Longevity & mitochondrial
Livagen
Also called KEDA peptide, Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala, liver peptide bioregulator
Livagen is a small lab-made peptide (four amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' series, named for the liver. Most of its research looks at how it changes tightly packed DNA in blood cells from elderly people, all in lab dishes. There are no published controlled human trials.
Overview
Livagen is a small lab-made peptide (four amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' series, named for the liver. Most of its research looks at how it changes tightly packed DNA in blood cells from elderly people, all in lab dishes. There are no published controlled human trials.
How it works
Proposed, not established. In cultured lymphocytes from elderly donors, Livagen loosened condensed chromatin (heterochromatin), including regions near centromeres, which the authors interpret as reactivating age-silenced genes 42. In human serum in a test tube it blocked enzymes that break down enkephalins (natural opioid-like peptides) more strongly than some standard inhibitors, without binding opioid receptors in rat brain tissue 3. These are lab findings only.
What research shows
- Cell study (lymphocytes from donors aged 71–86; Tbilisi State University, 2022): Livagen and Epitalon produced the most chromatin unfolding and reduced chromosome damage caused by cobalt, nickel and zinc ions 2.
- Cell study (lymphocytes from donors aged 75–88): Livagen decondensed chromatin, including pericentromeric regions of chromosome 1 (Khavinson et al., 2004) 4.
- Test-tube study (human serum): Livagen inhibited enkephalin-degrading enzymes (IC50 about 20 µM) and did not bind mu- or delta-opioid receptors (Kost et al., 2003) 3.
- Rat cell-culture study: effects on daily rhythms of protein synthesis in liver cells from rats of different ages (2005) 5.
- No controlled human trials were found. Most work is from the developing group and close collaborators.
Doses studied in people
No published human dosing data; doses circulating online are not from clinical trials.
Read this first: these are the amounts given to participants in published studies or written on official prescribing labels, reported for reference. They are not recommendations. Trial doses were chosen for specific patients under medical supervision, and a dose that is safe in one person can be harmful in another.
Vial math
Many research vials hold 5 or 10 mg of powder. This table shows how much ends up in each mark on a U-100 insulin syringe for common amounts of added liquid. It is arithmetic only, not a dose.
| Vial | Liquid added | Concentration | Per unit (0.01 mL) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 1 mL | 5 mg/mL | 50 mcg | Open in calculator |
| 5 mg | 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 25 mcg | Open in calculator |
| 5 mg | 3 mL | 1.67 mg/mL | 16.7 mcg | Open in calculator |
| 10 mg | 1 mL | 10 mg/mL | 100 mcg | Open in calculator |
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 50 mcg | Open in calculator |
| 10 mg | 3 mL | 3.33 mg/mL | 33.3 mcg | Open in calculator |
More sizes: all vial sizes · How this works: Syringes and units · Reconstitution guide.
Safety
- No human safety studies have been published; long-term safety is unknown.
- Unregulated 'research' products may vary in purity, sequence and content.
Report side effects of any drug or product to the FDA through MedWatch. For a possible poisoning in the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Legal status
- FDA
- Not FDA-approved.
- Compounding
- Not listed in any category of FDA's 503A bulk drug substance nominations (list updated May 14, 2026), so it has no recognized route for US pharmacy compounding 7.
- Sports (WADA)
- Not named on the 2026 List. If it has no current government approval as a human medicine anywhere, it would fall under S0 (non-approved substances, prohibited at all times). Confirm with your anti-doping organization 8.
- Other
- Developer material claims Russian Ministry of Health adoption 6; no current Russian drug registration was verified in this review.
Rules change often. See Legal status of peptides for how these categories work.
History
Developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology; the institute's own material lists it among five synthetic peptides it says were adopted by the Russian Ministry of Health, which was not independently verified 6. Chromatin work with Tbilisi State University (Georgia) ran from the early 2000s to 2022 42.
Common questions
Is Livagen approved for liver disease?
No. It is not FDA-approved for any use and has no recognized US compounding route 7.
What does the research show?
Is Livagen banned in sport?
It is not named on WADA's 2026 list, but non-approved substances generally fall under S0, prohibited at all times 8.
What are the known risks?
Human safety has not been studied, so risks are unknown, and 'research' products are unregulated.
Related compounds
Ovagen
EDL peptide · Glu-Asp-Leu
Ovagen is a very short lab-made peptide (three amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' series; its developers list it as a liver regulator.
Epitalon
epithalon · epithalone
Epitalon is a tiny four-amino-acid peptide made in the lab, modeled on an extract from the pineal gland.
Vilon
KE dipeptide · Lys-Glu
Vilon is the smallest of Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulators': just two amino acids (lysine and glutamic acid).
Sources
- Khavinson VKh. Peptides, genome, aging. Advances in Gerontology 2014;4(4):337–345 (developer's review; Table 1 lists names, sequences and masses) Journal
- Lezhava T et al. Epigenetic Variations in Chromatin Caused by the Combination of Bioregulators with Heavy Metals During Aging. Int J Pept Res Ther 2022;28:121 Journal
- Kost NV et al. Effects of Livagen and Epitalon, new peptide bioregulators, on enkephalin-degrading enzymes from human serum. Biology Bulletin 2003;30(4):351–353 Journal
- Khavinson VKh, Lezhava TA, Malinin VV. Effects of short peptides on lymphocyte chromatin in senile subjects. Bull Exp Biol Med 2004;137(1):78–81 Journal
- [Rhythm of protein synthesis in cultures of hepatocytes from rats of different ages. Norm and effect of the peptide livagen] (2005) Journal
- St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology – institute overview (developer's own material, c. 2007) Regulatory
- FDA: Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A (updated May 14, 2026) Regulatory
- WADA 2026 Prohibited List (official English text, Dutch Treaty Series Trb. 2026, 25) Regulatory
Last reviewed 2026-10-26 · How we research · Found an error? See our corrections policy.