Vesugen

What it is. Vesugen is Lys-Glu-Asp (KED), designed from vascular tissue extract amino acid composition in the Khavinson programme [6].

The human study, which it shares with [[pinealon]]. Thirty-two people aged 41 to 83 with chronic polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome in remission received Vesugen or Pinealon. The authors report a significant anabolic effect, improved central nervous system activity, and a slowing of ageing on biological-age indicators - with Vesugen showing the more visible geroprophylactic effect of the two. They also report, in the same abstract, prooxidant activity on chemiluminescence, and a decrease in circulating CD34+ haematopoietic polypotent cells indicating significant inhibition of haemopoiesis, which they explicitly recommend studying further. Chromatin condensation was unaffected, which they took as reassurance at the nuclear genetic level [1].

There is no control group described in the abstract, the paper is in Russian, no dose is given, and the sample is 32 people. It is nonetheless the only human study in this entire peptide family, which is why it appears on both pages.

The vascular literature. Vesugen's organ designation has some matching work: epigenetic aspects of peptidergic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during ageing [2], and molecular aspects of KED's vasoprotective activity in atherosclerosis and restenosis [3]. Both are Russian-language reports from the programme.

Elsewhere. KED has been examined for neurogenesis regulation in Alzheimer's disease [4], pineal immune cell differentiation [7], tissue-specific cell differentiation during ageing [8], and antihypoxic activity - where it was one of four peptides tested and pinealon was the most active [5].

The family mechanism applies: a short peptide entering the nucleus and interacting with DNA or chromatin to change gene expression [9][10]. For vesugen the specific framing is epigenetic regulation of endothelial proliferation [2] and gene expression relevant to vascular wall pathology [3].

Two things are unresolved and worth stating. The vascular designation rests on the design principle - derived from vessel tissue - rather than on demonstrated vascular tropism. And the human study's two unexplained findings, prooxidant activity and reduced circulating CD34+ cells [1], have no mechanistic account at all. A compound proposed to act on gene expression, found to reduce circulating haematopoietic stem cells, is one where the mechanism question is not academic.

The free tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp, supplied lyophilised. Marketed in Russia as both an injectable and an oral capsule; the human study used course treatment without specifying route or dose in its English abstract [1].

The only human data are from the 32-patient study, and they are mixed in a way worth taking seriously.

Reported alongside the benefits: prooxidant activity measured by chemiluminescence, which led the authors to classify these peptides as geroprotectors of the non-antioxidant type; and a decrease in circulating CD34+ haematopoietic polypotent cells, described as significant inhibition of haemopoiesis, with the observation that the cells "have not been involved in the adaptive reactions". The authors recommend this be studied further [1].

That is an author-flagged open safety question in the only human study that exists, and it applies to Vesugen as much as to Pinealon.

Against that: chromatin condensation was unaffected, which the authors took as evidence of safety at the nuclear genetic level [1]. There is no toxicology publication, no pharmacokinetic study and no long-term data.

No interaction studies exist. Vesugen was compared with, not combined with, Pinealon in the human study [1], and examined alongside other short peptides in the antihypoxia work [5].