Prostamax

Also known as: Prostomax, KEDP, Lys-Glu-Asp-Pro

Evidence: Preclinical

PeptideLab is an educational platform for learning about peptides. The information here is for educational and research purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and PeptideLab does not claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. Many peptides discussed have not been approved for human use by the FDA or other regulatory bodies. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decision.

Overview

Khavinson-series synthetic tetrapeptide (KEDP) assigned to prostate; published work is limited to chromatin effects in lymphocytes from elderly donors and one rat explant study.

Prostamax (also Prostomax; KEDP, Lys-Glu-Asp-Pro) is a synthetic tetrapeptide from the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, listed for regulation of prostate function; the source cited for that label is a European patent (Khavinson 2022). Published work: in lymphocytes from people aged 75 to 88 it activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin (Khavinson 2004; Dzhokhadze 2012), it shifted chromatin melting in calorimetry (Meskhi 2004), and at 0.05 ng/mL it stimulated rat prostate explants in organotypic culture (Zakutskii 2006). No animal model of prostate disease and no human trial has been published.

Benefits

Chromatin decondensation in lymphocytes from elderly donors (in vitro), growth of prostate explants (rat tissue culture)

Dosing reference

Research dose: 200 to 1000 mcg daily: vendor/community range, no published human dose
Range: 200 to 1000 mcg, 1x daily

Sold as oral capsules and as lyophilized powder for injection; vial size (20 mg) is not a dose. No in vivo dose has been published in any species. Community protocols run 10 to 20 day courses two or three times a year; no study compared schedules.

Mechanism

Proposed, from in vitro work. In lymphocytes from elderly donors it activated ribosomal genes, decondensed chromosome 1 pericentromeric heterochromatin and released genes silenced by age-related condensation (Khavinson 2004). It raised sister chromatid exchange from 5.9 to 12.0 per cell and Ag-positive nucleolar organizer regions from 0.95 to 2.5 per cell (Dzhokhadze 2012), and partly relaxed 30 nm chromatin fibers by calorimetry (Meskhi 2004). Effects on PSA, DHT metabolism or prostate epithelium in the old text have no published source.

Evidence

Preclinical: animal or in vitro data only

Activated ribosomal genes and decondensed heterochromatin, including chromosome 1 pericentromeric regions, in lymphocytes from people aged 75 to 88 (Khavinson et al., 2004)
Raised sister chromatid exchange (5.9 to 12.0 per cell) and active nucleolar organizer regions in lymphocytes from elderly donors (Dzhokhadze et al., 2012)
Shifted chromatin denaturation endotherms in human lymphocytes by calorimetry (Meskhi et al., 2004)
At 0.05 ng/mL, stimulated rat prostate explants in organotypic culture (Zakutskii et al., 2006)
Human-trial status: no published human study and no animal prostate disease model

References

Side effects

No controlled safety study has been published in any species, and the animal and cell studies, almost all from the developing institute, were not designed to detect harm. It raised sister chromatid exchange in cultured lymphocytes, a genotoxicity marker whose meaning here has not been studied (Dzhokhadze 2012). Commonly reported (anecdotal): injection-site irritation with injectable forms; oral capsules draw few complaints.

Storage

Storage: Room temperature
Lyophilized: 24+ months

Pharmacology

Half-life: No published pharmacokinetic data in any species
Bioavailability: Not measured in any species
Molecular weight: 487.5 Da
Sequence: KEDP (Lys-Glu-Asp-Pro)