Vesugen
The synthetic KED tripeptide in the Khavinson short-peptide series, studied preclinically for vascular-aging and antiatherogenic effects. Not a registered medicine; research-only in the West, nutraceutical status in Russia. Preclinical evidence only.
A synthetic Lys-Glu-Asp (KED) tripeptide in the Khavinson short-peptide series, studied in a small preclinical literature for anti-atherogenic and vascular-protective effects. Reported to modulate endothelial gene expression in cell culture and to reduce aortic atherosclerotic lesion burden in aged rodent models in Khavinson-group publications. Research-only and nutraceutical-grade; no registered-medicine status, no human clinical trials, no independent Western replication.
Mechanism of action
Proposed to modulate vascular endothelial gene expression via the Khavinson-framework short-peptide-DNA-interaction hypothesis, with downstream effects on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), adhesion molecule expression, and smooth-muscle proliferation. Preclinical models (rat aortic atherosclerosis, endothelial cell culture) have been reported to show antiatherogenic effects in Khavinson-group publications. Mechanism remains insufficiently characterized at molecular-target resolution.
Primary uses
- Vascular aging research (preclinical)
- Antiatherogenic research (preclinical rodent models)
Typical dosing
⚠ No human dosing established. Rodent studies have used ~2–10 μg/kg peritoneal or subcutaneous. Any human use would be unregulated and unsupported.
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.
Regulatory status
Not FDA- or EMA-approved. Sold as a research chemical in grey-market catalogs and as a nutraceutical supplement in Russia.
Status as of this entry's last review, October 4, 2026. Approvals, compounding rules and sport rules change; the regulatory tracker is checked more often.
What we checked
Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp) appears in about 27 papers indexed on PubMed, mostly cell work from the Khavinson network, plus a small study in men under the spelling Vezugen. This section adds what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Sequence | Lys-Glu-Asp (KED) |
| Formula | C15H26N4O8 |
| Average mass | 390.39 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic mass | 390.1751 Da |
| Isoelectric point | 4.18 (net charge -1.02 at pH 7) |
NLM MeSH record C533570 lists vesugen as lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid (Lys-Glu-Asp, tripeptide T-38). The dataset's formula C15H26N4O8 and mass 390.39 agree with the calculator, after a correction on October 4, 2026 from C15H26N4O7.
Regulatory status, read October 5, 2026
Drugs@FDA: 0 records for “vesugen”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “vesugen”. Run for semaglutide, the same queries return 6 and 5 records (and the registry search 84 trials), so a zero here is an absence, not a broken search. Not named on the WADA 2026 and 2027 Prohibited Lists. As a substance with no current approval for human therapeutic use, it falls under section S0 (non-approved substances), which is prohibited at all times; the lists were read on September 27, 2026.
What the maker or sellers claim
Claim, from its developers and Russian sellers: vesugen protects blood vessels and slows vascular ageing. A 2021 review by the developers says oral KED improved memory and attention in elderly people; the abstract does not cite a controlled trial.
About the family, not this compound
The Khavinson peptides are di- to tetrapeptides from the Saint Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology; the group proposes that they enter the nucleus and change gene expression. Nearly all indexed work comes from that group and its collaborators.
The one study in people
Under the spelling Vezugen, a 2014 Russian study treated 41 men with erectile dysfunction caused by arterial disease and reports improved blood flow in the penile arteries afterwards. It compared measurements before and after treatment, without a placebo group. A 2015 study gave vesugen or pinealon to 32 people with chronic illness and reports slowed biological-age markers, also without a control group.
What we looked for and did not find
No randomised or placebo-controlled trial, no registry record and no dose from a controlled study.
| Source | Query | Results, October 5, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | vesugen | 27 | cell studies, two uncontrolled human studies and reviews |
| PubMed | vezugen | 5 | the erectile-dysfunction and limb-ischaemia papers and other Russian clinical reports |
| NLM MeSH | vesugen | 1 | record C533570 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | vesugen | 0 | |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | vesugen | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | vesugen | 0 |
References
- [pubmed] Khavinson VK, et al. "Peptide KED reduces experimental atherosclerosis in rats." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2013;155:810-812.
- [review] Anisimov VN, Khavinson VK. "Peptide bioregulation of aging: results and prospects." Biogerontology, 2010;11:139-149. PMID: 19830585.
- [pubmed] Kitachev KV, et al. "[The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people]." Adv Gerontol, 2014;27(1):156-9. PMID: 25051774.
- [pubmed] Khavinson VK, et al. "Peptide KED: Molecular-Genetic Aspects of Neurogenesis Regulation in Alzheimer's Disease." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2021;171(2):190-193. PMID: 34173097.
- [pubmed] Meshchaninov VN, et al. "[EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ON AGING OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC POLYMORBIDITY AND ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN REMISSION]." Adv Gerontol, 2015;28(1):62-7. PMID: 26390612.
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Guides & tools
This entry is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Dosing information reflects published regulatory or research data and is not a recommendation. Many compounds described here are not approved for human use in the United States. Consult a licensed medical professional before considering any peptide therapy.