Reviewed & approved by Dr. Nova Reyes · Last checked 2026-10-24. ← Back to Evidence Library

Vesugen: what the evidence says

Vezugen · KED tripeptide · Lys-Glu-Asp · L-lysyl-L-glutamyl-L-aspartic acid · T-38 · Везуген

Status: Approved for Adam Greene by Dr. Nova Reyes, 2026-10-24 · Last checked: Oct 24, 2026

Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source

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1. What it is and what people claim it does

Vesugen (also spelled Vezugen, Russian Везуген, laboratory code T-38) is a synthetic tripeptide made of three common dietary amino acids: L-lysine, L-glutamic acid, and L-aspartic acid (Lys-Glu-Asp or KED, molecular weight 390.39 Daltons). ^{R1, R7}

It was developed in the 2000s by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as part of their "Cytogens" line—short synthetic 2- to 4-amino-acid peptides designed by analyzing the amino-acid composition of animal organ extracts (Cytomedins). Just as Pinealon (Glu-Asp-Arg / EDR) was designed to mimic an animal brain extract (Cortexin) and Chonluten (Glu-Asp-Gly / EDG) to mimic a bronchial extract, Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp / KED) was synthesized to mimic polypeptide extracts isolated from calf blood vessels (Ventfort / Slavinorm). ^{R1, R7, R8}

In the Russian bioregulator literature, Khavinson's group proposes that the tiny KED tripeptide enters vascular endothelial cells (the single-cell inner lining of arteries, veins, and capillaries), binds directly to specific DNA promoter sequences (gene on/off switches) or histone proteins (the spool-like proteins that package DNA), and alters expression of genes involved in vascular aging—such as Ki-67 (a marker of cell division), connexin-37 and connexin-40 (gap-junction proteins that let blood-vessel cells communicate), endothelin-1 (a vessel-constricting hormone), and VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor). ^R7–R10

On Western gray-market peptide sites, Vesugen is sold both as imported Russian oral capsules and as freeze-dried powder in sterile-looking injection vials, promoted for endothelial repair, erectile function, microcirculation, and neuroprotection.

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2. What the human evidence actually shows

The Open Peptide Project's reading: Very limited for oral capsules in Russian vascular, mucosal, and aging cohorts (small open-label or poorly described studies from a single research network, often confounded by co-treatments), and No human data (animal/lab only) for subcutaneous/intramuscular Vesugen injections, Alzheimer's disease, or systemic vascular regeneration.

Indication	Route studied	Evidence rating	Summary of human studies
Atherosclerosis-related erectile dysfunction and postoperative lower-limb arterial insufficiency	Oral capsules (added to standard care)	Very limited	Two small Russian studies from the same vascular surgery group (41 older men with vasculogenic (blood-flow-related) erectile dysfunction R1 and 41 postoperative patients after leg-artery surgery R2) report improved Doppler ultrasound blood-flow speeds and self-rated symptoms. Neither trial is a registered, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with full adverse-event reporting.
Cognitive / organic brain syndrome and "accelerated aging" in older adults	Oral capsules (alone or stacked with Pinealon)	Very limited	Two Russian cohorts (32 polymorbid patients (people living with multiple chronic illnesses) in Yekaterinburg R3 and 110 adults across age groups R4) and occupational cohorts R6 report modest changes in biological-age indices, work ability index, or central nervous system measures, but the 2015 Yekaterinburg study also found a concerning drop in circulating CD34+ blood-forming stem cells and pro-oxidant activity. R3
Chemotherapy/radiation-induced oral stomatitis (mouth sores)	Oral application / capsules combined with Algiklam (kelp extract)	Very limited	One small Russian cohort of 22 older cancer survivors given Vesugen alongside a brown-seaweed supplement (Algiklam) reported faster mucosal healing and higher salivary secretory IgA (an antibody that protects mouth and gut surfaces); impossible to separate Vesugen from the co-administered supplement. R5
Subcutaneous or intramuscular injections (gray-market vials), Alzheimer's disease, or longevity	Subcutaneous / intramuscular	No human data	Animal/lab only: Zero published human clinical trials test injected Vesugen. Alzheimer's synaptic-plasticity (nerve-connection adaptability) and neurogenesis (new neuron growth) studies are in in vitro (cell-dish) and mouse models, and vascular gene-expression studies are in cultured cells (see Study details). R7–R12

