Vilon
A two-amino-acid Khavinson peptide called a thymomimetic
Vilon is lysyl-glutamic acid, a synthetic dipeptide made of lysine and glutamic acid, developed in St. Petersburg as one of Vladimir Khavinson's short-peptide bioregulators. Its developers describe it as a thymomimetic. Nearly all its evidence is rodent, cell and small Russian clinical studies from one research network, and no regulator has approved it.
What is it?
Vilon belongs to a family of very short synthetic peptides developed by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. At two amino acids it is one of the smallest in that family. Its developers call it a thymomimetic, meaning a compound meant to reproduce the effects of thymus extracts, and most of its research concerns the immune system, tumours and ageing.
The animal work is broad but thin: fewer chemically induced tumours in mice and less vessel leakiness in rats with kidney failure. Each is a single study, and we found no independent replication of any of them.
The cell work is where the group's theory lives: loosened chromatin in lymphocytes from older people, more T-helper differentiation in thymus cultures, and changed SIRT1 and PARP expression in ageing stem cells, with modelling suggesting the dipeptide binds DNA in those genes' promoters. That direct peptide-to-DNA idea is the Khavinson group's central hypothesis and has not been established elsewhere.
Human data are two small Russian reports in type 1 diabetes, where adding vilon to standard care improved clotting markers and sometimes lowered insulin needs. Neither describes randomisation. Vilon is a laboratory compound with a single-source literature, not a treatment.
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 vilon, from their PubMed abstracts. Most are animal or cell studies from one research network.
Chemically induced tumours in mice
In mice given 1,2-dimethylhydrazine, tumours developed in 14.3% of animals treated with vilon at 10 micrograms per kg that survived to first tumour detection, against 60% of controls; pre-cancerous kidney changes were also reduced.
Chronic kidney failure in rats
Subcutaneous vilon lowered serum TGF-beta1 and the permeability of mesenteric microvessels two months after chronic renal failure began.
With cyclophosphamide in mice
Vilon at 1 mg per kg increased survival of mice with Lewis lung carcinoma, but given together with cyclophosphamide it decreased survival.
Chromatin in lymphocytes from older people
Vilon unrolled facultative heterochromatin and reactivated ribosomal genes in cultured lymphocytes from older people.
Thymus cell cultures
The dipeptide raised the differentiation marker CD5 in human and rat thymic cells and pushed T-cell precursors toward CD4 helpers; an analogue had the stronger effect.
SIRT1 and PARP in ageing stem cells
KE peptide raised SIRT1 gene expression and protein 6-fold and 8.2-fold in young mesenchymal stem cells and lowered PARP1 and PARP2 during ageing; modelling proposed binding to GCGG and GGGC DNA sequences in their promoters.
Coagulation in type 1 diabetes
In type 1 diabetes with chronic intravascular coagulation, adding vilon reduced or abolished it, less so in older patients with severe disease.
Immune status and hemostasis in diabetes
Added to standard therapy in older patients with type 1 diabetes, vilon raised antithrombin III and protein C, stimulated fibrinolysis, normalised several immune cell counts, and in most cases lowered the insulin dose needed.
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 vilon anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is vilon?
A synthetic dipeptide, lysine joined to glutamic acid (Lys-Glu), from Vladimir Khavinson's series of short-peptide bioregulators. Its developers describe it as a thymomimetic.
?Is there good evidence that vilon works?
No. The literature is mostly single rodent and cell studies from one network of Russian institutes, plus two small Russian clinical reports in diabetes that do not describe randomisation. Nothing has been independently replicated in what we read.
?How is vilon related to thymogen and thymalin?
All three come from the same research programme. Thymalin is a thymus extract, thymogen is the dipeptide Glu-Trp, and vilon is the dipeptide Lys-Glu; vilon is described by its developers as a thymomimetic.
References
- [other] PubChem CID 7010502, Lysylglutamic acid (synonyms include Vilon, Lys-Glu and AB-0 peptide): formula C11H21N3O5, molecular weight 275.30. Read October 3, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/7010502
- [fda] FDA. Drugs@FDA (openFDA): no application on record for vilon. Read October 3, 2026.
- [pubmed] Pliss GB, et al. "[The effect of vilon (Lys-Glu) on 1.2-dimethylhydrazine-induced neoplasia]." Vopr Onkol, 2005;51(4):466-9. PMID: 16308980.
- [pubmed] Gavrisheva NA, et al. "Effect of peptide Vilon on the content of transforming growth factor-beta and permeability of microvessels during experimental chronic renal failure." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2005;139(1):24-6. PMID: 16142267.
- [pubmed] Lezhava T, et al. "Bioregulator Vilon-induced reactivation of chromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old people." Biogerontology, 2004;5(2):73-9. PMID: 15105581.
- [pubmed] Sevostianova NN, et al. "Immunomodulating effects of Vilon and its analogue in the culture of human and animal thymus cells." Bull Exp Biol Med, 2013;154(4):562-5. PMID: 23486604.
- [pubmed] Khavinson VK, et al. "[KE peptide regulates SIRT1, PARP1, PARP2 gene expression and protein synthesis in human mesenchymal stem cells aging.]." Adv Gerontol, 2023;36(3):302-312. PMID: 37782636.
- [pubmed] Kuznik BI, et al. "[Effect of thymomimetic vilon on blood coagulation system and fibrinolisis in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients of different age]." Adv Gerontol, 2006;19:107-15. PMID: 17152731.
- [pubmed] Kuznik BI, et al. "[Effect of vilon on the immunity status and coagulation hemostasis in patients of different age with diabetes mellitus]." Adv Gerontol, 2007;20(2):106-15. PMID: 18306698.
- [pubmed] Barykina OP, et al. "[Combined effect of vilon and cyclophosphane on tumor transplants and lymphoid tissue explants in mice and rats of various age]." Adv Gerontol, 2003;12:128-31. PMID: 14743610.
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.