Vilon

Also known as: KE dipeptide, KE, Lys-Glu

Evidence: Preclinical

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Overview

Khavinson-series synthetic dipeptide KE (Lys-Glu); in rodents it slowed induced bladder tumours but did not extend mouse lifespan, and it reactivated chromatin in lymphocytes from older donors.

Vilon is the dipeptide KE (Lys-Glu) from the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. In rats it inhibited chemically induced bladder tumours (Pliss 2001). In female CBA mice it did not change survival (Anisimov 2001), and in erbB-2/NEU transgenic mice lung metastases were 2.6 times higher than in the Epitalon group (Alimova 2002). Cell work covers chromatin in lymphocytes from older donors (Lezhava 2004) and gene expression in aging mesenchymal stem cells (Ashapkin 2020; Khavinson 2023). Human reports in diabetes patients are uncontrolled (Kuznik 2007). Nearly all work comes from one group.

Benefits

Fewer chemically induced bladder tumours (rat), chromatin reactivation in lymphocytes from older donors (in vitro), gene expression changes in aging mesenchymal stem cells (in vitro); no lifespan extension (mouse)

Dosing reference

Research dose: 200 to 1000 mcg daily: vendor/community range; not compared with the doses in the uncontrolled human reports
Range: 200 to 1000 mcg, 1x daily

Sold as oral capsules and as lyophilized powder for injection. Community protocols run 10 to 20 day courses two or three times a year; no study compared schedules. Doses in the uncontrolled Russian human reports have not been compared with this range.

Mechanism

Proposed, from the developing group. In cultured lymphocytes from older people it was reported to reactivate condensed chromatin (Lezhava 2004). In aging human mesenchymal stem cells it changed gene expression (Ashapkin 2020), including SIRT1, PARP1 and PARP2 (Khavinson 2023). A microarray study found gene expression changes in mouse heart (Anisimov 2002). The old claims about cytokine production and innate and adaptive immunity had no source.

Evidence

Preclinical: animal or in vitro data only

Inhibited development of chemically induced urinary bladder tumours in rats (Pliss et al., 2001)
Did not change survival in female CBA mice, in a study of aging biomarkers and spontaneous tumours (Anisimov et al., 2001)
In erbB-2/NEU transgenic mice, lung metastases were 2.6 times higher than in the Epitalon group (Alimova et al., 2002)
Reactivated chromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old people (Lezhava et al., 2004)
Regulated SIRT1, PARP1 and PARP2 gene expression and protein synthesis in aging human mesenchymal stem cells (Khavinson et al., 2023)
Human-trial status: no randomized trial; uncontrolled Russian reports in diabetes patients of different ages (Kuznik et al., 2007), almost all work from the developing group

References

Side effects

No controlled safety study has been published. In erbB-2/NEU transgenic mice, lung metastases were 2.6 times higher than in the Epitalon group (Alimova 2002). Commonly reported (anecdotal): injection-site irritation.

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: 275.3 Da
Sequence: Lys-Glu