Overview

Pinealon is a very short lab-made peptide (three amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' program, promoted for brain health. Its support comes from cell, rat and mouse studies, mostly by the group that created it. In Russia it is sold as a dietary supplement; it is not an approved medicine anywhere we could confirm.

How it works

Proposed, not established. The developers suggest EDR enters cells, binds DNA and histone proteins, and adjusts activity of genes tied to nerve-cell survival and aging (computer docking predicted binding near promoters of genes such as CASP3, APOE and SOD2) ²⁶. In animal and cell studies it was linked to more dendritic spines on neurons and changes in NMDA receptor gene expression ²⁴. These are lab findings; no established human mechanism exists.

What research shows

Mouse study (5xFAD Alzheimer's model, n=10/group, 2021): daily injected EDR raised dendritic spine density by about 11%; effects on synaptic plasticity were only non-significant trends ².
Rat study (diabetes model, 2020): Pinealon given after training helped preserve maze learning, with 100 ng/kg working best, and limited changes in NMDA-receptor gene expression ⁴.
Cell study (neurons converted from skin cells of women aged 61–68, 2024): EDR increased dendrite branching and length; its reduction in oxidative DNA damage was not statistically significant ³.
Developer reviews cite small Russian human reports (e.g., memory in patients after head injury), but these were not reviewed from primary sources and appear uncontrolled ².
Most research comes from the Khavinson group and its collaborators; independent replication is scarce.

Doses studied in people

No verified dose from a published controlled human trial; supplement-label directions are not trial data.

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.

Weekly protocol

How the schedule looks week by week. Each chart says where it comes from: a prescribing label, a clinical trial, or a protocol commonly reported online.

Commonly reported course

Commonly reported, not studied

One week

D1D2D3D4D5D6D7

Once daily, in the morning or early afternoon · Subcutaneous injection

Syringe units (U-100)

Vial Water added

Dose by week

1.0 mg (days 1–5), then 1.5 mgwk 1

1.5 mgwk 2

2.0 mg (days 15–20)wk 3

Supplies for one course (estimate)

Counts only. This site does not sell or link to supplies.

Course: 10–20 days (up to 28), repeated every 2–3 months
Note: Doses step up by day, not by week. Another guide lists much lower 200–500 mcg injections 5 days a week for 30 days, repeated every 4–6 months, or 10–20 mg oral capsules.
Source: PeptideDosages.com: Pinealon (20 mg vial) dosage protocol
Also: Peptide Protocol Wiki: Pinealon dosing protocols

Reference only, not a recommendation. Charts marked "commonly reported" describe what public sources say people use. They have not been tested in trials, and their safety and effect are unknown. Label and trial schedules were set for specific patients under medical supervision. Use the calculator only to understand the arithmetic.

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 formal human safety studies have been published; long-term safety is unknown.
The Russian supplement listing does not give medical indications ⁵.
Unregulated 'research' products sold elsewhere may vary in purity 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); Russian supplement registration is not a drug approval. Confirm with your anti-doping organization ⁸.
Other: Russia: registered as a dietary supplement (БАД), not a medicine (certificate dated 24.11.2022) ⁵.

Rules change often. See Legal status of peptides for how these categories work.

History

Developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology ¹. A Russian supplement product named Пинеалон (Pinealon), owned by the company Garmonia, holds a 2022 dietary-supplement registration ⁵.

Common questions

Is Pinealon approved?

No. It is not FDA-approved and has no recognized US compounding route ⁷. In Russia it is sold as a dietary supplement, not a medicine ⁵.

Does Pinealon improve memory?

Rat and mouse studies report effects on learning and nerve-cell structure ⁴², but there are no published controlled human trials showing memory benefits.

Is Pinealon 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 formally studied, so risks are unknown.

Related compounds

Neuro & cognitivePreclinical onlyFlashcard

Cortagen

Kortagen · AEDP peptide

Cortagen is a small lab-made peptide (four amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' program, aimed at the brain cortex.

Cardiovascular & bloodPreclinical onlyFlashcard

Vesugen

Vezugen · KED peptide

Vesugen is a very short lab-made peptide (three amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' program, promoted for blood-vessel health.

Longevity & mitochondrialPreclinical onlyFlashcard

Epitalon

epithalon · epithalone

Epitalon is a tiny four-amino-acid peptide made in the lab, modeled on an extract from the pineal gland.

Neuro & cognitiveEarly human dataFlashcard

Selank

TP-7 · selank acetate

Selank is a short lab-made peptide developed in Russia as an anti-anxiety medicine.