The cardiac cousin of Epitalon. Preclinical only. Nowhere in any cardiology guideline.
What is it? A synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg (AEDR), ~489.5 Da. Khavinson's proposed short-peptide active fragment from a calf-cardiac polypeptide extract. Shares the Ala-Glu-Asp core with Epitalon (AEDG), Cortagen (AEDP), and Bronchogen (AEDL).
What does it do? Khavinson's model proposes AEDR binds DNA at cardiomyocyte-gene promoters. Preclinical work reports cardiomyocyte proliferation markers, p53-linked apoptosis suppression, antioxidant enzyme induction, and contractile-function improvements in aged or ischemic cardiac-tissue models.
Does the evidence hold up? Preclinical only. Cell culture and aged-animal work from the Khavinson lab. Zero randomized controlled human trials. Zero cardiology guideline inclusion. Zero regulatory filings anywhere.
Who uses it? Longevity circles running 10–20 day Khavinson oral or injectable cycles, 2–3 times a year. Not a substitute for statins, ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, or device therapy.
Bottom line? The cardiology version of the unreplicated Khavinson tetrapeptide problem. Lab-only.
Cardiogen is a synthetic short peptide within the Khavinson bioregulator program — a family of two-to-four-residue peptides proposed by Vladimir Khavinson and collaborators at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology to act as tissue-specific epigenetic bioregulators. Cardiogen's sequence is Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg (AEDR), a tetrapeptide with an approximate molecular weight of 489.5 daltons. Structurally it shares the "Ala-Glu-Asp" N-terminal acidic core with its Khavinson siblings Epithalon (AEDG, pineal), Cortagen (AEDP, cortex), Bronchogen (AEDL, bronchial), and other tetrapeptide bioregulators — with the C-terminal residue (arginine, in Cardiogen's case) proposed to confer tissue-specificity.
Cardiogen is the short-peptide successor to Cardialin / Cardiopeptide, earlier polypeptide preparations derived from calf cardiac tissue that were used observationally in Soviet/Russian cardiology for myocardial recovery and age-related cardiovascular support. The Khavinson program's central claim is that the bioregulatory activity of these crude tissue extracts can be distilled into defined short peptides, recovered from enzymatic hydrolysis of the parent extract. AEDR is the candidate short peptide identified as the putative active fragment from the cardiac extract.
Commercially, Cardiogen is distributed as an oral capsule (Revilab / NPCRiZ dietary-supplement product, typically in microdose capsule form) and as a lyophilized research peptide (20 mg vials are typical) for subcutaneous or intramuscular research use. The oral capsule is sold in Russia as a "biologically active additive" (BAD — dietary supplement category); the injectable is research-only internationally. Neither form is a registered pharmaceutical anywhere in the world.
In the Western optimization community, Cardiogen occupies a small niche among users interested in longevity-focused Khavinson protocols and in cardiac-tissue-directed experimental peptides. It is not a drug used or recognized in evidence-based cardiology. Mainstream cardiology — guideline-directed medical therapy for coronary disease, heart failure, arrhythmia, hypertension, and valve disease — has no awareness of or use for Cardiogen.
The Khavinson framework proposes that short bioregulator peptides act as sequence-specific DNA-binding molecules, small enough to enter cells and reach nuclear chromatin, and chemically structured to interact with DNA grooves at promoter regions of tissue-specific genes. Cardiogen's mechanism is described within this epigenetic-bioregulator framework. As with other Khavinson peptides, mechanism is primarily proposed by the originating research group; independent structural validation is limited.
Limitation: as with other Khavinson bioregulators, the mechanism is primarily a hypothesis developed and refined by one research program. Structure-resolution DNA-binding data, rigorous independent ChIP-seq evidence, and prospective mechanism validation at the level of well-characterized transcription factors are not available for Cardiogen.
Cardiogen's published literature is concentrated in Russian-language and English-language Springer-indexed Khavinson-program publications. Evidence is preclinical — cell culture and animal models — with no randomized controlled human trials.
