal of molecular sciences (2024)
    • Oral application of KED improved memory and attention in elderly individuals with functional CNS disorders; KED restored synaptic plasticity in an in vitro model of Alzheimer's disease; KED regulates expression of p16, p21, NES, GAP43, SUMO, APOE, and IGF1 genes. PMID 34173097 Khavinson et al. (review), Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2021)
    • KED (Lys-Glu-Asp) stimulated serotonin expression in aging cultures of rat brain cortex cells and epigenetically regulated the tryptophan hydroxylase gene via the CCTGCC nucleotide sequence. PMID 24909721 Khavinson et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2014)
    • KED alone and a compound of AED/KED/KE/AEDG increased GAP43 and nestin expression in human periodontal ligament stem cells, promoting neuronal differentiation. PMID 30791821 Caputi et al., International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology (2019)
  • Epigenetic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during aging Animal studies only
    • Vesugen stimulated Ki-67 proliferation-associated protein (decreased during aging) in tissue-specific cell cultures from young and old animals and in dissociated vascular endothelial cell cultures; molecular docking showed vesugen interacts with the MKI67 gene core promoter. PMID 25051766 Khavinson et al., Advances in gerontology (2014)
  • Skin fibroblast aging / dermal regeneration Animal studies only
    • KED inhibited MMP-9 synthesis that increases during aging of rat skin fibroblasts, enhanced Ki-67 and CD98hc expression; peptides AED and AEDG (but not KED specifically noted) suppressed caspase-dependent apoptosis. PMID 27259496 Linkova et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2016)
    • Tripeptide T-38 (Lys-Glu-Asp/vesugen) produced a marked stimulatory effect on proliferation in skin explants from old rats, associated with reduced p53 expression. PMID 22803085 Voicekhovskaya et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2012)
  • Mesenchymal stem cell aging modulation In vitro only
    • KED at nanomolar concentrations modulated IGF1 (3.5–5.6 fold increase), FOXO1 (1.6–2.3 fold inhibition), TNKS2 (variable by culture model), and NFκB gene expression in human embryo bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. PMID 32399807 Ashapkin et al., Molecular biology reports (2020)
  • Differentiation of prostatic fibroblasts (tissue-specific) In vitro only
    • Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp) tissue-specifically stimulated expression of differentiation factors CXCL12 and WEGC1 in aging cultures of human prostatic fibroblasts; the inducing effect was more pronounced in aged cultures. PMID 22808515 Khavinson et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2012)
  • Immune cell proliferation in pineal gland Animal studies only
    • Tripeptide vesugen had no effect on differentiation capacity of immune cells of the rat pineal gland but enhanced their proliferation potential in organotypic culture. PMID 22803057 Linkova et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2011)
  • Antihypoxic / neuroprotective properties Animal studies only
    • Vesugen (along with vilon, epitalon, and pinealon) demonstrated antihypoxic properties in a rat model of hypobaric hypoxia; pinealon had the most pronounced effect among the peptides studied. PMID 18546825 Kozina, Advances in gerontology (2008)
  • Occupational stress / neurotic disorder correction (combined with other cytogens) Human observational
    • Combined application of bioregulating peptides (including vezugen and pinealon) restored organism adaptive potential, improved psychoemotional indices, intensified resistance to work stress, and reduced occupational risk of borderline mental disorders in lorry-drivers (p < 0.001–0.05); best effect observed with combine PMID 23734521 Bashkireva & Artamonova, Advances in gerontology (2012)
  • Protective effect on lymphoid tissue against cyclophosphamide-induced cytotoxicity Animal studies only
    • Tripeptide T-38 (Lys-Glu-Asp) at 0.05 ng/ml produced a stimulatory effect on growth zone of splenic lymphoid tissue explants from young and old rats; combined treatment with cyclophosphamide and T-38 abolished the inhibitory effect of the cytostatic on cell proliferation. PMID 19110568 Chalisova et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2008)
  • Pancreatic function restoration in accelerated aging model Animal studies only
    • Administration of tripeptide T-38 (Lys-Glu-Asp) to old irradiated rats activated post-irradiation reparative regeneration and restored disordered endocrine homeostasis in the pancreas; administered intraperitoneally in this model. PMID 18942368 Ryzhak et al., Advances in gerontology (2008)
  • Proliferation/apoptosis modulation in neuroimmunoendocrine cells Animal studies only
    • Tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp stimulated proliferation (Ki-67) and inhibited apoptosis (p53) in organotypic cultures of rat neuroimmunoendocrine system cells; effects more pronounced in old vs. young pineal gland cultures. Also modulated associative learning in honey bee model of short- and long-term memory. PMID 22977872 Chalisova et al., Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2012)
  • Lipid peroxidation restriction and red blood cell membrane stabilization In vitro only
    • Vesugen (along with pinealon, vilon, and epitalon) did not demonstrate direct antioxidant activity but restricted lipid peroxidation of human lipoproteins by modifying their structure, increased stability of red blood cell membranes toward osmotic hemolysis, elevated intracellular ROS stationary level, and decreased pe PMID 18546824 Kozina et al., Advances in gerontology (2008)

