Pancragen
A Khavinson tetrapeptide aimed at the ageing pancreas
Pancragen is the synthetic tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2, made by the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as one of Vladimir Khavinson's organ-named short peptides, this one for the pancreas. It lowered blood glucose in diabetic rats and improved glucose tolerance in old rhesus monkeys, and one small study in older people with type 2 diabetes reported lower glucose and insulin resistance. It is not approved anywhere.
What is it?
The Khavinson short peptides are named for the organ each is meant to support: livagen for the liver, vesugen for vessels, pancragen for the pancreas. Pancragen is a four-amino-acid chain, lysine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and tryptophan, with an amide at the end, and its developers have described it as an endogenous tetrapeptide. It begins with the same Lys-Glu pair that forms vilon. It was built to slow the age-related decline in insulin secretion and glucose control.
In rats with streptozotocin diabetes, pancragen by mouth lowered blood glucose during treatment, and by injection it normalised the stickiness of the lining of small vessels without changing their permeability. In old female rhesus monkeys, ten days of injections sped glucose clearance and normalised insulin and C-peptide responses to a glucose load, with part of the effect lasting three weeks after stopping. A second monkey study, in nine animals, compared it with glimepiride.
In cultures of young and ageing pancreatic cells, the peptide raised the transcription factors that define acinar and islet cells, such as Pdx1, Pax6 and Nkx2.2, which normally fall with age. The developers read this as the mechanism behind its glucose effects. Only its makers have told this story.
The only human data come from a Ukrainian study of 63 older people, 33 with type 2 diabetes. In the diabetic patients, pancragen lowered fasting glucose, glucose on a tolerance test, plasma insulin and the insulin resistance index, while those not given it did not change. The abstract does not describe randomisation, blinding or adverse events. Nine monkeys and one small open study cannot show that pancragen helps anyone.
At a Glance
Every value in this table is printed from the Grey Peptides dataset, the same record the compound explorer and comparison tool read, so the three can never disagree.
Educational information, not medical advice. The doses on this page come from approved labels, published studies and, where no study exists, amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.
Published Research
Studies of pancragen, from their PubMed abstracts. Most are animal or cell studies; all involve the developer's network.
Older people with type 2 diabetes
In 33 older patients with type 2 diabetes, pancragen lowered fasting glucose, glucose in a standard tolerance test, plasma insulin and the insulin resistance index; patients not given pancragen showed no change. Nocturnal melatonin was 70% lower in the diabetic group than in 30 healthy peers.
Old monkeys, compared with glimepiride
In 9 old female rhesus monkeys, pancragen (0.05 mg a day intramuscularly for 10 days) and glimepiride both lowered basal glucose; pancragen also normalised insulin and C-peptide, while glimepiride had a stronger, delayed glucose-lowering effect.
Glucose tolerance in old monkeys
In old rhesus monkeys, 50 micrograms a day for 10 days sped glucose disappearance and normalised insulin and C-peptide dynamics after a glucose load; part of the effect remained 3 weeks after stopping.
Diabetic rats
In rats with streptozotocin diabetes, oral pancragen had a pronounced glucose-lowering effect during treatment; injected, it normalised mesenteric capillary adhesion but did not change permeability.
Across the lifespan and in diabetic rats
The developers evaluated the natural tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2 across ontogeny and in streptozotocin diabetes, a model they treat as rapid ageing, using metabolic markers of apoptosis; the abstract gives no figures.
Pancreatic cell differentiation
Pancragen raised acinar (Pdx1, Ptf1a) and islet (Pdx1, Pax6, Pax4, Foxa2, Nkx2.2) differentiation factors in young and aged pancreatic cell cultures.
Side Effects & Contraindications
Reported Side Effects
The abstracts read report no adverse effects, which is not the same as showing safety.
Contraindications & Cautions
There is no label.
Legal Status
We found no approval for pancragen anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is pancragen?
A synthetic four-amino-acid peptide, Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2, from Vladimir Khavinson's series of organ-named short peptides. It was developed to support the ageing pancreas.
?Does pancragen lower blood sugar?
In diabetic rats and in old monkeys, yes. In people there is one small study of older patients with type 2 diabetes that reported lower glucose and insulin resistance, but its abstract does not describe randomisation or blinding.
?How does pancragen compare with diabetes drugs?
Only one study has compared them: in nine old monkeys, glimepiride lowered glucose more strongly, while pancragen normalised insulin and C-peptide. No human comparison with any approved drug exists.
?Is pancragen the same as vilon?
No. Vilon is the dipeptide Lys-Glu; pancragen starts with the same two amino acids and adds aspartic acid and tryptophan with an amide end. They are different molecules with different studies.
References
- [fda] FDA. Drugs@FDA (openFDA): no application on record for pancragen. Read October 3, 2026.
- [pubmed] Korkushko OV, et al. "Prospects of using pancragen for correction of metabolic disorders in elderly people." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2011;151(4):454-6. PMID: 22448364.
- [pubmed] Goncharova ND, et al. "[Correction of impaired glucose tolerance using tetrapeptide (Pancragen) in old female rhesus monkeys]." Adv Gerontol, 2015;28(3):579-585. PMID: 28509500.
- [pubmed] Goncharova ND, et al. "[Impact of tetrapeptide pancragen on endocrine function of the pancreas in old monkeys]." Adv Gerontol, 2014;27(4):662-7. PMID: 25946840.
- [pubmed] Khavinson VKh, et al. "Effect of pancragen on blood glucose level, capillary permeability and adhesion in rats with experimental diabetes mellitus." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2007;144(4):559-62. PMID: 18642713.
- [pubmed] Khavinson VKh, et al. "Study of biological activity of Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2 endogenous tetrapeptide." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2010;149(3):351-3. PMID: 21246099.
- [pubmed] Khavinson VKh, et al. "Effects of pancragen on the differentiation of pancreatic cells during their ageing." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2013;154(4):501-4. PMID: 23486591.
Sources & Citations
Studies were read from their PubMed records, October 3, 2026. Several are Russian-language articles read from their English abstracts.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before making health decisions.