Research At a Glance
- Research Category
- Connective Tissue & Longevity Research
- Peptide Length
- 3 amino acids (Ala-Glu-Asp tripeptide)
- Purity
- ≥ 98% (HPLC)
- Published Studies
- Emerging (<50 indexed)
- Storage
- Lyophilized: 2–8 °C, protected from light. Reconstituted: 2–8 °C, use within 30 days.
Published-study figures are approximate PubMed result counts and indicate the volume of available literature only. Purity reflects third-party analytical testing on the corresponding lot; see the Quality Assurance Center for lot-matched certificates.
Overview
Cartalax is a synthetic tripeptide bioregulator with the sequence Ala-Glu-Asp (AED), developed by Professor Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It belongs to the “Khavinson peptide bioregulator” family — short peptides originally derived from tissue-specific extracts and later synthesized as defined short sequences — with Cartalax corresponding to cartilage and connective tissue. Unlike receptor-targeted peptides, Cartalax’s proposed mechanism involves direct interaction with DNA and chromatin in the cell nucleus, influencing gene expression programs relevant to chondrocyte and fibroblast function. This mechanism is derived primarily from the originating research group’s own publications; independent replication outside that group is limited.
Citation: Khavinson V.K., et al., Uspekhi Gerontologii, 2014
History
Cartalax originates from a Soviet-era and later Russian research program, led by Vladimir Khavinson, that extracted peptide fractions from specific animal organs and observed tissue-preferential effects — the cartilage/connective-tissue extract was later distilled into the specific short peptide sequence responsible for the effect, which was then synthesized directly rather than extracted. This approach produced a family of related short-peptide “bioregulators,” each named for and studied in relation to a specific organ system. Cartalax has been examined primarily in Russian-language and Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine literature for chondrocyte gene expression, fibroblast proliferation, and cellular senescence markers.
Citation: Khavinson V.K. (2009). Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine.
Structure
| CAS # | not widely assigned in Western databases |
| Molecular Formula | C12H19N3O8 |
| Molecular Weight | approximately 333.29 g/mol |
| Sequence | Ala-Glu-Asp (AED) |
Research Findings
Cartalax has been studied in cell culture models of cartilage, connective tissue, and cellular aging.
Key Areas of Research
- Connective tissue: Fibroblast proliferation, cartilage regeneration models, extracellular matrix gene expression
- Cellular aging: Reduced expression of senescence markers (p16, p21, p53); increased SIRT6 expression
- Renal: Kidney cell renewal in aged tissue culture models
- Mechanistic: Proposed direct peptide-DNA and peptide-chromatin interaction influencing tissue-specific gene transcription
Summary: Together, these findings position Cartalax within a distinctive category of short-peptide bioregulator research focused on tissue-specific gene expression rather than classical receptor pharmacology. The evidence base is concentrated in publications from the originating Khavinson research group, with limited independent replication reported outside that group — a limitation worth noting alongside the reported findings.
Citation: Khavinson V.K., et al., Uspekhi Gerontologii, 2014
References
- Khavinson V.K., et al. (2014). Tripeptides slow down aging process in renal cell culture. Uspekhi Gerontologii (Advances in Gerontology).
- Lin’kova N.S., et al. (2016). Peptide Regulation of Skin Fibroblast Functions during Their Aging In Vitro. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine.
- Khavinson V.K. (2009). Peptide regulation of aging: 35-year research experience. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine.
Certificate of Analysis
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