Hormonal & reproductive
Testagen
Also called KEDG peptide, Lys-Glu-Asp-Gly, testis peptide bioregulator
Testagen is a small lab-made peptide (four amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' series, named for the testes and marketed online for male hormonal health. Published research on it is thin and comes from animal and lab studies. No human studies on testosterone or fertility were found.
Overview
Testagen is a small lab-made peptide (four amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' series, named for the testes and marketed online for male hormonal health. Published research on it is thin and comes from animal and lab studies. No human studies on testosterone or fertility were found.
How it works
Proposed, not established. The developers report that KEDG binds histone proteins and alters the activity of DNA-cutting enzymes in test-tube studies, and that it promoted immune-cell differentiation in culture 5. Bird studies looked at thyroid and thymus effects, not the testes 34. No study verifying an effect on human testosterone or sperm was found.
What research shows
- Bird study (pituitary-removed chicks and old hens, 2011): 40 days of KEDG or AEDG reduced hormonal and structural thyroid changes caused by pituitary removal; effects were weaker in old hens 3.
- Bird study (2013): effects of KEDG and AEDG on thymus structure in pituitary-removed young and old birds 4.
- Developer review (2021): KEDG binds histones in vitro and influences immune-cell differentiation in culture 5.
- No published human studies were found, and no studies of testis or testosterone outcomes were located.
- Research comes almost entirely from Khavinson's group and collaborators.
Doses studied in people
No published human dosing data exist; doses circulating online are not trial-derived.
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; 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 6.
- 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 7.
- Other
- Russian registration status for this specific product was not 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 1. Animal work on the KEDG sequence (in chickens and hens) was published in the 2000s–2010s 34.
Common questions
Does Testagen raise testosterone?
Is Testagen approved?
No. It is not FDA-approved and has no recognized US compounding route 6.
Is Testagen banned in sport?
It is not named on WADA's 2026 list, but non-approved substances generally fall under S0, prohibited at all times 7.
What are the risks?
Human safety has never been formally studied, so risks are unknown.
Related compounds
Prostamax
ProstaMax · KEDP peptide
Prostamax is a small lab-made peptide (four amino acids) from Vladimir Khavinson's Russian 'peptide bioregulator' series, named for the prostate.
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
- The Inhibitory Effect and Adsorption Properties of Testagen Peptide on Copper Surfaces in Saline Environments (Romania). Molecules 2025;30(15):3141 Journal
- Kuznik BI et al. Effects of peptides Lys-Glu-Asp-Gly and Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly on hormonal activity and structure of the thyroid gland in hypophysectomized young chickens and old hens. Bull Exp Biol Med 2011;150(4):495–499 Journal
- Effect of Peptides Lys-Glu-Asp-Gly and Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly on the Morphology of the Thymus in Hypophysectomized Young and Old Birds. Bull Exp Biol Med 2013 Journal
- Khavinson VKh et al. Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review. Molecules 2021;26(22):7053 PubMed review
- 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.