Cartalax is a synthetic 3-amino-acid peptide (alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, often written AED) from the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology in Russia, the group behind epitalon and pinealon.[1] It is sold in Russia as a dietary supplement,[14] and its developers promote it for joint and cartilage health.[1] In lab studies it changed aging and inflammation markers in cartilage, skin and kidney cells.[2][4][9] But almost all of the research comes from the developers’ own network, and we found no published human trial.
What is cartalax?
Cartalax belongs to the “peptide bioregulators” developed by Vladimir Khavinson’s group. In older papers the same peptide is called T-31.[8] Its sequence is the first three amino acids of epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), minus the final glycine.[18] For background on how this family of peptides was developed, see our guide to Khavinson peptide bioregulators.
The group’s theory is that these tiny peptides get into cells, bind to DNA and switch particular genes on or off. For AED, that idea rests on computer docking models showing where it could bind DNA, not on direct evidence in living tissue.[13]
Cartalax benefits: what the research shows
Cartilage and joint studies
- Aging cartilage cells: in chondrocyte cultures, aging raised markers of cell aging (p16, p21, p53) and inflammation (TNF-alpha, IL-1 alpha) and lowered SIRT1. AED moved these back toward normal, as did a cartilage extract.[2]
- Cartilage-forming genes: in human stem cells aged in culture, AED at 200 ng/mL raised expression of SOX9, aggrecan, type II collagen and COMP, the building blocks of cartilage.[3]
- Bone density in rats: in rats with their ovaries removed (a model of post-menopausal bone loss), T-31 helped prevent loss of bone density, but a cartilage-tissue extract worked noticeably better.[7]
Skin, kidney and stem-cell studies
- Skin fibroblasts: in aging skin cells, AED lowered MMP-9 (an enzyme that breaks down tissue), raised markers of cell renewal and reduced cell death.[4] A later study found it raised collagen I, SIRT1 and SIRT6.[5]
- Stem cells: in a fetal human stem-cell line aged in culture, the peptides tested (AED, KED and KE) raised IGF1 gene expression 3.5- to 5.6-fold; the abstract does not give a separate figure for AED.[6]
- Kidney: in kidney cell cultures it increased cell growth and lowered aging markers.[8][9] In old rats it reduced protein in the urine, and the authors saw no signs of kidney damage.[10]
Not every result was positive
In a Russian study of aging thymus cells, T-31 did not show the protective effect seen with another peptide in the same test.[11] In a stem-cell study with Italian co-authors, the rise in nerve-cell markers came mainly from a related peptide (KED) and the peptide mix, not AED alone.[12]
Why the cartalax evidence is hard to judge
- One research network. Nearly every study comes from Khavinson’s institute or groups working with it, often in the Russian-language journal Advances in Gerontology.[1][2][3]
- Mechanism by modeling. The idea that AED works by binding DNA and switching genes on rests largely on computer docking.[13]
- Lab dishes are not joints. Changing gene markers in cultured cells does not show that a capsule taken by mouth reaches cartilage or slows osteoarthritis.
Cartalax vs epitalon vs pinealon
| Cartalax | Epitalon | Pinealon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Ala-Glu-Asp (3 amino acids)[1] | Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly (4 amino acids)[18] | Glu-Asp-Arg (3 amino acids)[18] |
| Claimed target | Cartilage, joints, connective tissue[1] | Pineal gland, telomeres | Brain cells |
| Human data | None published that we could find | Small Russian studies | Small Russian studies |
| More detail | This page | Epitalon profile | Pinealon profile |
In skin-cell experiments run side by side, AED and epitalon behaved similarly: both reduced cell death, while two other peptides did not.[4] For better-studied peptides promoted for tissue repair, see our healing peptides page.
Cartalax dosage
There is no established dose. We found no published human study of cartalax dosing or of how the body absorbs and clears it. The Russian supplement listing names capsules and tablets but, in the version we checked, gives no dosing directions at all.[14] Injectable vials sold online are research chemicals, and their doses come from sellers, not research. Our peptide calculator explains vial math in general, but it cannot make an untested dose safe.
Cartalax side effects
- Unknown in people. No human safety study has been published that we could find, and there are no long-term, cancer or drug-interaction data.
- Animal signal: one rat study saw no kidney damage, but that is a single animal study and does not show the peptide is safe in people.[10]
- Gene effects cut both ways. In lab studies, AED changed the activity of genes involved in cell growth, including IGF1 and NF-kB.[6] Whether that matters for cancer risk in people has not been studied.
- Product quality: cartalax sold online as a research chemical is not checked by any regulator for purity, dose or sterility.
Is cartalax legal?
- Russia: the Russian drug reference RLS lists Kartalax as a dietary supplement (an “additional source of peptides” made of alanine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid), not a registered medicine.[14]
- US: not FDA-approved. Cartalax does not appear on any of FDA’s 503A bulk substance lists as of May 14, 2026, which suggests no one has nominated it for compounding.[15] It is also absent from FDA’s list of substances with significant safety risks.[16]
- Sports: it is not named on WADA’s 2026 list, but as a substance with no government approval for human use as a medicine, in our reading it falls under the S0 category, which is banned at all times.[17]
This is general information, not legal advice.
What users report
We found no detailed user reports on forums we consider reliable. Most online accounts come from sellers or promotional blogs, which we do not use. For other compounds promoted for healthy aging, see our longevity peptides page.
