Vesugen Research

Vesugen is a synthetic tripeptide, sequence Lys-Glu-Asp or KED ^[1]. It belongs to a group of short peptides developed in Russia and marketed as peptide bioregulators. This page sets out what has been published about Vesugen. There is very little, and one part of it is unfavorable.

Identity and naming

The US National Library of Medicine indexes one concept under the entry terms lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid, Lys-Glu-Asp, tripeptide T-38, T-38 tripeptide and vesugen ^[1]. PubChem holds it as CID 87571363, molecular formula C15H26N4O8. The registry number 204271-66-9 resolves back to that same record, re-checked directly ^[1]. A 2012 paper names "vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp)" in text, which anchors the trade name to the sequence ^[1].

The T-38 code matters for anyone searching. Some papers study "tripeptide T-38" without ever using the name Vesugen, so a search on the brand name alone misses records ^[1]. The Russian clinical literature also transliterates the name as Vezugen ^[3].

Vesugen sits inside four other products

KED is the first three residues of livagen (KEDA), testagen (KEDG), prostamax (KEDP) and pancragen (KEDW-NH2) ^[1][2]. Those are sold under separate names. No published study explains what functionally distinguishes Vesugen from the longer peptides it sits inside. The literature is silent there, and results reported for those compounds are not results for this one.

Human evidence: two uncontrolled Russian reports, and one that cannot be attributed

The only human study of Vesugen alone examined 41 patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction attributed to atherosclerosis (human) ^[3]. Clinical and Doppler blood flow parameters in the main penile arteries were compared before and after treatment, and reported as improved ^[3].

That report cannot support an efficacy claim. It is a before and after case series with no control group, no randomization, no blinding and no placebo ^[3]. The condition has a large and well documented placebo response. The abstract is Russian-language with no sample figures and no p values. PubMed tags the record as a clinical trial despite the absence of a control arm ^[3]. One further trap: the record's title concerns chronic arterial insufficiency of the lower limbs, while its abstract and indexing describe erectile dysfunction ^[3].

A second human record studied 32 people aged 41 to 83 with polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome in remission (human) ^[4]. The authors report that the preparations improved central nervous system activity. The same abstract also reports prooxidant activity by chemiluminescence, and a decrease in CD34 positive hematopoietic cells that the authors describe as significant inhibition of hemopoiesis ^[4]. That signal comes from the developer network's own literature and belongs beside the positive claim, not after it. The study is uncontrolled, and it tested two peptides rather than one.

A third Russian record names Vesugen alongside another peptide in an occupational Work Ability Index report on lorry drivers (human) ^[5]. The abstract discusses combined use of several short peptides only, so nothing in it can be attributed to Vesugen.

Animal and cell evidence

One animal study reports a KED-specific result. KED and EDR were administered to 5xFAD transgenic mice, and the report states that both prevented dendritic spine loss (animal) ^[6]. The effect of KED on neuroplasticity markers is described only as a trend. The mechanism offered in that paper is molecular docking, which is computation rather than measurement ^[6]. The paper also carries a 2025 correction stating that two of its figures were the same image described differently, though the authors say the conclusions are unaffected ^[7].

The cell work is multi-peptide screening. In cultured human fetal mesenchymal stem cells, KED was tested alongside AED and KE in aging models (in vitro) ^[8]. The result for KED was mixed and model-dependent, inhibiting TNKS2 in one aging model and stimulating it in the other ^[8]. In cultured human periodontal ligament stem cells, KED was tested alongside AED, KE and AEDG (in vitro), and the findings are marker expression rather than function ^[9].

What has not been studied

No pharmacokinetic study of Vesugen has been located, so no plasma concentration, half-life, clearance or bioavailability figure exists, by any route, in any species ^[10]. No lifespan or longevity study of Vesugen exists in any species ^[10]. No trial of Vesugen is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov ^[10]. No formal toxicology package has been published, and absence of published toxicology is not evidence of safety.

A developer-authored review asserts that oral KED improved memory and attention in elderly people with functional central nervous system disorders ^[11]. The assertion carries no reference in that review. The nearest retrievable primary source is the 32-patient report, which does not report memory or attention as measured endpoints ^[4][11].

One research network produced this literature

Vladimir Khavinson and the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology discovered these peptides, hold patents covering members of the family, and sell them ^[12]. Khavinson is a named co-inventor on a granted family patent assigned to his own institute's clinic company, and declared no patent or licensing arrangement in a 2020 paper ^[12]. That is family background, not evidence about this compound.

For Vesugen specifically, Khavinson is an author on the identity paper, the mouse study and both cell studies ^[1][6][8][9]. The second cell study is often described as European work, and its senior author is Khavinson ^[9]. No source cited here has been shown independent of that group or its network.

Longevity and mortality figures circulating for "Khavinson peptides" belong to other substances, including crude bovine extracts that are not Vesugen. Material sold under this name is for laboratory research use only and is not for human consumption.

Frequently Asked Questions

What human evidence exists for Vesugen? Two uncontrolled Russian-language reports, and neither had a control group. One compared Doppler blood flow before and after treatment in 41 patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction ^[3]. The other studied 32 people with polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome, and reported both a claimed central nervous system benefit and significant inhibition of hemopoiesis ^[4]. A third record names Vesugen but studies several peptides in combination ^[5].

Is there a safety signal in the human literature? Yes, and it is the reason the second human report is cited here in full. That study reported prooxidant activity and a decrease in CD34 positive hematopoietic cells, described by its authors as significant inhibition of hemopoiesis ^[4]. It is uncontrolled, it tested two peptides together, and it comes from the developer network itself. No pharmacokinetic study, registered trial or formal toxicology package exists to set against it ^[10].

