Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of Epitalon and MOTS-c — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
Epitalon (also Epithalon, AEDG) is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) developed by Vladimir Khavinson at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as a synthetic analog of the bovine pineal extract Epithalamin. It is a research-only bioregulator — not FDA-approved and not included in any major Western clinical guideline.
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP) encoded within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, discovered by Lee and Cohen at USC in 2015 (sequence: MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR). It is an investigational, research-only peptide studied as a metabolic regulator; it has not been approved by the FDA for any indication.
Epitalon
MOTS-c
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Half-life
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
Epitalon
MOTS-c
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
Epitalon
87
COAs
99.3%
Avg purity
14
Labs
MOTS-c
193
COAs
99.5%
Avg purity
16
Labs
The evidence base is dominated by the Khavinson group. A 2003 paper in Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (Khavinson, Bondarev, Butyugov; PMID 12937682) reported telomerase activation and telomere elongation in cultured human fetal fibroblasts. Additional Khavinson-group papers and reviews (e.g. 'Peptides and Ageing,' PMID 12374906) describe melatonin-rhythm normalization and claimed geroprotective effects in elderly Russian patients treated with epithalamin or epitalon in open-label / small-cohort studies over 6–12 year follow-up. These clinical studies have significant methodological limitations (open-label design, single-center, limited controls) and have NOT been independently replicated in rigorous Western controlled trials. There are no Phase 2/3 trials, no FDA approval, and no inclusion in Western clinical guidelines. Grey-market dosing of 5–10 mg SubQ daily for 10–20 day cycles, 1–2 times per year, is not clinically validated for any endpoint.
Key references
Lee et al. (Cell Metabolism, 2015; PMID 25738459) identified MOTS-c and showed that exogenous administration in mice prevented diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance via AMPK activation in skeletal muscle. Kim et al. (Cell Metabolism, 2018; PMID 29983246) demonstrated that MOTS-c translocates to the nucleus under metabolic stress and regulates antioxidant response element (ARE) genes. Reynolds et al. (Nature Communications, 2021; PMID 33473109) reported that exercise induces MOTS-c in human skeletal muscle and that MOTS-c treatment improved physical capacity in young, middle-aged, and aged mice. Human clinical data are limited to CohBar's Phase 1a/1b study of the analog CB4211 in healthy volunteers and obese NAFLD subjects, which reported acceptable tolerability and exploratory signals on ALT/AST and glucose; CohBar wound down the program in 2023. No completed Phase 2 or Phase 3 trials exist for MOTS-c or its analogs, and grey-market dosing (typically ~10 mg SubQ 2-3x/week) is not clinically validated.
Epitalon (Cosmetic) and MOTS-c (Metabolic) are in different categories and target different biological pathways. This is a common pattern in multi-compound research protocols. Researchers should monitor the biomarkers from both profiles and watch for interactions listed in each compound’s contraindications. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before combining any research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs