Cardiogen

Overview

Cardiogen is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg) from the Khavinson bioregulator series, studied for potential regulatory effects on cardiovascular tissue gene expression and cardiomyocyte function in preclinical models.

Mechanism of Action

Cardiogen is proposed to enter cells and modulate transcription of genes involved in cardiomyocyte differentiation, survival, and extracellular matrix maintenance. In vitro studies suggest it upregulates Ki67 and PCNA in cardiac progenitor cells and modulates connexin-43, a gap junction protein critical for cardiac electrical coupling.

Research Summary

In vitro studies showed Cardiogen promoted cardiomyocyte differentiation markers in embryonic stem cell-derived cardiac models (Khavinson et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2013). In vivo studies in aged rats showed improved cardiac tissue morphology and reduced fibrosis markers (Linkova et al., J Biomedical Science, 2016). Research originates from the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology.

Dosing Information

Reported Side Effects

• Limited human safety data
• Mild injection site reactions (preclinical)
• No significant adverse effects in published preclinical studies
• Theoretical risk of fibroblast overstimulation at high doses

Research References

• Tetrapeptide H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg-OH stimulates expression of cytoskeletal and nuclear matrix proteins (2012)