Community-reported dosing

RouteDoseFrequency / DurationPopulation / contextSource tier
In vitro (cell culture addition)Nanomolar concentrations (exact value not specified)Not specifiedin_vitroResearch PMID 32399807
In vitro (cell culture addition)Not specified (peptide added to culture)Not specifiedin_vitroResearch PMID 27259496
In vitro (organotypic culture)Not specifiedNot specifiedin_vitroResearch PMID 22977872
In vitro (organotypic culture)0.05 ng/ml (T-38, Lys-Glu-Asp)Not specifiedin_vitroResearch PMID 19110568
Intraperitoneal (in vivo, rat model)Not specifiedNot specifiedanimalResearch PMID 18942368
Not specified (clinical monotherapy in humans)Not specifiedNot specifiedhumanResearch PMID 25051774
Not specifiedNot specifiedNot specifiedhumanResearch PMID 26390612
OralNot specified (oral application noted for memory/attention study)Not specifiedhumanResearch PMID 34173097

Tier key: Research = PMID-cited study · [C] = scraped community source · [S] = model-synthesized from aggregate community reports (softer evidence). How we source.

Safety signals

  • Prooxidant activity detected by chemiluminescence in patients receiving vesugen (and pinealon); authors note anabolic neuroprotective but not antioxidant type activity. PMID 26390612
  • Significant decrease in CD34+ hematopoietic polypotent cell count in blood, indicating inhibition of hemopoiesis, observed in patients treated with vesugen and pinealon. PMID 26390612
  • No effect on chromatin condensation was found, suggesting safety at the nuclear genetic level; authors note this property should be studied further. PMID 26390612
  • In vitro, vesugen (with other short peptides) elevated the stationary level of intracellular reactive oxygen species, though it also decreased percent of dead cells in neuronal populations; the in vivo significance is unclear. PMID 18546824

Contraindications

  • The reviewed abstracts do not explicitly state any contraindications for vesugen. Dry carbon dioxide baths and hyperbaric oxygenation (comparator interventions) had explicit limitations and contraindications regarding safety, whereas oligopeptide drugs (including vezugen) were noted as among the safest interventions assessed. PMID 28539017

Frequently asked

What is Vesugen and what is it used for?

Vesugen (also called KED or Lys-Glu-Asp) is a short regulatory tripeptide studied for geroprotective, vasoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Published research includes a clinical study showing improved blood flow in men with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction, human studies showing biological age reduction, and in vitro/animal research on vascular endothelial cell proliferation, skin fibroblast aging, and neuronal differentiation. Most mechanistic data comes from cell culture and animal studies; large-scale human RCTs are not represented in the reviewed literature.

What dose of Vesugen should I take?

I'm not a medical professional and can't recommend a protocol for you specifically. What research has shown: human studies in the reviewed literature do not report specific doses — the clinical studies mention oral administration and monotherapy in erectile dysfunction patients without specifying doses or durations. Animal/in vitro studies used concentrations such as 0.05 ng/ml in culture. Please consult a licensed healthcare provider for dosing guidance.

How should Vesugen be injected or reconstituted?