A closer look at the Russian human cohorts

1. Vasculogenic erectile dysfunction in older men with atherosclerosis (Kitachev, Sazonov, Kozlov et al., 2014):
2. Researchers at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology studied 41 older and senile men with generalized atherosclerosis and vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (poor arterial inflow into the penis). Patients receiving oral Vesugen reported improved erectile function scores and higher blood-flow parameters in the main penile arteries on Doppler ultrasound compared with baseline/controls. ^R1 However, the paper comes directly from the developer's institute, lacks a registered clinical trial protocol or CONSORT participant-tracking flow diagram, and has never been replicated independently.
3. Postoperative rehabilitation after leg-artery surgery (Kitachov, Sazonov, Kozlov et al., 2013):
4. The same St. Petersburg surgical team evaluated 41 patients recovering from reconstructive vascular surgery for chronic lower-limb arterial insufficiency (blocked leg arteries). A course of oral Vesugen was reported to improve lower-limb clinical and ultrasonic blood-flow parameters. ^R2
5. Organic brain syndrome—and an unexpected bone-marrow stem-cell warning (Meshchaninov et al., 2015):
6. Investigators at the Ural State Medical University (Yekaterinburg, Russia) studied 32 patients (aged 41–83 years) with multiple chronic diseases (polymorbidity) and organic brain syndrome in remission who were given oral Vesugen or Pinealon on top of their standard hospital medications. ^R3
7. While both peptides modestly slowed calculated biological aging scores, blood testing revealed two findings that contradict marketing claims of harmless rejuvenation:
   • Pro-oxidant shift: Whole-blood chemiluminescence showed a pro-oxidant (free-radical-promoting) activity rather than an antioxidant effect.
   • Drop in CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells: Decreased markers of CD34+ hematopoietic multipotent cells (bone-marrow cells that generate new blood and endothelial cells) in peripheral blood showed what the authors themselves termed "significant inhibition of hemopoiesis" (blood-cell formation). ^R3
8. Combined Vesugen + Pinealon in geroprotection (Myakotnykh et al., 2016) and Vesugen + Algiklam in oral stomatitis (Filippova, 2013):
9. In 110 participants across different age groups (Myakotnykh et al., 2016), researchers compared dry carbon dioxide baths, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, therapeutic massage, and combined oligopeptide preparations containing Vesugen and Pinealon; because both peptides were given together, Vesugen's individual effect cannot be isolated. ^R4 Similarly, a surveillance study of 22 older oncology patients with severe chemical stomatitis and salivary-gland dysfunction (mouth ulcers after combined treatment of oropharyngeal tumors) combined Vesugen with Algiklam (a laminaria seaweed lipid extract), confounding any conclusion about Vesugen alone. ^R5

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3. Known risks, side effects, and long-term unknowns

• Decreased circulating CD34+ bone-marrow stem cells and pro-oxidant shift (human warning): The most important safety signal in the published human literature comes from Meshchaninov et al. (2015), where Russian hospital researchers in Yekaterinburg measured peripheral blood CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (the bone-marrow progenitor cells that replenish blood cells and repair blood-vessel walls) before and after oral Vesugen and Pinealon in 32 patients. They found a decrease in circulating CD34+ cells indicating "significant inhibition of hemopoiesis" along with pro-oxidant blood chemiluminescence. ^R3
• Zero human safety data for subcutaneous or intramuscular injection: All human studies of Vesugen used oral capsules. Gray-market peptide vendors sell vials of Vesugen powder for subcutaneous injection—delivering orders of magnitude more intact peptide directly into the bloodstream than an oral capsule without a single human injection trial to establish safety.
• Theoretical vascular growth (VEGF / Ki-67) concerns: In cell-culture studies, KED tripeptide increases expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67 and alters VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) signaling in endothelial cells. ^R7–R9 Chronically stimulating vascular proliferation or angiogenesis carries theoretical risks in people with active tumors or proliferative retinopathy (abnormal blood-vessel growth in the retina).

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4. Regulatory and compounding status

Jurisdiction / Body	Current Status	Details
United States (FDA — Drugs@FDA)	Not FDA-approved	Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp / KED) has never been evaluated or approved by the US FDA for any medical condition (checked via openFDA Oct 24, 2026). R13
United States (FDA — 503A / 503B Compounding)	Not on 503A or 503B compounding lists	Vesugen has no USP/NF monograph, is not a component of an FDA-approved drug, and does not appear on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk drug substance lists. It cannot be legally compounded as an injectable human drug in the United States.
European Union & United Kingdom (EMA / MHRA)	Not an authorised medicine	Not approved as a medicinal product by the EMA or UK MHRA.
Russian Federation	Registered as an oral dietary supplement (BAD), not a prescription drug	Unlike prescription Russian peptides such as Cortexin, Thymalin, or Semax, Vesugen is marketed in Russia as an over-the-counter biologically active food additive (БАД — биологически активная добавка), not an approved pharmaceutical drug.
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA 2026)	Not explicitly named (injectable use falls under Section S0)	Not named on the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, though parenteral (injected) use of an unapproved vascular/neuroprotective drug substance falls under Section S0 (Non-Approved Substances). R14

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5. Quality, contamination, and gray-market risks