Cardiogen's evidence base is preclinical, dominated by a single research program, and has not been independently replicated by Western cardiology research groups. No randomized controlled human trials exist. Mainstream cardiology does not recognize Cardiogen as a therapeutic. Using Cardiogen in place of guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, or hypertension is dangerous. Any community or vendor claim that Cardiogen "treats" cardiovascular disease is unsupported.
The synthetic tetrapeptide Cardiogen (AEDR) has not been evaluated in published randomized controlled human trials. The accessible human-use information consists of:
In the context of Western evidence-based cardiology, Cardiogen would be described as a preclinical research compound with no established human efficacy for any cardiovascular indication.
Placing Cardiogen in the broader cardiovascular therapeutic landscape is a useful discipline. Guideline-directed medical therapy for ischemic heart disease includes high-intensity statin therapy, ACE inhibitors or ARBs, beta-blockers, antiplatelet therapy (aspirin plus P2Y12 inhibitors where indicated), and SGLT2 inhibitors in diabetic and increasingly non-diabetic populations. Heart-failure therapy has been transformed by sacubitril/valsartan, SGLT2 inhibitors, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and device therapy. Atrial fibrillation management rests on anticoagulation risk-stratified by CHA₂DS₂-VASc, rate or rhythm control, and increasingly ablation for appropriate candidates. Hypertension management is anchored in lifestyle modification plus first-line agents from four classes.
Each of these modalities has Phase 3 RCT support, meta-analytic confirmation, and decades of mortality/morbidity outcome data. Cardiogen has none. A compound with entirely preclinical mechanism data, no human RCTs, no mortality data, no morbidity data, and no specialty-society recognition cannot be compared meaningfully to any element of guideline-directed cardiovascular medicine. The honest framing is that Cardiogen is an experimental research tool peptide; guideline-directed medical therapy is the standard of care; substitution is dangerous.
Where community users position Cardiogen as "cardiac support" alongside standard care — continuing all prescribed medications, attending cardiology follow-ups, obtaining guideline-directed imaging and laboratory surveillance, and optionally adding a research-grade peptide in addition — that posture is more defensible, though still not supported by evidence demonstrating additive benefit. The risk in such use is primarily (a) displacement of resources from guideline-directed care, (b) product-quality issues with gray-market supply, and (c) the false reassurance that a research peptide provides a meaningful cardiovascular intervention.
There is no published clinical-trial-derived human dose for Cardiogen. The doses below summarize the Khavinson bioregulator "protocol framework" and common community practice. This is not FDA-approved prescribing and is not a cardiology therapy.
| Form | Typical Dose | Frequency | Cycle / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral capsule (Khavinson BAD — Revilab / NPCRiZ) | 200–400 μg | 1–2× daily | Microdose oral capsule product. 10–20 day course, 2–3 courses per year per Khavinson protocol. |
| Oral lyophilized research peptide | 5–10 mg | Once daily | Community-level use of the injectable-grade research peptide administered orally/sublingually. Order(s)-of-magnitude higher than the Revilab capsule; bioavailability poorly characterized. |
| Subcutaneous / IM injection | 100–200 μg | Once daily | Community injectable protocols; 10–20 day courses. 10 μg/kg/day in rat studies is the published preclinical dose baseline. |
| Course length | 10–20 days | — | Standard Khavinson bioregulator cycle. Proposed persistence of gene-expression effects is the rationale for repeated short courses rather than continuous dosing. |
| Cycle frequency | 2–3 courses per year | — | Seasonal or elective timing. |
There is a large dosage gap between the Khavinson BAD oral microdose (hundreds of micrograms) and the research-peptide community oral dose (single-digit milligrams). Without a validated human PK study, it is not possible to say which (if either) corresponds to a biologically active exposure in target tissue. Community dosing should not be treated as clinically validated. Self-administration of research peptides for cardiovascular indications is dangerous and should be discussed with a licensed clinician managing guideline-directed therapy.