I don't have reliable study data on that specific question. The reviewed published abstracts do not describe reconstitution procedures, solvents, or injection technique for vesugen. Intraperitoneal injection was used in one animal study and oral administration was referenced in one human review, but no preparation details were provided. I won't guess — please consult a licensed provider or peer-reviewed literature directly.

Can I stack Vesugen with Pinealon or other peptides?

I can't recommend combining compounds — that's a prescribing decision. Here's what has been studied individually: Several human studies used vesugen and pinealon together (PMIDs: 26390612, 23734521, 28539017) and reported that combined use produced the most pronounced effect on biological age indicators and adaptive potential, but exact protocols, doses, and safety data for the combination were not reported in the abstracts reviewed.

Is Vesugen safe? Are there any side effects?

Based on the reviewed literature: one human study noted prooxidant activity by chemiluminescence and a decrease in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells in patients receiving vesugen, suggesting possible inhibition of hemopoiesis. The same study found no effect on chromatin condensation, which the authors considered a safety-favorable finding. In vitro, vesugen elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species while reducing neuronal cell death. Long-term safety data, drug interaction profiles, and pharmacokinetic studies in humans are not present in the reviewed abstracts. Please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.

Does Vesugen help with Alzheimer's disease or dementia?

KED (vesugen) has been studied in the context of Alzheimer's disease in cell and molecular models. A review reported that oral KED improved memory and attention in elderly individuals with functional CNS disorders and restored synaptic plasticity in an in vitro Alzheimer's model. KED has also been shown to regulate genes implicated in Alzheimer's pathogenesis (SUMO, APOE, IGF1) and neuronal differentiation (NES, GAP43; PMID 34173097). In vitro, KED promoted dendritic arborization in aged fibroblast-derived neurons. No human RCT data in Alzheimer's patients were present in the reviewed abstracts. I can't suggest treatments for medical conditions — please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.

Where can I buy Vesugen?

I don't recommend vendors or sources. Please consult a licensed provider.

Does Vesugen have anti-aging effects?

Several studies suggest geroprotective properties. In human studies, vesugen (with pinealon) produced significant anabolic effects, improved CNS activity, and slowed biological aging indicators in patients aged 41–83 with polymorbidity. Combined oligopeptide use (including vezugen) showed the most pronounced positive impact on biological age among several interventions studied in 110 participants. In vitro, KED inhibited MMP-9 (elevated during aging), enhanced Ki-67 and CD98hc expression in aging skin fibroblasts, and modulated aging-related gene expression in mesenchymal stem cells at nanomolar concentrations. These findings are predominantly from observational human studies and cell/animal models; controlled human trial data are limited.

Can Vesugen help with erectile dysfunction?

One published clinical study assessed vasoactive tripeptide Vezugen as monotherapy in 41 male patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction as a manifestation of atherosclerosis. Results showed significant improvement in blood flow through the main penile arteries by both clinical assessment and Doppler duplex imaging. However, this was a single observational study without a reported control arm, specific dose, or blinding; no RCT data were found in the reviewed abstracts. I can't suggest treatments for medical conditions — please speak with a licensed healthcare provider.

What is the difference between Vesugen and Pinealon?

Based on the reviewed abstracts: Vesugen is the tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp (KED), studied primarily for vasoprotective, geroprotective, and neuroprotective effects (PMIDs: 25051774, 26390612, 28539025). Pinealon is the tripeptide Glu-Asp-Arg (EDR), which showed the most pronounced antihypoxic effect among short peptides tested in a rat hypoxia model and reduced oxidative DNA damage in induced neurons. In a human comparative study, vesugen showed a more visible geroprophylactic effect than pinealon, though combined use was most effective (PMIDs: 26390612, 23734521, 28539017). The two peptides differ in amino acid sequence and have partially overlapping and partially distinct tissue targets based on reviewed data.