1. Swapped 3-amino-acid "Khavinson tripeptides" (KED vs EDR vs EDG vs AEDG): Because the Russian bioregulator tripeptides differ by only a single amino acid and a few Daltons of molecular weight—Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp, 390.4 Da), Pinealon (Glu-Asp-Arg, 418.4 Da), Chonluten (Glu-Asp-Gly, 333.3 Da), Bronchogen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu, 446.5 Da)—simple purity checks cannot tell them apart without tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, a lab technique that breaks molecules into fragments to verify the exact amino-acid order) sequencing.
2. Oral capsules vs gray-market injection vials: Russian oral Vesugen capsules contain tiny oral amounts of peptide per capsule, most of which is broken down by intestinal enzymes into ordinary dietary lysine, glutamate, and aspartate. Gray-market injection vials contain much larger amounts of lyophilized powder intended for direct subcutaneous injection with zero human dosing or toxicology data (see Study details).
3. Blind retail testing: We test retail vials blind under the Open Peptide Standard. See results at /tests/. A passing test covers one batch, tested on one date. It does not mean the compound itself is safe.

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6. Who should be especially cautious

• People with anemia, bone-marrow suppression, low white blood cells or platelets, or recovering from chemotherapy: Because Meshchaninov et al. (2015) documented a decrease in circulating CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells ("significant inhibition of hemopoiesis") in patients taking Vesugen ^R3, anyone with impaired blood-cell production should avoid it.
• People with active cancer or proliferative diabetic retinopathy: Preclinical studies claim KED stimulates endothelial cell proliferation (Ki-67) and vascular signaling (VEGF). ^R7–R9
• Anyone considering injecting gray-market Vesugen vials: Injected Vesugen has zero human clinical trials.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women and children: Never studied in pregnancy, lactation, or pediatrics.

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7. Open questions and research gaps

1. Does oral Vesugen survive human digestion intact, or is it completely hydrolyzed (broken down by water and digestive enzymes) into ordinary dietary lysine, glutamate, and aspartate before reaching systemic arteries? No human pharmacokinetic study has ever measured intact Lys-Glu-Asp in human plasma after swallowing a capsule.
2. Why did Vesugen reduce circulating CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells in the 2015 Yekaterinburg hospital study ^R3, and is that stem-cell drop reproducible in a larger placebo-controlled trial?

Study details

These are doses researchers used, not recommendations.

Study (Year)	Design & Population	Route, Dose & Schedule	Primary / Key Outcomes	Adverse Events & Dropouts	Funding & Disclosures
Kitachov, Sazonov, Kozlov et al. (2013) R2	Clinical study (Adv Gerontol / Usp Gerontol); 41 older and senile patients after reconstructive surgery for chronic lower-limb arterial insufficiency	Oral: Course of oral Vesugen monotherapy / postoperative therapy (standard Russian bioregulator capsule schedule: 100–200 mcg/day for 30 days [UNVERIFIED: exact capsule microgram dose not stated in English abstract])	Reported improved lower-limb clinical and ultrasonic blood-flow parameters after treatment vs baseline.	No adverse events reported in abstract; no CONSORT dropout table.	St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology & Military Medical Academy (developer-affiliated).
Filippova (2013) R5	Clinical surveillance study (Adv Gerontol / Usp Gerontol); 22 elderly patients with severe chemical stomatitis and sialadenopathy following combined treatment of oropharyngeal malignant tumors	Oral / local: Conventional chemical stomatitis regimen plus Vesugen combined with Algiklam (kelp supplement) (exact dose/duration not stated in English abstract <span class="tag unverified">UNVERIFIED</span>)	Faster healing of oral mucosal ulcers, reduced inflammation, and improved local immunity; confounded by co-administered Algiklam.	No adverse events reported in abstract.	St. Petersburg academic dental/gerontology clinic.
Kitachev, Sazonov, Kozlov et al. (2014) R1	Clinical study (Adv Gerontol / Usp Gerontol); 41 older and senile men with generalized atherosclerosis and vasculogenic erectile dysfunction	Oral: Oral Vesugen monotherapy course (standard bioregulator capsule regimen over 30 days [UNVERIFIED: exact microgram dose not in English abstract])	Improved clinical erectile function scores and ultrasonic blood-flow parameters in the main penile arteries before vs after treatment.	Authors reported good tolerability and 0 adverse events in abstract.	St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology (Khavinson network).
Meshchaninov et al. (2015) R3	Open-label hospital clinical study (Adv Gerontol / Usp Gerontol); 32 patients (18 men, 12 women, aged 41–83 years) with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome in remission	Oral: Standard hospital therapy + oral Vesugen (100 mcg/day for 3 days) or Pinealon (100 mcg/day for 3 days)	Anabolic/geroprophylactic effect on biological age indicators (more visible with Vesugen than Pinealon); HOWEVER, whole-blood chemiluminescence showed pro-oxidant activity and peripheral blood showed a decrease in CD34+ hematopoietic multipotent cells ("significant inhibition of hemopoiesis").	Decrease in circulating CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells ("significant inhibition of hemopoiesis") and pro-oxidant activity.	Ural State Medical University & Institute of Medical Cell Technologies, Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Bashkireva & Kachan (2015) R6	Occupational gerontology study (Adv Gerontol / Usp Gerontol); workers exposed to occupational hazards undergoing accelerated aging	Oral: Combined short peptides (cytogens including Vesugen and Pinealon) in preventive medical nutrition (exact dose/duration not in English abstract <span class="tag unverified">UNVERIFIED</span>)	Evaluated Work Ability Index (WAI) and reported improved adaptive resources and work ability; non-blinded occupational cohort.	No adverse events detailed in abstract.	Russian occupational medicine / gerontology group.
Myakotnykh et al. (2016) R4	Comparative clinical monitoring study (Adv Gerontol / Usp Gerontol); 110 participants across different age groups	Oral: Compared dry carbon dioxide baths, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, therapeutic massage, and oral oligopeptide preparations containing lysyl-glutamyl-aspartate (Vesugen) and glutamyl-aspartyl-arginine (Pinealon) (exact dose/duration not in English abstract <span class="tag unverified">UNVERIFIED</span>)	Combined use of Vesugen + Pinealon showed positive impact on biological age indicators; confounded by co-administration of Pinealon.	Described as well tolerated compared with hyperbaric oxygen and dry CO2 baths.	Ural State Medical University, Yekaterinburg, Russia.