Is Vesugen different from livagen, testagen, prostamax or pancragen? Chemically yes, and KED is the first three residues contained in all four of those sequences ^[1][2]. No published study establishes what functionally distinguishes them. The literature cannot answer this question, so nothing reported for those compounds is carried across to this one.

References

1. 1

   NLM supplementary concept record C533570, entry terms lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid, Lys-Glu-Asp, tripeptide t-38, t-38 tripeptide, vesugen; PubChem CID 87571363, C15H26N4O8, molecular weight 390.39, CAS 204271-66-9. Both records re-resolved directly, 27 August 2026. Anchor paper: Khavinson VKh, et al. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2012. PMID 22808515. DOI: 10.1007/s10517-012-1664-1 (names "vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp)" in fibroblasts). Note: PMID 25408528. studies "tripeptide T-38" without using the trade name.
2. 2

   Sibling sequences, each from a separate record: Fedoreyeva LI, et al. Biochemistry (Moscow). 2011. PMID 22117547. DOI: 10.1134/S0006297911110022 (testagen, Lys-Glu-Asp-Gly). Lezhava T, et al. Georgian Medical News. 2023. PMID 37042594. (livagen, Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala). Dzhokhadze TA, et al. Georgian Medical News. 2012. PMID 23221144. (prostamax, Lys-Glu-Asp-Pro). Khavinson VK, et al. Biomolecules. 2023;13(3):552. PMID 36979488. DOI: 10.3390/biom13030552 (pancragen as the amide, Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2).
3. 3

   Kitachev KV, et al. Uspekhi Gerontologii / Advances in Gerontology. 2014;27(1):156-159. PMID 25051774. Russian, English abstract only. (41 patients, vasculogenic erectile dysfunction, Vezugen monotherapy, before and after comparison of clinical and instrumental blood flow parameters in the main penile arteries. Indexed substance is lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid. PubMed publication type is Clinical Trial with no control arm and no randomization. The record's title concerns chronic arterial insufficiency of the lower limbs.)
4. 4

   Meshchaninov VN, et al. Advances in Gerontology. 2015. PMID 26390612. Russian, English abstract only, no DOI. (32 people, 18 men and 12 women, aged 41 to 83, polymorbidity and organic brain syndrome in remission. Reports improved central nervous system activity; also reports prooxidant activity through chemiluminescence and decreased CD34 positive hematopoietic polypotent cells showing significant inhibition of hemopoiesis.)
5. 5

   Bashkireva AS. Uspekhi Gerontologii / Advances in Gerontology. 2015;28(3):510-512. PMID 28509489. Russian, English abstract. (Work Ability Index in lorry drivers; the record indexes lysyl-glutamic-aspartic acid and pinealon, and the abstract discusses combined application only. Three pages, no sample size, no randomization, no comparator in the abstract.)
6. 6

   Khavinson V, et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021;14(6):515. PMID 34071923. DOI: 10.3390/ph14060515. (KED and EDR peptides prevented dendritic spine loss in 5xFAD-M mice. Mechanism assigned by molecular modeling and docking of peptides in dsDNA. The KED neuroplasticity effect is reported as a trend.)
7. 7

   Correction to Pharmaceuticals 2021, 14, 515. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2025;18(1):111. PMID 39861198. DOI: 10.3390/ph18010111. ("Figures 5 and 8 are the same, described differently." Authors state the scientific conclusions are unaffected.)
8. 8

   Ashapkin V, Khavinson V, Shilovsky G, Linkova N, Vanyushin B. Molecular Biology Reports. 2020;47(6):4323-4329. PMID 32399807. DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05506-3. (Names Ala-Glu-Asp (AED), Lys-Glu-Asp (KED) and Lys-Glu (KE), tested in human fetal mesenchymal stem cell aging models. KED inhibited TNKS2 in one aging model and stimulated it in the other. Sequence codes only, no trade names.)
9. 9

   Caputi S, Trubiani O, Sinjari B, Trofimova S, Diomede F, Linkova N, Diatlova A, Khavinson V. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology. 2019;33. PMID 30791821. DOI: 10.1177/2058738419828613. (Names AED, KED, KE and AEDG, tested on human periodontal ligament stem cells. Four of eight authors are St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, with Khavinson in the senior position. Conclusions are marker expression findings.)
10. 10

    PubMed E-utilities absence searches and ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 query, run 27 August 2026. (No pharmacokinetic study for vesugen by any route in any species; no Cmax, Tmax, half-life, clearance, volume of distribution or bioavailability published. Per-compound searches crossing vesugen and KED with lifespan, longevity, survival and mortality return no survival curve. ClinicalTrials.gov returns zero studies for vesugen.)
11. 11

    Khavinson VK. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2021. PMID 34173097. DOI: 10.1007/s10517-021-05192-6. (Review. Opens with oral application of KED and asserts improved memory and attention in elderly individuals with functional CNS disorders, without a supporting reference in the abstract.)
12. 12

    Khavinson V, Popovich I, Mikhailova O. Acta Biomedica. 2020. PMID 32921699. (Conflict of interest statement declaring no commercial associations including patent or licensing arrangement.) USPTO US6727227B1, granted 27 April 2004, four named inventors including Vladimir K. Khavinson, assignee the institute's clinic LLC. (Family patent covering the tetrapeptide epitalon, not Vesugen.)