Research-peptide Cardiogen is supplied as lyophilized powder, commonly in 10 mg or 20 mg vials. The oral Revilab / NPCRiZ product is pre-formulated.
| Vial | BAC Water | Concentration | 100 μg Dose | 200 μg Dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL (5,000 μg/mL) | 2 units (0.02 mL) | 4 units (0.04 mL) |
| 10 mg | 5 mL | 2 mg/mL (2,000 μg/mL) | 5 units (0.05 mL) | 10 units (0.10 mL) |
| 20 mg | 2 mL | 10 mg/mL (10,000 μg/mL) | 1 unit (0.01 mL) | 2 units (0.02 mL) |
| 20 mg | 5 mL | 4 mg/mL (4,000 μg/mL) | 2.5 units (0.025 mL) | 5 units (0.05 mL) |
Vesugen is the Khavinson vascular-endothelial bioregulator (KED). Pairing Cardiogen (myocardium) and Vesugen (vessels) is a common community practice within the longevity-focused Khavinson stack — the two compartments most relevant to cardiovascular aging. Neither is a clinically validated cardiovascular therapy.
Epithalon (AEDG) is the most-studied Khavinson peptide, with preclinical telomerase-axis and pineal-gland-directed data. Commonly included in longevity-oriented bioregulator stacks alongside tissue-specific peptides such as Cardiogen.
Mitochondrial-derived peptides are a separate peptide family with independent mitochondrial-protective data. Mechanistically complementary framing within a cardiac-aging protocol — not a clinically validated combination.
Khavinson's thymic bioregulators provide broader immune-axis support commonly co-cycled with tissue-specific Khavinson peptides such as Cardiogen within extended bioregulator protocols.
Cardiogen is not approved by the U.S. FDA for any indication and has not been the subject of an IND or NDA filing. It is not approved by the European Medicines Agency.
In Russia, Cardiogen is sold as a "biologically active additive" (BAD — dietary supplement) through Khavinson-affiliated distributors (NPCRiZ, Revilab). It is not a registered pharmaceutical. The parent extract Cardialin / Cardiopeptide has a separate historical status.
Cardiogen is not on the FDA Category 2 Bulk Drug Substances list, and it is not among the peptides under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s February 2026 Category 2 reclassification announcement. Absent a sponsor undertaking formal clinical development, it is unlikely to achieve a U.S. regulatory pathway.
Cardiogen is not specifically named on the WADA Prohibited List. Athletes should consult their sport-specific federation.
No cardiology specialty-society guideline (ACC/AHA, ESC, HFSA, HRS) recognizes Cardiogen as a therapeutic. Standard guideline-directed medical therapy remains the standard of care for every cardiovascular indication.
Cardiogen is not approved for human use in the United States. The oral BAD form is distributed internationally through Khavinson-affiliated channels; the injectable lyophilized peptide is available through research-chemical suppliers for laboratory research use only. Personal-use import to the U.S. occupies a legal gray zone; bulk import is enforced against.
No U.S. compounding pharmacy can legally compound Cardiogen — it has no FDA-approved reference product and is not on the Category 1 bulk substance list. Purity verification via third-party HPLC + MS COA is the practical quality floor.
Cardiogen is not among the peptides under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s February 2026 Category 2 reclassification announcement. Absent formal FDA development, it will remain unavailable through legitimate U.S. clinical channels.
Access and availability information as of April 2026. Kalios does not sell compounds.
People researching Cardiogen often also look at these:
Khavinson tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Gly). Lung-epithelial-oriented bioregulator.
Khavinson tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu). Respiratory-oriented short peptide bioregulator.
Khavinson tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Leu). Hepatic/immune short-peptide bioregulator.
Khavinson tetrapeptide (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala). Liver-oriented short peptide bioregulator.
Khavinson tetrapeptide (Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp). Pancreas-oriented bioregulator.
Last updated: April 2026 | Profile authored by Kalios Peptides research team