Vilon Research
An evidence-led look at Vilon research: how independent the literature is, animal findings including an adverse one, and a computational DNA mechanism.
Ovagen is a trade name for a synthetic tripeptide, Glu-Asp-Leu, written EDL [1]. This page sets out what has been published about Ovagen. The honest answer is one clause in one abstract, plus a computer prediction.
Ovagen is a three amino acid peptide rather than an extract. PubChem holds the structure as glutamyl-aspartyl-leucine, CID 444128, formula C15H25N3O8, molecular weight 375.37, with no CAS number among its nine synonyms [2].
The link between the trade name and the sequence rests on one table, in a 2022 review written by the compound's commercial originator [1]. No second source confirms it. The National Library of Medicine record for the sequence, C000600952, carries neither "Ovagen" nor the code "T-35" as an entry term [2]. The peptide is unreachable by brand name in MeSH.
The name is misleading too. Despite the prefix, the originator's own table assigns kidney and liver labels to this peptide, not ovarian ones [1].
A PubMed search for "Ovagen" returns a different product entirely. "Ovagen" is also a commercial ovine follicle stimulating hormone preparation used to superovulate sheep, goats and cattle [4][5]. Those veterinary papers are genuine and none concerns this peptide, so any evidence count built from that search is spurious.
One clause, in one abstract. A 2015 in vitro paper reports that the short peptides T-31 (AED) and T-35 (EDL) stimulate proliferation and reduce apoptosis of kidney cells [3]. That paper never uses the trade name Ovagen, and identifies the compound only by the code T-35 and the sequence EDL [3].
The 2022 review table also lists a molecular docking score of -28.27 for EDL, beside the label "nephroprotector / hepatoprotector" [1]. A docking score is a computer prediction rather than a measurement, and that label carries no supporting citation. This is the complete compound-specific record.
There is no animal study of this peptide and no human study of any kind. No pharmacokinetic data exists for this peptide, by any route, in any species, and no lifespan or survival data exists. ClinicalTrials.gov returns no registered study under the name [6], and no laboratory outside the originating network has published on it.
Those absence statements are scoped. Russian-language work outside MEDLINE could not be searched, so read them as "none could be located" rather than "none exists".
This section is background on the group, not evidence for this compound.
Vladimir Khavinson and the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology developed these peptides, hold patents across the family, and sell them [7]. Papers from the group nonetheless declare no patent or licensing arrangement [8]. This literature is not independent and is not described as such here.
EDL is also AEDL minus one alanine, and AEDL is the sequence usually given for Bronchogen, which is sold separately. That sequence is not settled: papers sharing an author give both AEDL and ADEL [9]. Nothing has been published on what functionally distinguishes the two, so this page leaves that question open.
Nothing above describes a use in people. This is a research chemical and is not for human consumption.
Has Ovagen been studied in humans? No. No human study of this peptide exists, and no animal study either. The one published result is in vitro, reporting that T-31 (AED) and T-35 (EDL) stimulate proliferation and reduce apoptosis of kidney cells [3]. ClinicalTrials.gov returns no registered study under the name [6].
Why does a PubMed search for Ovagen return so many papers? Because the name collides with a veterinary product. "Ovagen" is also a commercial ovine follicle stimulating hormone preparation used to superovulate sheep, goats and cattle [4][5]. Those hits are real papers about a completely different substance, and none of them can be cited for this peptide.
References

Reviewed & approved for scientific accuracy
Dr. Tharindunee Jayakody
PhD — Scientific Contributor and Reviewer
Dr Jayakody is a molecular pharmacologist with over 15 years of experience in translating complex research into clear, evidence-based explanations, with expertise on peptide therapeutics and other emerging compounds, particularly in delineating the mechanisms of action of therapeutics. As a contributor to research-focused platforms, Dr Jayakody aims to give scientifically literate readers a balanced view of what current data can and cannot support, helping them understand how promising findings in the lab translate, or sometimes fail to translate, into real-world applications.
View team profile →An evidence-led look at Vilon research: how independent the literature is, animal findings including an adverse one, and a computational DNA mechanism.
An evidence-led look at Vesugen research: identity and naming, its presence inside four other products, and two uncontrolled human reports.
An evidence-led look at Thymalin research: what the preparation actually is, the COVID-19 trial, the older human literature, and what is unproven.