Reviewed & approved by Dr. Nova Reyes · Last checked 2026-10-25. ← Back to Evidence Library
Cardiogen: what the evidence says
At a glance
What it is: a synthetic short peptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg, "AEDR") from V. Kh. Khavinson's "peptide bioregulator" program in St. Petersburg, promoted for heart health. Not to be confused with CardioGen-82, an unrelated rubidium generator used in heart imaging.
What the evidence says: no human trials found. Rat tissue studies report more cell growth and less apoptosis (cell death) in heart tissue in a dish. R1, R2
Biggest risks: unknown. No human safety data were found. Unknown Gray-market vials add quality risks.
Rating
| Human Human evidence | No human data |
| Animal Animal / lab evidence | Reported (developer-led): rat-tissue studies R1, R2 |
| Regulatory | Not FDA-approved (no Drugs@FDA record) · Russia: registration status UNVERIFIED · WADA 2026: not named; S0 (unapproved substances) likely applies |
| Established human dose | None. Study details lists what studies used where reported |
Evidence verdict: Human: No human data Card verdict: No human data (heart-repair claims rest on developer-led rat tissue and cell studies only) Card note: Animal/lab data only (developer-led), see page
This page reports what studies used. It is not dosing advice.
Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source
About the evidence (developer-led): most of this literature comes from V. Kh. Khavinson's St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology and allied Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian groups. Many papers are short, Russian-language, and not independently repeated. Read the findings as the developers' own reports.
What is it?
Cardiogen is a 4-amino-acid peptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg, "AEDR"). Khavinson's group calls these "tissue-specific bioregulators" and proposes that they act on gene activity in the organ they are named for. R1 That idea is the developers' hypothesis and has not been confirmed independently. Unknown
Does it work?
- Animal Rat heart tissue (dish): increased cell growth in heart tissue from young and old rats and lowered p53, a marker linked to cell death. R1, R2
- Animal Review: a developer-group review discusses AEDR in aging of heart and blood-vessel cells. R3
- Unknown Human clinical trials: none found.
Is it safe?
- Unknown No human safety data found.
- Unknown Long-term effects unknown.
Gray-market "research use only" Cardiogen: extra risks
Unknown contents. Vials sold online as "research use only" are not made under drug-quality rules, so identity, strength and sterility are unknown. This is a general caution; we have not found independent testing data for this product. Unknown Vendor claims about effects in people are marketing, not evidence. Unknown
What we don't know
- Unknown Whether it does anything in people
- Unknown Whether a short peptide like this survives digestion or reaches tissues when swallowed or injected
- Unknown What is actually in a gray-market vial or capsule labelled "cardiogen"
Is it legal?
Not FDA-approved (no Drugs@FDA record, openFDA query Oct 25, 2026). Russia: UNVERIFIED whether registered as a medicine in GRLS or sold only as a supplement. EU, UK, Japan, China: UNVERIFIED not checked against EMA, MHRA, PMDA or NMPA. WADA: not named on the 2026 Prohibited List; S0 bans at all times any substance with no current regulatory approval for human therapeutic use.
Study details
These are amounts researchers used, not recommendations.
R1 Animal Lab: rat myocardial tissue culture (Chalisova 2009)
Concentration 10⁻¹² M in a dish. PMID 20210190
R2 Animal Lab: rat tissue explants (Zakutskii 2006)
R3 Review: peptide regulation of cardiovascular cell aging (2022)
Full reference list (PubMed entries checked Oct 25, 2026)
- Chalisova NI, et al. Adv Gerontol. 2009;22(3):409-13. PMID 20210190
- Zakutskii AN, et al. Adv Gerontol. 2006;19:93-6. PMID 17152728
- Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype of Cardiovascular System Cells and Inflammaging: Perspectives of Peptide Regulation. Cells. 2022. PMID 36611900
Disclaimer
This page is for education and harm reduction, not medical advice or a recommendation to use Cardiogen. Talk to a clinician you trust before using any drug, and report problems to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).
Approved for Adam Greene by Dr. Nova Reyes, 2026-10-25.