Crystagen
Crystagen is one of the immune-designated short peptides in the Khavinson family, and its indexed literature consists of a single Russian-language paper: a study of the molecular aspects of immunoprotective activity of Vilon, Timogen, Crystagen and R-1 in spleen during ageing [1]. That is the entire file. There is no animal efficacy study specific to it, no human study, no pharmacokinetics and no published sequence in the sources available here. Everything else asserted about it - the organ it regulates, what it does, how to take it - comes from sellers and from the general claims made for the family as a whole.
A peptide with one indexed paper in which it appears alongside three others, and essentially nothing that is specifically about it.
- meta-analysis
- RCT
- trial
- observational
- preclinical / case
- review / patent / other
- retracted
- + Examined for immunoprotective activity in spleen during ageing, alongside three related peptides
- − One indexed publication, in which it is one of four peptides studied
- − No animal efficacy study, human study or pharmacokinetic data specific to it
- − No sequence is published in the sources available for this entry
- − Claims made for it rest on the family's general framework rather than on its own data
Overview
What is known. Crystagen appears in the published literature once, in a Russian-language paper on the molecular aspects of immunoprotective activity of short peptides in the spleen during ageing. It is one of four peptides examined - Vilon, Timogen, Crystagen and R-1 - and the English abstract states that these peptides possess immunoprotective activity without separating their individual contributions [1].
What is not known. Everything else. There is no study of Crystagen alone. No animal efficacy model. No human study. No pharmacokinetics. No toxicology. The sources available for this entry do not state its amino acid sequence, which is why none is given above.
Why this page exists. Crystagen is sold, and the claims made for it are inherited from the family rather than derived from its own evidence. The general framework - short peptides entering the nucleus, binding DNA in a sequence-dependent way and altering gene expression - has real supporting work for some members of the family [2][3][4]. None of that work involved Crystagen. Borrowing a sibling's evidence is the specific error this page is here to prevent.
For comparison: Vilon has mouse lifespan and tumour data and a gene expression study; Cortagen has a quantified nerve regeneration result; Bronchogen has calorimetric evidence of DNA binding; Vesugen and Pinealon appear in a human study. Crystagen has one shared mention.
Mechanism
No mechanism has been established for Crystagen specifically. The family's proposed mechanism is that short peptides enter cells and the nucleus and interact with DNA or chromatin to alter gene expression [2][4], and the immunoprotective framing in the spleen paper sits inside that framework [1].
The evidence supporting the family mechanism was generated with other peptides. Because the DNA-binding work found that different sequences prefer different nucleotide motifs [2], results for one peptide do not transfer to another - which is an argument the programme itself makes, and which cuts against assuming Crystagen behaves like its siblings.
- Splenic immune function during ageingmodulatesVilon, Timogen, Crystagen and R-1 short peptides were reported to possess immunoprotective activity in spleen during the ageing process; the English abstract does not separate the peptides' individual effects [1]weak
Formulation
how the form changes blood levelsSupplied as a lyophilised powder. No route, dose, formulation or sequence is published in the sources available for this entry.
Dosing
as studied or commonly reported; not a recommendationNo doses are listed for this compound.No peer-reviewed human dosing data.
- Notes
- No dose has been studied in humans or in any animal study reported in the indexed literature. No dose can be given here, because there is no study of this compound at any dose by any route from which one could be taken.
Pharmacokinetics
what the body does with it| Half-life | No pharmacokinetic study exists in any species |
|---|---|
| Bioavailability | Unknown. No absorption study has been published for any route |
| Metabolism | Not characterised |
Safety
risks and cautions, not medical adviceThere is no safety data of any kind: no toxicology, no animal study, no human exposure report. Nothing can be said about its safety because nothing has been published.
The absence of reported harm is a statement about the absence of investigation, not about the compound.
One point applies to any unregulated peptide product: analyses of grey-market peptides have repeatedly found contents that do not match labels [5], and without a published sequence there is no specification against which a product could be checked even in principle.
- None documented, because no safety study has been published
- One indexed publication, in which it is one of four peptides and its individual effect is not separated [1]
- No animal efficacy study, human study, pharmacokinetic study or toxicology specific to it
- No sequence is published in the sources available for this entry
- Claims made for it are borrowed from other peptides in the same family
Interactions
documented pairs only, not exhaustiveNo interaction data exist. Crystagen was studied alongside three other peptides rather than in combination with them [1].
History
FAQ
- What evidence is there for crystagen?
- One Russian-language paper in which it is one of four peptides examined for immunoprotective activity in spleen during ageing, without separating their individual effects [1].
- What is its sequence?
- The sources available for this entry do not state it, which is why none is given here.
- Can I assume it works like the other Khavinson peptides?
- No. The programme's own DNA-binding work found different peptides prefer different nucleotide sequences [2], so results do not transfer between them.
References
entry last reviewed 2026-09-19- [1][Molecular aspects of immunoprotective activity of peptides in spleen during the ageing process].Сhervyakova NA, Linkova NS, Chalisova NI et al.Adv Gerontol 2014otherPMID 28976144in Russian◌ unreviewed
- [2]Penetration of short fluorescence-labeled peptides into the nucleus in HeLa cells and in vitro specific interaction of the peptides with deoxyribooligonucleotides and DNA.Fedoreyeva LI, Kireev II, Khavinson VKh et al.Biochemistry (Mosc) 2011other · cellPMID 22117547◌ unreviewed
- [3]Effect of the peptide bronchogen (Ala-Asp-Glu-Leu) on DNA thermostability.Monaselidze JR, Khavinson VKh, Gorgoshidze MZ et al.Bull Exp Biol Med 2011other · animalPMID 21240358◌ unreviewed
- [4]Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review.Khavinson VK, Popovich IG, Linkova NS et al.Molecules 2021reviewPMID 34834147◌ unreviewed
- [5]The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration.Dominikowski A, Rękoś Z, Olejarz M et al.Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2026reviewPMID 42395176◌ unreviewed
- [6]Peptides and Ageing.Khavinson VKhNeuro Endocrinol Lett 2002reviewPMID 12374906◌ unreviewed