References

  1. [1] PMID 26390612 — In 32 patients aged 41–83 years with polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome, vesugen demonstrated a more visible geroprophylactic effect than pinealon, improv
  2. [2] PMID 28539017 — In a comparative study of 110 participants across age groups, combined use of oligopeptide complexes (including vezugen and pinealon) produced the most pronounc
  3. [3] PMID 28509489 — Combined application of peptide geroprotectors (cytogens) restored and enhanced adaptive resources, corrected work ability, and maintained health in occupationa
  4. [4] PMID 25051774 — In 41 male patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction as a manifestation of atherosclerosis, monotherapy with vasoactive tripeptide Vezugen significantly i
  5. [5] PMID 28539025 — KED peptide normalized endothelin-1 expression elevated in atherosclerotic and restenotic endothelium in vitro, restored connexin expression for cell interactio
  6. [6] PMID 25408528 — Short peptides T-38 (KED/vesugen) and RR-1 activated cell renewal in vascular cell cultures during aging by increasing Ki-67 expression and reducing p53 synthes
  7. [7] PMID 39518916 — KED peptide promoted arborization of the dendritic tree (increased primary processes and total dendrite length) in fibroblast-derived induced neurons from elder
  8. [8] PMID 34173097 — Oral application of KED improved memory and attention in elderly individuals with functional CNS disorders; KED restored synaptic plasticity in an in vitro mode
  9. [9] PMID 24909721 — KED (Lys-Glu-Asp) stimulated serotonin expression in aging cultures of rat brain cortex cells and epigenetically regulated the tryptophan hydroxylase gene via t
  10. [10] PMID 30791821 — KED alone and a compound of AED/KED/KE/AEDG increased GAP43 and nestin expression in human periodontal ligament stem cells, promoting neuronal differentiation.
  11. [11] PMID 25051766 — Vesugen stimulated Ki-67 proliferation-associated protein (decreased during aging) in tissue-specific cell cultures from young and old animals and in dissociate
  12. [12] PMID 27259496 — KED inhibited MMP-9 synthesis that increases during aging of rat skin fibroblasts, enhanced Ki-67 and CD98hc expression; peptides AED and AEDG (but not KED spec
  13. [13] PMID 22803085 — Tripeptide T-38 (Lys-Glu-Asp/vesugen) produced a marked stimulatory effect on proliferation in skin explants from old rats, associated with reduced p53 expressi
  14. [14] PMID 32399807 — KED at nanomolar concentrations modulated IGF1 (3.5–5.6 fold increase), FOXO1 (1.6–2.3 fold inhibition), TNKS2 (variable by culture model), and NFκB gene expres
  15. [15] PMID 22808515 — Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp) tissue-specifically stimulated expression of differentiation factors CXCL12 and WEGC1 in aging cultures of human prostatic fibroblasts; th
  16. [16] PMID 22803057 — Tripeptide vesugen had no effect on differentiation capacity of immune cells of the rat pineal gland but enhanced their proliferation potential in organotypic c
  17. [17] PMID 18546825 — Vesugen (along with vilon, epitalon, and pinealon) demonstrated antihypoxic properties in a rat model of hypobaric hypoxia; pinealon had the most pronounced eff
  18. [18] PMID 23734521 — Combined application of bioregulating peptides (including vezugen and pinealon) restored organism adaptive potential, improved psychoemotional indices, intensif
  19. [19] PMID 19110568 — Tripeptide T-38 (Lys-Glu-Asp) at 0.05 ng/ml produced a stimulatory effect on growth zone of splenic lymphoid tissue explants from young and old rats; combined t
  20. [20] PMID 18942368 — Administration of tripeptide T-38 (Lys-Glu-Asp) to old irradiated rats activated post-irradiation reparative regeneration and restored disordered endocrine home
  21. [21] PMID 22977872 — Tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp stimulated proliferation (Ki-67) and inhibited apoptosis (p53) in organotypic cultures of rat neuroimmunoendocrine system cells; effects
  22. [22] PMID 18546824 — Vesugen (along with pinealon, vilon, and epitalon) did not demonstrate direct antioxidant activity but restricted lipid peroxidation of human lipoproteins by mo
Dial in your dose in chat →

Related peptides

VilonSynthetic dipeptide / peptide bioregulator / thymomimeticTriptorelinGonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist / LH-RH superagonist (synthetic decapeptide)Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP)Neuropeptide / Peptide Hormone (secretin/glucagon family)