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8. References

1. ^R1 Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL, Petrov KIu, Sliusarev AS, Khavinson VKh. [The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2014;27(1):156–159. PMID 25051774
2. ^R2 Kitachov KV, Sazonov AD, Kozlov KL, Petrov KY, Slusarev AS, Sedova EV. [The role of vasoactive peptid in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2013;26(2):292–296. PMID 28976154
3. ^R3 Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV, Gavrilov IV, Katyreva IuE. [Effect of synthetic peptides on aging of patients with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome of the central nervous system in remission]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2015;28(1):62–67. PMID 26390612
4. ^R4 Myakotnykh VS, Torgashov MN, Egorin KV, Meshchaninov VN, Gavrilov VI, Borovkova TA, et al. [Comparative analysis of different methods of geroprotective]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2016;29(4):594–601. PMID 28539017
5. ^R5 Filippova EV. [Treatment of chemical stomatitis in people of advanced and senile age]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2013;26(2):288–291. PMID 28976153
6. ^R6 Bashkireva AS, Kachan EY. [Assessment of work ability index in evaluation of small peptides geroprotective effect]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2015;28(3):510–512. PMID 28509489
7. ^R7 Chalisova NI, Lopatina NG, Kamishev NG, Linkova NS, Koncevaya EA, Dudkov AV, et al. Effect of tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp on physiological activity of neuroimmunoendocrine system cells. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2012;153(4):569–572. PMID 22977872
8. ^R8 Khavinson VKh, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin'kova NS, Gutop EO, Elashkina EV. [Epigenetic aspects of peptidergic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during aging]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2014;27(1):108–114. PMID 25051766
9. ^R9 Khavinson VKh, Lin'kova NS, Evlashkina EV, Durnova AO, Kozlov KL, Gutop OE. Molecular aspects of anti-atherosclerotic effects of short peptides. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2014;158(1):159–163. PMID 25408528
10. ^R10 Kozlov KL, Bolotov II, Linkova NS, Drobintseva AO, Khavinson VK, Dyakonov MM. [Molecular aspects of vasoprotective peptide KED activity during atherosclerosis and restenosis]. Adv Gerontol (Usp Gerontol). 2016;29(4):646–650. PMID 28539025
11. ^R11 Khavinson VK, Lin'kova NS, Umnov RS. Peptide KED: Molecular-Genetic Aspects of Neurogenesis Regulation in Alzheimer's Disease. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2021;171(2):190–193. PMID 34173097
12. ^R12 Kraskovskaya N, Linkova N, Sakhenberg E, Krieger D, Polyakova V, Medvedev D, Khavinson V, Ryzhak G. Short Peptides Protect Fibroblast-Derived Induced Neurons from Age-Related Changes. Int J Mol Sci. 2024;25(21):11363. PMID 39518916
13. ^R13 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drugs@FDA: FDA-Approved Drugs (searched via openFDA Oct 24, 2026 for "Vesugen" / "Vezugen": no approved drug products). Drugs@FDA
14. ^R14 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List (January 2026) — Section S0 (Non-Approved Substances). WADA Prohibited List

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Disclaimer

This page is for education and harm reduction. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation to use this compound. Please talk to a clinician you trust before making medical decisions, and report adverse events to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).